What if....

[whitey]

you could fish anyplace in the world for BIG BLUE MARLIN? Where would you go?

I would like to plan a trip in the next year or so to catch a slob Blue Marlin and was thinking about Ghana, Azores or the Ascension Islands.

What would be your top choice?

[paul708]

i have always wanted to try Bom-Bom

[fishskipper]

My choices would be Madeira or the Canary Islands.

[anthony]

I agree....Madeira.

[Jared D]

I agree....Madeira.

Well I have been hearing about Madeira for a couple months now... I honestly never cared about Marlin until I actually went fishing for one (in Kona), and we had a ~700-800#er rip line off a 130 like it was a passing torpedo before spitting the hook on its first jump 800 yards from the boat. Now I have the "blue" fever. So I started looking into places to check out, and I keep hearing Madeira, Madeira, Madeira.

Anyone ever actually fished there? Any first hand knowledge? I dont know if I could swing a trip for a couple years, but its now on my list of things to do. I hate that I now MUST catch a grander. This is gonna get expensive, I can already see that!

[Patudo]

Heh heh... Everyone wants to catch a big blue marlin...

Couple of things to check

- Will you be travelling with your wife/family and have to factor their wants into your planning or do you really expect to be able to FISH ONLY?

- How much of a factor are travel expenses and travel time going to be? For instance to get to Ascension Island you need to fly to the UK and then take a Royal Air Force flight to Ascension which currently costs in excess of £900 sterling. That's before you even step on the boat.

- Likewise, what is your budget for the cost of chartering a vessel?

- How many days do you intend to fish?

- What expectations do you have? By this I mean what sort of real world results do you honestly expect? What level of expertise in skipper and crew and type of vessel are you going to demand?

For many if not most anglers the big blue marlin game is an expensive one to play. You will most likely be looking at a considerable investment so you should consider all the above factors very carefully.

[whitey]

Patudo, I have already priced out The Hooker in Ghana and it was $20,000 for 1 week with 4 anglers. That included everything except airfare. I would like to do this with 4 people to keep the cost around 5-6,000 per person. We will not be traveling with wives or family and could realy care less about nightlife. I just want 1 week of hardcore big blue marlin fishing.

[flatbottom]

reasonable if you look at like this........... 13.50 a pound

[Swami]

Maybe I'm dead wrong (wouldn't be the first time) but I've heard Madiera has slowed down a bit since its heyday about four or five years ago. Ascension's just too remote.

For that kind of coin you could go to Hawaii and spend a week on the best charter in the marina and have cash left over. And they always seem to catch a couple granders off Bermuda, especially early in the season. Those two would be my top choices. Good luck either way!

[whitey]

Maybe I'm dead wrong (wouldn't be the first time) but I've heard Madiera has slowed down a bit since its heyday about four or five years ago. Ascension's just too remote.

For that kind of coin you could go to Hawaii and spend a week on the best charter in the marina and have cash left over. And they always seem to catch a couple granders off Bermuda, especially early in the season. Those two would be my top choices. Good luck either way!

Sam, I have heard the same thing about Madeira thats why we have not considered it. We thought about Hawaii and Bermuda but would like to go someplace that is a little more remote. I will see you in Costa Rica in a few weeks.