2004 Season

Summary: 66 fishing days

Funny old season we had this year, the wind was out of the North for most of July and August which brought down the temperature of the water and, after a promising start in early July, only one blue marlin was caught in August, but it weighed in at 979 lbs!

In the 6 weeks between the end of July and middle of September, traditionally the peak period, only 2 blues were "caught" (one was released, the other died), and then 3 were released in our final week of fishing towards the end of September. Yet, for all the bad weather, the final tally was 8 from 20 strikes, which does not compare badly to last year when we released 9 from 21 strikes.

We had three groups who concentrated on fly-fishing, and that, of course, does affect the statistics. Apart from these 3, most of the other groups were fishing the bait and switch method, as opposed to trolling artificial lures.

The size of the blues was impressive. Of the 20 strikes, 13 were estimated to be over 600 lbs. Of the 8 caught, the average size was 685 lbs, the smallest was 450 lbs, and the largest 979 lbs.

There were fewer white marlin this year than last year, but again they were affected by the cold water currents brought in by the Northerly winds. They didn't appear in big numbers until almost half way through September. In total we released only 13 from about 60 raised, although a lot more seen. Compare that to last year when some days we released as many as 10!

Blue marlin - Date/Size of catches:

July 8th: 750 lbs

July 9th: 800 lbs

July 28th: 650 lbs

Aug 4th: 979 lbs weighed

Sept 1st: 450 lbs

Sept 17th: 700 lbs

Sept 20th: 550 lbs

Sept 22nd: 600 lbs

Average: 685 lbs

Smallest: 450 lbs

Biggest: 979 lbs

6 from 8 "caught" over 600 lbs

13 from 20 strikes over 600 lbs

September 28th

The guys never did have any luck. They had a bite from a third white marlin on their first day of fishing and a couple of days later they went out for a few hours and hooked a blue marlin, about 700 lbs, but it did not stick and jumped off after only a few minutes. Our commiserations to the boys.

September 22nd

We have friends and family visiting us for a few days and today they went fishing. What a good thing they did because so far they have had a fantastic day and they will not be back into the marina for a couple of hours yet. It all began in the morning when they hooked up a white marlin which was incredibly acrobatic and jumped off the hooks. Not much later they hooked up a blue marlin, about 650 lbs, but that one pulled the hooks. Early in the afternoon another blue marlin struck and hooked up successfully. Lynn, one of the 2 ladies on board took the rod and became the first one in the group to release a marlin, estimated at 600 lbs. The second lady, Lesley, got lucky a little later when a white marlin took her bait and the hooks stuck. Good going girls, come on guys!

September 20th

The last day of charter for Xácara this year was a great success. Adrian and Jim had missed half a day last week because of bad weather and seeing yesterday was the last opportunity to make up the time, Ian decided to leave at 6 in the morning and return after dark. They trolled most of the time, from one bank to another, and on Azores bank Jim caught his blue marlin, which was estimated to be 550 lbs. It was a very strong active fish and performed some good jumps. Unfortunately there was no Ingrid to get it on video! What a nice way to end the season. Well done Jim.

September 17th

In the last 4 days we have had one day cancelled because it was too windy, one day with no action whatsoever, one frustrating day with 2 hooked fish which got away, and one fantastic day.

To elaborate on the last two:

The anglers were settled in the saloon when a large fish took one of the lures. No one saw the fish but it took off like a rocket. It could have been a blue marlin, or a very big, very strong white. By the time the angler got to the cockpit and into the chair it had taken all the line until only the dacron was left on the spool. And at that stage it pulled the hooks and got away. Later the same day a white marlin hooked up but jumped off before the angler was in the chair and reeling it in.

Today was different story. It was a wonderful day, although a bit rainy and Ian headed for Azores bank hoping to be able to get all the way to Princess Alice if the wind continued to fall. On Azores bank they hooked up a white marlin, which Adrian released successfully. They continued to Princess Alice and in the middle of nowhere in deep water a blue marlin took the lures. Again it was Adrian on strike and he reeled in a wonderful 700 lb blue marlin. He was delighted because he tells us that today was the 55th day he had chartered a boat specifically to catch bill fish, all over the world, and spread over a good many years, and it was his first success. We love stories like that.

September 13th

Yesterday Adrian and Jim raised a white marlin which knocked the lures around but never made a serious strike. They now have a few days off to pursue other leisure activities and will fish again towards the end of the week.

Today was the first day of a 4 day charter for a group of Danish anglers. The weather has stayed calm and settled and Capt Ian reported that they had seen a large blue marlin feeding on the surface but it showed no interest in the lures at all. How frustrating!

September 12th

Three days ago brothers Adrian and Jim began their charter on Xácara. With bad weather forecast as Tropical Depression 10 approached the Azores we were uncertain whether they would get any fishing at all. The first day the weather was not too bad and they completed a full day's charter but it was an uneventful day. They managed a few hours the next day before Ian decided that the weather had deteriorated to the "return to marina" stage, and the third day was cancelled at the start. Today we should have been chartering with a group of Italians while Adrian and Jim take a few days to play tourist, but the Italians cancelled late last night. The morning dawned calm and clear so Ian woke Adrian and Jim with the news that they could fish today if they wanted to. Well, it didn't take them long to reach a decision and they arrived at the boat a little bemused and not in the best of shape after a late night out on the town! Perhaps their luck will change today.

So, seeing there is not much news to report, here are some photos from Stuart and Sean's charter a couple of weeks ago.

September 8th

After the successful day out at Princess Alice, and with the weatherman promising fair weather for the next 2 days, Capt Ian decided to do an "overnighter" on Princess Alice bank. Well stocked with food and water (and gin and tonic), Xácara headed out of the marina in mid morning, but the weatherman was not quite right and, before they were half way there Ian realised that the weather conditions were a bit too boisterous for Princess Alice. So they headed for the closer banks but did not find any marlin.

This morning they left extra early and made it all the way to Princess Alice. Again they raised quite a few white marlin, Richard successfully got one to the boat, but Tim was not so lucky. They even let the crew have a go with the fly rods. Zak did not have much success but Ingrid hooked up and fought her white marlin for 10 minutes before it jumped off.

Well, the Blue Marlin on Fly Challenge did not work out this year, but Richard and Tim say they had a great time with the whites and their fly rods, which were supplied by Snowbee. Thank you Snowbee.

September 6th

Fly anglers Richard and Tim have returned for another charter aboard "Xacara". They fished with us last year, catching a few whites and Richard caught a 375 lb blue marlin on fly, but unfortunately the tippet did not comply with IGFA regulations to claim a world. Well, he never expected to be on contention for a world record! Now he knows that it is possible, he has made sure that all the gear complies and he is determined to give it another go.

The first day produced a great big zero. They saw lots of bait, birds, dolphins and sunshine, but no marlin. On the second day they raised a white marlin but it would not take the fly.

Yesterday, they went out to Princess Alice Bank and raised at least 12 white marlin. At one time, with Richard already fighting one and the boat dead in the water, there were 5 more swimming around the back of the boat. Tim presented the fly time and again but without any luck. His luck changed a little later and he successfully hooked a white marlin on fly and got it to the boat. Richard, who broke a rod while fighting the blue marlin last year, managed to break another rod while fighting a white marlin today.

September 3rd

We had some unexpected days off when a client cancelled at the last minute. Big rejoicing from the crew who really appreciated the extra time to relax and recuperate.

Neil and Pam Bailey then fished for two days and Neil was the lucky one who hooked up and successfully released a 450 lb blue marlin. Well done, Neil.

August 28th

Today is the first day we have had off since the 18th July. That means the crew get a chance to do some maintenance work on the boat, and I get to mow the lawn and weed the flower beds! Here are some photos taken over the last few weeks

August 27th

Over the last 3 days we have seen birds, bait, wind, waves, and quite a few white marlin. The conditions were not easy but they persevered in the hope of finding Mrs Big who got away on Tuesday. The white marlin were a bonus, each day they had quite a few bites and Henrik was the lucky one who hooked up and got one to the boat. Well done Henrik. At last yesterday, their last day, the wind got lighter and the sea calmed down - but still no blue marlin. We had a great time with these fun loving Finns and look forward to welcoming them back next year.

August 24th

There was a lot more action today. Our Finnish anglers raised 4 white marlin, one of which hooked up on 30 lb line and stayed on for 10 minutes before it jumped off. But the highlight of the day was a huge blue marlin, over 900 lbs, which showed interest in the short lures, had a couple of nibbles without hooking up, then changed to the long left, took a huge lunge but missed completely. All on board saw it clearly as it leapt at the lure and Ingrid got some good video footage. Everyone was excited to see such a big marlin, and terribly disappointed that it didn't hook up. Tomorrow they'll try again.

August 23rd

We sadly said goodbye to Stuart whose last day of charter did not produce the big blue he was hoping for, although they raised a few white marlin. May be next year! We are already looking forward to welcoming Sean and Stuart back again.

August 22nd

Two days of beautiful weather but the fish remain elusive. On Saturday they had bites from 3 white marlin but not serious enough hook up. Yesterday was a zero day for marlin!

August 20th

More and more white marlin are appearing, at last. Yesterday Stuart caught a white and they raised 7 others. Today, they raised one and had a mystery bite from something that made a huge splash but they didn't see the fish. For the last 2 days the weather has been more as we expect it to be at this time of year: hardly any wind, flat sea, unlimited sunshine.

August 18th

Still windy, and still confined to fishing close to the island. However, today was more productive for our 2 clients. Sean released a white marlin and they all saw a decent size blue marlin. We also heard reports that 2 other blue marlin were seen today so we are hopeful that the blues are back in town!

August 16th

After a few days of relatively good, settled weather, the wind came back again today. We had a one day charter with a French family but unfortunately for them, the elements conspired against them. By early afternoon Ian decided that the sea conditions were becoming too uncomfortable and the chances of finding a fish were getting slimmer and slimmer and ended the charter day early.

August 15th

We are were all sad to say goodbye to Rudy who did not get his big blue marlin this time round. The weather improved steadily for his last days but that big blue remained elusive.

August 12th

Yesterday, Rudy saw the fish he wants to catch. A huge blue marlin came into the spread and spent 2 to 3 minutes taking a good look at all the lures but was not tempted to strike. There is a lot of bait around so perhaps she was too well fed. They also had bites for some white marlin today.

August 10th

To catch up on the last few days:

On Saturday, 7th August, Layland raised a second blue marlin. One of them investigated the teasers but did not bite, the second came up twice but never showed much interest in the teasers.

On Sunday 8th Rodolfo Nelson from Mexico started an 8 day charter. His first flight was delayed which disrupted the chain of connections all the way from Mexico via San Diego, Connecticut, Newark and Lisbon to Horta. He arrived a day late but stepped right off the plane onto the boat and did not lose a day of his charter. The first day was uneventful, the second day he had a bite from a white marlin, which jumped off, and today, his third day, he had another bite from a white marlin, which took a lot of line but was never hooked securely, and raised 2 others. However, Rudy is not interested in the whites. He has been fishing for billfish for quite a few decades and his main interest is a big blue marlin. Hopefully we will find one for him within the next few days.

August 7th

After the huge excitement of catching the big blue, the next day was a wipe out. Nothing of note seen at all, although one of the whale watching boats reported a huge blue marlin close the North coast of the island.

Friday 8th they had a bite from a white marlin. Phil tried to get it on bait and switch method but was not successful, unfortunately.

Kevin and Phil have now returned home and Layland is fishing on his own today, the last day of his charter. The weather was looking very uncomfortable this morning as the remnants of Hurricane Alex pass north of the Azores. We had a lot of wind during the night and torrential rain this morning but the worst seemed to be over so they set out as usual. Layland is accustomed to heavy weather and doesn't mind a bit of bumpy sea! They raised a blue marlin but unfortunately it didn't bite. The weather is now calm and dry and there are still a few hours left in the day so we hope Layland gets another chance.

979 LB BLUE MARLIN

By all accounts it was quite a fight. I have not heard the full story yet but I do have a few more facts:

They hooked up at 1.30, on 80 lb line, I think doing bait and switch but must confirm that.

Length: 11 ft 6 inches (3.51m)

Girth: 6 ft 1 inch (1.86m)

Weight: 979 lbs (445 kg)

The first part of the battle took almost 2 hours before they got the fish to the side of the boat for the first time. Zak took the leader and they were preparing to tag it when Ian and Zak decided it might be a grander and wanted to gaff it and bring it in for weighing. So Zak dumped the leader, without removing the hooks of course, and got the gaffs out. The marlin had taken off again and it took another 4 hours, including 2 more visits to the transom with Zak trying to subdue the fish on the leader, before they finally managed to gaff it. By this time the marlin had taken them over the horizon, "half way to Bermuda!", and it was a long slow trip back to the marina. They arrived after dark, at 9.30 p.m.

Good friend Mario Silva had organised for the manager of the fishing Co-operative, Francisco Correia, to come down to weigh the fish and we used their crane to load the marlin onto the back of a pick-up, and then onto the weighbridge.

Congratulations to the angler Kevin Valentine, Mate Zak Conde, Gaffman Layland Barker, and Captain Ian Carter. Everyone concerned was tired out by the combat but I suspect they may have done a little celebrating!

Special thanks to Mario and Francisco for their help.

August 4th - A BIG blue marlin

We have three British anglers with us onboard Xácara this week. The first 3 days did not set the world of big game fishing on fire - nothing, nothing and nothing to report. Lots of bird action, lots of bait, but no sign of a marlin of any colour.

But things have just got better. Ian phoned from Condor Bank to report that they have caught a big blue marlin, possibly over 1000 lbs. I do not have any more details yet - so watch this space for the full story!

July 31st

For two days bad weather interrupted the fishing. On Thursday, they went out in the morning, hoping to find the big fish before the wind came up, but they didn't. Friday was a non-starter so the anglers played tourist, rented a car and explored the island. In the evening Capt Ian played host instead of captain and invited them all to dinner at his home.

Today was the last day of their charter and we all hoped their luck would change. The day dawned clear and calm so they headed out to the banks with everyone in high spirits. They found a floating log with a large school of dorado underneath it and brought out the fly and spinning rods. They caught a couple and then suddenly the dorado stopped biting. Ingrid was having a go with Jason's fly rod when the cause of the dorados disappearance became evident: a white marlin appeared and tried to take the fly. Ingrid, being the good crewmember that she is, was in a quandary: does she catch the fish or lose it doing nothing waiting for one of the clients to take over? That white marlin disappeared so they began trolling. 2 more appeared and although the anglers tried their best, switching baits, their hard work was not rewarded. Sorry guys, better luck next year.

July 28th

No action from the fish, but we ended the day with a party on the beach, barbecued the dorado and jacks caught on Tuesday, and watched "Azores 2003" on a giant screen. This is the film of our fishing season last year, the product of Ingrid's video work and Ian's editing.

July 27th - Exhilarating Third Blue

At the weekend our long time charterers and friends Helmut and Britta Nanz and Jason Goldberg arrived, with a new member of the team, Helmut's brother Florian.

Monday, their first day of charter was a bit breezy, and uneventful. They fished Condor Bank until it became too rough then fished the Northern coast of the island but the day was uneventful.

Today dawned calm and clear so Capt Ian headed straight out to Azores Bank. On the bank they found lots of birds but the water was not as warm as it had been approaching the bank, and the further south they worked along the bank the colder the water got. With no sign of any activity he decided to head further north to Condor Bank where the water was much warmer. Between the banks, in deep water, they found a barnacle encrusted buoy floating with a host of dorados and jacks underneath it. They brought out the light tackle and fly rods and had a great time catching fish for the freezer (and the chef at their hotel!). The dorado were a good size, up to 20 lbs, and really good fun on the fly rods. When the ice-chest was full, and the cockpit full of debris, they decided it was time to go back to the marlin hunt.

On Condor Bank, Ian found one small area of good bait and worked it solidly and at last it produced two blue marlin, which struck almost simultaneously. They came up to the teasers and the anglers and crew worked quickly and efficiently at switching the teaser for a hooked bait. The first marlin to take the bait was well in excess of 800 lbs, a real beast and the biggest the crew have seen this season (so far). It missed the bait once, but hooked up at the second attempt. Jason was in the chair with the rod as it pulled line; and then it was gone. Unfortunately, so was the bait and the second blue marlin had appeared. This was a bit smaller, about 650 lbs, and it took some really slick work with the bridge teaser to keep it interested while Zak worked wonders to change the leader with a new bait for the angler to work the switch. The angler was Jason and he released the biggest blue of his angling career after a 30 minute fight. Great stuff, and more of the same tomorrow, please!

July 25th

Last week was really not fly-fishing weather. After the excitement of raising 2 blues and 2 whites (not 1 as I originally thought) on Tuesday, Wednesday was rough and too windy for fly-fishing. No success.

Thursday the weather was even worse and fishing was cancelled for the day. They went out for a few hours in the evening to try for blue fish again but did not get even one bite. Meanwhile the local fishermen are catching huge 9kg blue fish from the shore! Ingrid went diving and burst an eardrum, so no more diving for her for the rest of her stay in Faial (she is not a happy bunny!)

Friday was much like Wednesday, fishable but not particularly pleasant, and they did not raise anything.

Finally, on Saturday the weather improved and Ian decided it was time to try Princess Alice Bank. It did not look at all productive so they returned to Azores Bank and raised a white marlin. Tony fought it on a light spinning rod which gave him a really good work out and all the guys were delighted to have had some success on the last day of their charter. What a pity that the weather has been so unseasonable during their 5 day charter - we know the blues and whites are here!

Today we had a young Danish couple fishing with us for just one day. They raised a blue marlin, a good size again, which took the bait but did not hook up well and got off after pulling some line. They also raised a dolphin, but Flipper is not on the list of fish that we target!

July 20th

Last night our 4 fly fishermen caught quite a few blue fish on fly but none big enough to trouble the record books.

Today was full of action. They had decided to be well prepared for any eventuality and had some light rods with small flies for smaller species, heavier rods with huge flies for white marlin, and 80 lb rods with bait for blue marlin. The first thing to come up to the teaser was a white marlin which they cast flies at a few times. It was very interested and took a bite but did not hook up successfully.

By this time everyone was in "white marlin on fly" mode and when a blue marlin came up to the teaser it caused a bit of pandemonium as everyone rushed frantically to clear the fly rods and get ready with the baited 80 lb rods. It was a decent size fish, perhaps 600 lbs, so way too large for fly! They didn't manage to catch it. A little later a second blue marlin appeared, a little larger than the first, and this time the guys had their act together, cleared the cockpit and presented the baits perfectly, but unfortunately still no hook up. Tomorrow is another day.

The blue marlin caught yesterday died during the fight and was weighed at 758 lbs.

July 19th

After a few days off, I am back with more news. Unfortunately, there is not much to report at all! The final 2 days of Peter and Harry's charter were uneventful; we then had a day off (more boat maintenance than relaxation time however), followed by 2 short charters of 2 days and 1 day. Those 3 days were also uneventful: the weather was not particularly good and, although Ian tried to get out to the banks, it proved too rough for the inexperienced anglers and so they fished close to the shore in the lee of the island. Xácara was the only boat fishing at the time and did not have any success raising marlin, either blue or white, although the bait looked good. The crew then had 2 days off, and this time they really did get a chance to relax. Ingrid went scuba diving and whale watching, Zak moved home and Ian worked on this year's video footage.

Peter Gibson plus friends Tony, Nigel and Jim arrived at mid-day today and have gone out this evening for a few hours in the hope of getting a blue fish on fly. These guys are avid fly fishermen but the main news today was that a 750 lb blue marlin was caught by one of the other boats. A little too big for fly perhaps!

July 9th - SECOND BLUE MARLIN

Ian has just called from Condor to report that Harry Marshall has just released an 800 lb blue marlin. Harry is not in the first flush of youth, I don't think he will mind me saying that, and fought this huge fish on 80 lb line for close on 2 hours. Well done, Harry! Yesterday, the 750 lber was released by Peter Gurd.

July 8th - FIRST BLUE MARLIN

After 2 days of not much action, one spent hunting for marlin and the second spent fly fishing, today was to be a bit of all sorts to try and liven up the action. The boat left the marina at midday, intending to spend the daylight hours trolling for marlin and then trying for blue fish in the evening. Well, today the lures were obviously working because a blue marlin came up from nowhere, hooked up and was successfully released. It was estimated at 750 lbs. Great stuff!

July 6th

The Blue Marlin World Cup was won with a blue marlin weighing 1189 lbs, caught in Bermuda. Congratulations to the winner, Martin Estes, and Capt. Andrew Dias and the crew of Tripleplay. The winning fish had a length of 143" and girth of 74".

Meanwhile, back in the Azores, the weather has improved again after just one horrible windy day on July 4th! On Monday Peter spent the day flicking flies at whatever would come up and caught 15 large mackerel, approx. 5 lbs each. Today he was joined by Harry Marshall and they went trolling for marlin but without any success. The currents are still running from the NE so the water temperature has not risen yet.

JULY 4TH - THE COMPETITION

Uhm, no, sorry, but not this year! After 3 days of pounding out the miles, scouting all the possible locations in flat calm conditions and reasonably warm water, Capt Ian decided that the place to be on July 4th for the Blue Marlin World Cup would be Princess Alice bank, the furthest point from the marina, where they released a white marlin on Friday.

By Saturday afternoon the weather was beginning to change and the forecast for Sunday was not encouraging so the plan was amended. Sure enough, during the night the wind picked up, and by the time the boat left the marina at 6 am it was strong enough to make them even wonder if Plan B would work. When they got out to the banks they found rough seas and the water temperature had fallen by almost 2 degrees Centigrade! Not a chance of finding any blue marlin there. They eventually worked their way into calmer and warmer seas in the lee of Pico but still no luck. So no winning blue marlin from the Azores this year, but we'll be back next year.