striped marlin
The Striped Marlin is the jewel in the crown of Mexican sport fishing, the bread and butter fish, especially along both sides of Baja. There are probably more anglers travelling to Mexico to target the Striped Marlin than any of the other local fishes, perhaps even combined. The abundance of the Striper, along with its relatively small size compared to the Blue or Black Marlin, make it catchable by most and gives this fish its popularity. Its acrobatics along with its color brilliance when hooked is something that all visiting anglers should see and experience, at least once.
It will make long runs, tail walk, and leap repeatedly throughout the fight. Although almost all of the record-sized catches of Striped Marlin have taken place in or around New Zealand, West Coast Mexico is still considered to be one of the best areas, if not the best area in the world for these fish, simply for the quantity. From time to time you’ll get two to four fish on at the same time, as they tend to travel in schools with triples and quadruple hook-ups possible. One time I caught 11 (plus about 20 Dorado) in one day and we were back by noon. This is not typical, however, and catches of two or three in a day, during peak season is considered good. There are no Striped Marlin along the Atlantic coast.
Like the other Marlin species, the fins of the Striper are all blue with its first dorsal fin being the darkest in color. This Marlin has the highest dorsal fin of the Marlins, being higher than the greatest depth of its own body, and includes a number of iridescent blue spots. As its name indicates, the Striped Marlin is endowed with at least 15 bright vertical bars or stripes made up of brilliant blue rows of round blotches and/or spots. These stripes are clearly visible, even after death. When the fish gets excited these stripes seem almost electric or neon-like in appearance and the fish is considered then as being being lit up.
Fishing for Striped Marlin can be done utilizing live bait or artificial lures and even using cut or chunk bait on the free drift. Generally speaking, though, most anglers will fish for Stripers with trolling lures, switching to live bait as opportunities arise.
The Striper is the likeliest of the three local Marlins to be caught on a fly rod, for those wishing to fly fish. Although there are Striped Marlin present all year long in Mexico primarily in Los Cabos, they prefer water temperatures between 70 and 78 degrees. The flesh of this fish is gamy-tasting and should be released. The average sized Striped Marlin caught in Los Cabos waters are between 110 and 140 pounds, with a big one being 200 pounds.
For more info on the Striped Marlin and other fish species, order my book "Fishing ... Mexican Style".