Light Tackle Trolling for White Marlin
For some, white marlin are a prized sportfish worth spending millions of dollars on buying a 60’+ sportfishing boat, paying a full crew to run one, and all the gear necessary to put it all together. For guys looking to put together a meat trip full of tuna, dolphin, and wahoo they can be seen as a nuisance, messing up skirted ballyhoo, spreader bars, and wasting time on the troll since they are not regarded as a great eating fish.
For those that want to take advantage of a terrific fishery in the midatlantic when the tuna bite tends to die down in the hottest of the summer months, targeting white marlin can be the ultimate thrill while still producing some top notch tablefare by way of dolphin and the occasional yellowfin tuna. Since you are using super light tackle and no more than 30lb hi vis monofilament line, you can go ahead and put away your extra heavy standup gear besides a few setups to pull teasers or to use as a pitchbait setup for a monster blue marlin that may crash the party.
The most suitable reels for this application have super high speed retrieves with a gear ratio above 6.0:1, an unhindered free spool to improve the baits presentation while dropping back, and a smooth and non aggressive drag system that will prevent anglers from using too much drag that could result in pulled or broken hooks and breaking off a potential tournament winning fish of a lifetime. A few options include the Shimano Talica 20BFC with its 6.7:1 gear ratio and unbelievable free spool, the Accurate BVL-600SW with a 7:1 gear ratio, and the Seigler OS. If you are able to get your hands on the now discontinued Shimano Tyrnos 20 single speed reels, they are a fantastic option at a lower price point than the BFC while being much easier to maintain and use for novice anglers. Two speed options of the Tyrnos reels are also great, however at a heavier weight than their single speed counterparts.
As far as finding the perfect rod many go with full custom offerings, however there are more than a few options for name brand dink rods. The TackleDirect Platinum Hook TDPS662040SIN White Marlin Conventional Standup Rod offers a custom like feel with a sleek black on silver layout, X-Wrap foregrip, and Fuji Silicon Nitride (SIN) guides to provide years of use without wearing out the guide inserts and breaking off fish. The blank of this rod is also specifically designed for use with circle hooks with an ultra soft tip that does provides a higher percentage of quality hooksets, which is the name of the game. Shimano also offers the Tallus Standup Ring Guide Rods in both a 20-40 and 15-30 rating that have caught their fair share of whites. Blackfin Rods out of Stuart, Florida also crafts a fine white marlin rod, the Fin #130 which is also geared specifically towards white marlin dredge fishing with circle hooks.
After you have selected your rod and reel combo, the reel will be spooled up with 25 or 30lb hi visibility yellow monofilament line, you will want to form a double line to attach your header to via either a Bimini Twist, Australian Plait, or a Spider Hitch. Once you have your double line formed, it is best to use 40-60lb Seaguar, Yo-Zuri, Momoi, Jinkai, or Ande monofilament or fluorocarbon leader as the header, which is tied to the double line via an Albright. This will give you a very small diameter connection that will not get hung up on your guides. At the end of your header, you will want to attach a 70-100lb ball bearing snap swivel similar to the Momoi Diamond Tournament Snap Swivel. Here is where you will attach your leader, which is usually comprised of a 6’ section of 40-60lb fluorocarbon leader with a loop on one end via a crimp or a perfection loop and a 7/0-8/0 inline circle hook on the other. Eagle Claw’s L2004ELF and the Owner 5379 SSW are great options with wide gaps and a light wire gauge that will translate to better swimming dink baits and more hookups.
Dredges play a crucial role in bringing white marlin into your spread, as they resemble a school of bait in your spread. There are several ways to add this dimension to your spread, whether via 2 electric reels like the Lindgren Pitman S-1200 and S-2400 reels ran off of your outriggers via an a-frame, or by using downriggers on a smaller center console. While natural dredges are ideal, they require a large investment in both time and money. Squid dredges from Squidnation are often extremely effective and do not require near the amount of effort as their natural dredge counterparts. Dredge weights like the Fathom Offshore Coated Fish Weights ranging from 4-8lbs are usually used in order to keep the dredges under the water, which not only allows for an ideal presentation but also prevents them from getting tangled while spinning on the surface. 400lb monofilament line is often used on the dredge reels.
Teasers are also crucial to add more of a presence of a school of baitfish, where squid chains with chase baits off of both your port and starboard teaser reels just past your dredges. Usually best to use 2 different colors of squidchains, with pink, green, and blue being the most popular. Green and pink are usually best since they are easier to see, making it easier to see when Mr. Whitey is about to pile on the teaser and you are able to get a bait in front of him.
After getting your dredges and chains situated in your spread, it is usually best to run two longs outside and further back from your teasers on each side and then two flat lines that can be used to drop back to your dredges in the event that a white comes up on it. After your initial hookup, bring the inside dredge in tight, drop the opposite dredge, and turn the boat towards the side of the hooked fish to try and score multiple hookups.