Azores Blue Marlin dream bite, solo grander catch & humble start to Baz heavy tackle season

Azores Blue Marlin dream bite, solo grander catch & humble start to Baz heavy tackle season: after being out of range for a week, Duarte is back with a classic FishBazaruto.com roundup. Starting in the Azores, over to the Cook Islands, and all the way back to early season Bazaruto.

Epic Azores Blue Marlin Bite

Blue Marlin of Faial in the Azores – the area has seen some very consistent fishing over the last few seasons. But at the moment, they are literally re-writing the record books for the number of quality Blue Marlin being caught!

I am sure everyone in the game has heard of it but I will say it again the bite the guys are experiencing in the Azores at the moment is nothing short of spectacular. I would go as far as to say that in quantity & quality it’s the best Blue Marlin bite, we have ever heard in over three decades of Marlin fishing, maybe Madeira in ´94 & ´95 (not that I was there) and what we experienced in Bom Bom in ´97 was in par or close, but this just sounds insane!

It really is probably the best Blue Marlin bite seen in Blue Marlin history and very envious not to be there but…well done to everyone, I am sure you all are having the time of your lives, good on you & enjoy…

Certainly, a very special place to be at the moment!

Over the last week I have had numerous friends and clients calling me asking, when are we going? – after almost 20 years I think it’s time for a revisit for sure! With the GBR next year already looking into late August 2025…

EPIC!!!!

I mean look at these numbers, but most importantly the quality from the last few days and believe me it has slowed down from like the beginning of the month…

Uno Mas went 2 from with a #700 and a #500 and day before 4 from 5, Xacara 4 from 4 and then 4 from 5 with a #900 and a #750, Sensei 3 from 3 including #800 & #700, Nola 2 from 3 with a #750 and a #650 and then 3 from 5 including a #500, Brasilia 4 from 4 all over #500 and then 2 from 3, Alabote 3 from 10, two of which #800 and #650, Habitat a #650, Rabao caught a #800 and Tekila a #700…

Yeah, this is just like the last 5 days or so!!!

Of course, I have missed some boats / fish and the Deceiver just tops it off with a 5-5 day with 4 of those being between 850 to 650!!!

Just a few more staggering numbers and historic days – once again sorry because I am sure I missed a lot of fish here…

On the 31st August Bad Company caught 5 from 11 with three being over (600,600,650) and of the 6 they missed one was one they estimated at #1200 – The same day Xacara went 2 from 3 (650,500), Tekila went 5 from 7 (750,600,500), Nola 2 from 4 (800,700).

On the 1st September Xacara went 5 from 6 (650,600,600), Tekila 3 from 6 (750,600), Nola caught 2 biggest at #850, Habitat 2 from 5 to #650.

On the 2 Sep, Xacara 3 from 4 to #850, Sea Weez went 4 from 5 to #850, Habitat 3 from 3 to #800 and Tekila released one #700!

The 3rd must go down as one of the best Blue Marlin fishing days just look at the quality!

Olaf on the Xacara had a 9 for 12 Blue Marlin Day including 5 between #800 to #650 and Bad Company went 7 from 9 with 5 over #500 and to #800!

Other good fish were caught but that´s 16 from 21 Blue Marlin by two boats which is pretty impressive…

…but that 10 of those 16 released fish were over #500 and to #800 is beyond belief!!!

The next day Bad Company went 8 from 10 this time with 6 over #500 and to #900! The same day Brasilia caught 5 (750, 700, 700), Sensei went 2 from 2 (800,700), Xacara went 3 from 4, and Nola released 4 (800,700,600).

And it carried on and on and still going strong!

On the 7th when the Bad Company were unlucky to break down they had fished for 8 days releasing 41 Blue Marlin of which 29 were over #500!

How´s that for some epic numbers!

A few pictures on a couple good ones including a #979 aboard the Xacara way back in ´06!

Just could not help myself and bring these memories as an ode to a place that is on absolute fire @ the moment.

A Blue Marlin which weighed 979 pounds aboard the Xacara we caught this fish in front of the Marina after a long haul in very windy conditions from the Azores bank. In the picture below you can see Steve O with her on the leader!

Steve O on the leader during the recent epic Azores Blue Marlin Bite

Cook Islands

Fishing solo, Pauro Arnold in the Cook Islands caught this impressive 1,128 lbs Blue Marlin in late August 2023…

Short & Humble start to the Bazaruto heavy Tackle Season

Although we effectively only starting the heavy tackle season on the 22nd September, we had our good friend Warren ask us to take them out for a few hours of marlin fishing on the 6th and 7th of September aboard the 38ft Drop Your Rods…

Turned out to be a very humble start to the season going 0 from 3 including a nice one.

Because the plane was late and we still had to drop the girls at Azura Resort on Benguerra Island we only fished 2 hours Wednesday afternoon and missed a #500 that took the short corner Riggler from Pulsator lures. It took off at warp speed and came undone after 30 secs.

We also also caught a few Yellowfin.

Then I picked up the guys at Azura early for a morning half day.

We set the lures and raised a sailfish on the Magnet by pulsator lures.

We then caught a nice-sized YFT and decided to put it out as live bait and got the bite within 2 or 3 minutes.

As it so often happens with big baits and smaller fish this #300 got wrapped on the trace on the bite – we still had him on for 5 mins or so before coming off.

An hour later, releasing a huge Zambeze in between, had an 800 miss our short big YFT live bait, it then took the second bait and we hooked up.

Or so we thought!

After 40 minutes, three times with the leader within reach (once with the Bimini on the rod tip) and seeing that circle perfectly in the left corner as she swam behind us the circle pulled???

WTF!

Well we experienced everything out of that fish anyway – amazing two bites, great jumps close in (only got my new camera today ☹ ), right behind the boat a few times and swimming healthy out there to be caught another day.

There were YFT and skipjack all over the show – caught a whole bunch and had great fun.

Looking really good –hard to know that we have jigging for the next week but all good and here’s to a great season and Blue Water!

That´s good quality fish right off the bat, hoping it’s a good sign for things to come and that we all get into some of these Bazaruto XXL models as below and the main picture in the next few months…