Black marlin are found in tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific oceans not far from the surface.
Their bodies are blue-black above, and a silvery white below, sometimes with light blue vertical stripes. The first dorsal fin is blackish to dark blue with other fins dark brown with tinges of dark blue. Black marlins feed primarily on cephalopods and fish, especially tuna, which they stun and kill with slashing movements of their bill.
Cairns became the big game fishing capital of the world in September 1966, when American angler Richard C. Obach landed a world record 1064-pound Black Marlin on 80-pound test line. Ever since, big game fishermen from around the globe have flocked to Cairns, with hundreds succeeding in capturing their dream Billfish.
Cairns is the place to be when the mighty black marlin migrate to their spawning grounds off the outer barrier reef between Cairns and Lizard Island. From September to December, the large Black Marlin migrate to the waters off the outer Great Barrier Reef to spawn, and this is the time to have a shot at catching a monster in excess of 1,000 pounds.
Cairns is the place to be when the mighty black marlin migrate to their spawning grounds off the outer barrier reef between Cairns and Lizard Island. From September to December, the large Black Marlin migrate to the waters off the outer Great Barrier Reef to spawn, and this is the time to have a shot at catching a monster in excess of 1,000 pounds.
