FISHING THE PACIFIC 



come, of course, with great rapidity and no warning. You 

 rarely ever see the fish and it is for the foregoing reasons that 

 we have not bothered with outriggers at Cabo Blanco and 

 I'm sincere when I say that I do not think they are needed. 



When dropping back to the black marlin you may not 

 always get the pause, but I'm sure you can distinguish the 

 thing by a turn-around, slowing up, or, if not a real pause, 

 on the reel spool. I would not give them anywhere near as 

 much as they do in New Zealand, but I must say that my 

 Down Under experience has helped me greatly at Cabo 

 Blanco. It is amazing how many people who have been there 

 have had black marlin strikes and never hooked a fish. 



This is a fantastic fish. Imagine the 1560-pounder jumping 

 forty times right into the boat, Glassell fighting it forty min- 

 utes without any bracing. Imagine baiting a real big black 

 marlin and having a smaller one come up that turned out to 

 weigh 1560 pounds! I've had a black marlin jump thirty-four 

 times with the gaff still in him after breaking loose. 



These fish are so large that being hooked deep or in a bad 

 place does not slow them up anywhere near as much as it 

 does a 500- or 600-pound blue marlin. When they shake 

 their heads, these fish really give it to you in the chair. They 

 resemble the broadbill in that they have his fighting spirit. 

 Personally I like the two-hook rig since it may give you 

 another chance (as it does with the broadbill) in setting the 

 other hook. The baits must be large and I favor Sierra mack- 

 erel. Lisa, a big mullet, is also good and of course bonitos 

 can be used in a pinch for swordfish. These fish, I believe, 

 should be caught with 12/0 reels, and the big Fin-Nor 

 14/o's are also fine. 



100 



