NEWS 2011 To read the reports and news, please click on the links below: www.facebook.com/brasiliaazores?ref=ts http://bluemarlin.skyrock.com For more information: www.azores-fishing.com www.bluemarlin.be The sale of “Xacara” has been concluded at last, and I am pleased to announce that the boat will continue to charter out of Horta with Captain Olaf Grimkowski. For more information and to book a charter please email marlin.be@skynet.be NEWS 2010 24th Sept 2010 Xacara’s final day of charter – no success, unfortunately. 23rd Sept 2010 Trevor, fishing on Xacara, released another blue marlin today, a bit smaller this time – 450 lbs – but it put up a huge fight. Makaira released a 600 lb blue. 22nd Sept 2010 A great day – beautiful weather and lots of marlin. Xacara released 2 blues, 750 and 500 lbs, and had a bite from another. Brasilia released one, 600 lbs, and had another pull 200m of line before the hook came away. 21st Sept 2010 Xacara, Brasilia, Makaira - nada! 20th Sept 2010 Trevor Mennie is back on Xacara. He had a bite from a white marlin and released a mako shark. Brasilia had a fantastic day, releasing 2 blues, 800 and 500 lbs. 19th Sept 2010 Kees and Monique were back on Xacara today and Monique released a 600 lb blue marlin. Kees hooked another that got away and he released a mako shark. On Brasilia, Louis hooked and fought a 750 lb blue but it pulled the hooks. 18th Sept 2010 3 boats out again today. Sergio, on Xacara, hooked a 400 lb blue marlin but it pulled the hooks. Kees, fishing on Brasilia, released a 750 lb blue, no luck for Makaira. 17th Sept 2010 3 boats out today. The Floyd party moved on to Double Header, Kees and Monique were aboard Xacara, and Louis, who is now a grandfather – congratulations Louis - was fishing on Brasila. Nothing at all for Xacara and Brasilia; Double Header pulled the hooks on a 400-lber. 16th Sept 2010 Big John fought a big marlin – but the marlin won. Ian decided it was time to try the drop-off on the north side of Faial again so they hooked up right in our backyard. It was a beast of a blue marlin – 4 figures, Ian reckons, or else a number with a lot of nines. John fought it for 45 minutes and it jumped like crazy. Unfortunately, it got tail wrapped, went deep and broke off in the efforts to get her back up again. Brasilia was also out today, with Kees and Monique, and they released a 400-lber on the Azores bank. 15th Sept 2010 Nothing to report for the last 2 days except good calm conditions. Makaira completed their last charter yesterday so Xacara was out on her own again today. 13th Sept 2010 John Floyd and family plus Capt Ed began a 4 day charter but it was rather windy today. Xacara was the only boat out but didn’t see anything – apart from lots of rough sea. 12th Sept 2010 Xacara was the only boat out today but didn’t see any action. 11th Sept 2010 Windy and rough. Only Xacara and Brasilia went out but – nada. 10th Sept 2010 Brasilia had a great day, released 2 blues of 400 and 450+, and Makaira raised a real biggie - maybe 900 lbs, but it did not switch! No luck for Xacara either 9th September 2010 Brasilia released a big blue, at least 900 lbs, and a white marlin. Habitat released a white marlin. Double Header released a 500 lb blue and Makaira raised another blue, about 700 lbs, that did not switch. Nothing for Xacara. 8th September 2010 Habitat released a blue marlin of 700 lbs and had 2 more bites and Makaira raised one that did not switch. Xacara hooked a plastic box with 2 trigger fish inside it! 7th September 2010 The “Crazy Marlin” from Sweden saw some action on Xacara today. They hooked up a 600 lb blue marlin and had a good fight till it pulled the hooks. Brasilia released a 450 lb blue, Lucas on Habitat hooked a 200 lb blue that got away and raised another, and Makaira raised a blue marlin which did not switch. 6th September 2010 Habitat and Brasilia released blue marlin, Brasilia was about 700 lbs and Habitat’s about 700 to 750 lbs. Kareem on Double Header foul-hooked a small blue shark that swam into the lures. 5th September 2010 Xacara – nada Habitat – nada Brasilia released a 550 lb blue. Kareem on Double Header had a two and half long fight with a big blue but unfortunately it broke off. 4th September 2010 Lots of action today. Aboard Xacara, Britta Nanz hooked up within half an hour of arrival on Condor Bank and released a 650 lb blue marlin. Later in the morning Harry released his first blue marlin estimated at 750 lbs. They raised another small bill fish which took a knock at a lure. Kareem on Double Header had a great day, releasing 2 blues of 600 and 800 lbs. Brasilia had 2 strikes, one of which could have been a white marlin or small blue, and Habitat had 3 strikes. 3rd September 2010 Britta and Helmut Nanz started their 10th charter aboard Xacara today, accompanied by a new friend (to us) Harry. Good fishing conditions, wonderful weather at last, and 5 boats went out to the banks. Double Header released an 800 lb blue and Brasilia released a 500 lber. 2nd September 2010 Rough as rats out Condor today but we persevered. Today was Trevor’s last day but no luck unfortunately. 1st September 2010 Windy again so 3 boats fished the north coast in the morning and went out to Condor in the afternoon. Today was Xacara’s day and Trevor released a 550 lb blue marlin and a white marlin. Nothing for the other boats. 31st August 2010 Good weather at last. 4 boats went out to Condor bank. Brasilia released a 600 lb blue marlin, a spear fish and a 2 mako sharks; Kareem on Habitat released a 850 lb blue marlin and a mako and Makaira, doing bait and switch, raised 2 blues that did not switch, a spearfish and a mako. Xacara – nada. Ouch! 30th August 2010 2 more days cancelled because of the stormy conditions but finally today the boats got out . Xacara and Habitat waited till midday so that the big seas could subside a little. It was still fairly hairy early in the afternoon but conditions did improve. Didn’t improve the fishing though – nothing to report at all. 27th August 2010 The bad weather is back and looks as if it is going to stay with us for a few days. All the boats stayed in the marina today. 26th August 2010 The best weather we have had all week and we did not have a charter today! 25th August 2010 Rhett’s last day, but still no blue marlin! Habitat released a small 150 lb blue and Makaira had a bite. 24th August 2010 Xacara had a bite from a good-size marlin, probably 700 lbs plus, but it did not hook up well and got away. Brasilia caught a mako shark. 23rd August 2010 Nada, nada, nada! 22nd August 2010 Still windy today. On Xacara they had a bite from a white marlin but that was the only action. 21st August 2010 4 boats out today but windy conditions forced them all to fish the same area. Rhett Spencer on Xacara released a white marlin, all the other boats had strikes but no other marlin, blue or white, were released. 20th August 2010 It was a busy day out on Condor Bank; 3 boats were there, Xacara, Brasilia and Makaira. Aboard Xacara, Mats and Karen from Stockholm were having a one day charter to celebrate Mats birthday. He got a great birthday present: he released a 400 lb blue marlin early in the afternoon then had another 5 strikes and raised another 2 blue marlin. Towards the end of the day Karen landed a mako shark. Brasila had a long fight with a big blue marlin which eventually pulled the hooks and had another strike. Makaira had 3 or 4 strikes and raised another. 19th August 2010 Xacara had a zero day today, but Brasilia released a 700 lb blue marlin. 18th August 2010 Yesterday, 17th, Xacara, Habitat and Brasilia were out. Marty was very frustrated by a big marlin that came into the lure pattern, took a mouthful of lure, swam away with it pulling drag, then spat it out! Brasilia also had a bite which pulled the hooks. Today Kees had an hour long fight with a big marlin, 800 lbs+, that was tail wrapped. He got it to the boat many times and Marty really worked hard, to the extent that his wiring gloves were completely shredded! Eventually the marlin started to tire so they decided to cut the leader without removing the hooks to ensure that the marlin would survive. 16th August 2010 Only Xacara and Habitat fished on 12th – no luck for either boat. But Habitat did a lot better on 13th with the release of a white marlin and a bite from a blue. On 14th 3 boats were out again and Xacara recorded the only release of the day with a white marlin. On Sunday 15th Marco and Claudia Tomenzoli were aboard Xacara and Marco was delighted to fight and successfully release an 800 lb blue marlin after many attempts over the last years. There were 4 boats out today with the addition to the fleet of Gypsea Blue. They had a grand debut by releasing a 500 lb blue. Kees is back! Today Kees and Monique began a 3 day charter and, as usual, Kees brought luck with him. Monique released a 300 lb blue marlin. 11th August 2010 After 4 days off we started a 6 day charter with Yuri and Sergey from the Ukraine on Monday. The first day was unproductive for all 4 boats out fishing: Xacara, Habitat, Brasilia and Makira. On Tuesday Yuri released a small blue marlin, 150 lbs, and had a strike from another. Habitat were also able to fly a blue marlin release flag for a 700 lb blue marlin. On Brasilia they hooked a blue but it threw the hooks, had a bite from a white marlin and saw a broadbill on the surface. Yesterday 3 boats were out and Brasilia got a bite from a blue but it never hooked up properly and they lost it. 4th August 2010 It was the last day of John’s charter. There was no action till the end of the day. They had already left Condor Bank and brought out the beers but left the lures in the water for a long slow troll home. Suddenly Ian shouted “Blue marlin” and they all thought he was joking. It took quite a bit of work to persuade John and Marty that there was indeed a big blue marlin in the lure pattern. She took her time sizing up a lure so they all got a good look at her and reckoned she was in the 800 lb range. At last she struck, but not hard, shook her head from side to side then slowly swam away with the lure in her mouth, pulling drag put very slowly. Then she leapt right out of the water and threw the hooks! Gone. 3rd August 2010 Our first charter day was Saturday 31st. Xácara was the only boat fishing and didn't see any marlin. On Sunday Brasilia fished, again the only boat, and didn't see anything either. On Monday 2nd, three boats went out to Condor bank. It was quite windy so Habitat and Xacara returned to fish in the lee of the island. Brasilia stayed on Condor and saw 2 blues but they did not bite. Today, all three boats went out to Condor. The weather was not much better but with the sighting of 2 blues yesterday the hunt was on. Uli Laux, fishing on Brasilia, had 2 bites but neither hooked up, John Christensen on Xácara hooked up and fought a crazy marlin that went round in circles, keeping the captain, mate and angler on their toes. Unfortunately, the hook was around the bill and when they got it close to the boat it slipped off and John’s marlin got away. The big news is that this will be our last season of fishing charters. After 16 years spending our summers working long hours 7 days a week, we have decided it is time to travel and pursue other interests. Our hobbies are micro-lighting and bike riding and we have been forced to do these activities in often inclement weather in the spring and autumn. We have been planning to tour Scandinavia by motorbike and the thought of riding up to the North Cape in May, in temperatures lower than we experience here in mid-winter, was just not appealing. This is a trip you need to do in the summer. So this will be the last season that I will be posting news reports onto this website. Enjoy them while you can! This year we will start our first charter on 31st July. News 2009 Photos of Toby Jackson fighting a 650 lb blue marlin on 19th Sept For a video of Toby’s marlin click here 24th September 2009 Double Header had 2 strikes but no hook up. So the 2009 season has reached the end. We will be “renovating” our website within the next few weeks with extra video and photos. 23rd September 2009 Habitat and Xacara have finished all their charters but Double Header is still in action with Kareem. They had an excellent day today: 2 for 4 on blues plus 2 mystery bites which they think were big eye tuna. The released marlin were estimated at 750 and 600 lbs. They also had a double header but the fish went off in opposite directions and they lost both. Again another day of magnificent weather. Kareem Linjawi’s 850 lb blue marlin 22nd September 2009 Kareem’s determination was rewarded and he released a blue marlin estimated at 850 lbs! What a result. In fact, it was such a great result that he has changed his ticket home yet again and will be chartering for another 2 days on Double Header. Meanwhile, Xacara continues with the bird watching charter in calm, hot, sunny weather. These are the conditions we usually have in August. 21st September 2009 Kareem, fishing on Habitat, fought a really big blue marlin, probably 900 lbs plus, for half hour before it pulled the hooks. He told me it was a really hard fight because the fish went deep and it was so frustrating to lose it. So he has changed his flights and is staying on for another day to see if he can catch this elusive fish. Xacara spent the day out on Princess Alice, in perfect conditions, on a bird watching charter. Some photos from the Nanz’s charter Britta Nanz released 3 blues William Martin released 2 blue marlin Helmut released 2 blue marlin Robert McLure relesed 2 blue marlin Four flags for four releases, 225, 550, 650 and 700 lbs more photos on the Photo page 20th September 2009 The Jackson family, plus Adam, got to see a bit of action today even though nothing hooked up successfully. There were strikes from 2 big eye tuna and an 800 lb blue marlin. The marlin got bill-wrapped and took off like an exocet missile but jumped free of the line. Habitat did not have anything to report today. 19th September 2009 Wonderful weather today but only Xacara and Habitat are still busy with charters, the last one of the season for each boat. Aboard Xacara Toby Jackson released an impressive 650 lb blue marlin. On Habitat Kareem, back for the second time this season, had 3 strikes from the same marlin but it did not hook up. 18th September 2009 Lots of rain and a bit of wind made for a rather uncomfortable day out on the ocean. The Jackson family joined us aboard Xacara for their first experience of marlin fishing, but seeing it was such a miserable day they came into port early. Nothing was seen by any of the boats. 17th Septemer 2009 No luck for the Nanz group on the last day of their charter. Phil Keogh on Habitat released a blue marlin aobut 700 lbs. 16th September 2009 Where have all the marlin gone? No strikes for Xacara, Habitat or Double Header but Brasilia released a blue marlin. 15th September 2009 A great day for Xacara with the release fo 4 blue marlin, the men all had good sized fish, 550, 650 and 700 lbs, and right at the end of the day Britta hooked a tiny 225 lber which fought like crazy. Habitat did not have any luck with their strikes today but the other 2 boats released one each, 700 and 800 lbs. 14th September 2009 Good fishing again today. There were 4 boats out again and 7 blues were released from 9 strikes. William joined the Nanz group and got the first blue of the day, estimated at 500 lbs, then Helmut got the strike and released a 450 lb blue and finally Britta got her second blue in 2 days, about 350 lbs. Phil and Tony started their first day of charter on Habitat by releasing 2 blues, Phil’s was estimated at 600 lbs and Tony’s at 800 lbs. Good work, guys. 2 other blues were released but I am not sure of the sizes. 13th September 2009 Welcome back to our best friends Helmut and Britta Nanz, but this year, for the first time in 9 seasons, Jason Goldberg is not in the party. Jason, we are missing you. Instead of Jason we are pleased to see Robert, who was part of the first Nanz party in 2000, and William who we met for the first time last year. As usual, Britta brought good luck with her and she released a blue marlin of 400 lbs. Robert was also a lucky angler and released a 650 lber after an hour long battle. Habitat released a blue, which I think was 350 lbs, and between the 3 other boats fishing 5 blues were released from 7 strikes, between 400 and 600 lbs. 12th September 2009 Again fishing close to shore Xacara released a white marlin. The other boats went out to Condor bank where Habitat released two blues, 700 and 300 lbs, and Double Header also released 2 blues, 650 and 450 lbs. 11th September 2009 A rather wild ride today for the 4 charter boats. Xacara’s stayed in shore in accordance with our client’s wishes, pulled the hooks on a blue and released a white marlin. Habitat went 1 for 2 on blues, both small. 2 other small blues were also released. The small blues were about 400 lbs. 10th September 2009 4 boats were fishing again and 9 blue marlin strikes were recorded. Habitat went 2 for 2, both under 500 lbs, and Xacara had 3 strikes but they all got away. One of them seemed to be well hooked and Neil fought it for over 10 minutes before it pulled the hooks just 20 metres from the boat. Mario, the mate on Double Header, had the worst day when he broke his hand wiring a blue marlin. He now has a plaster cast up to his elbow – no more wiring for him this season. 9th September 2009 At last the wind dropped and 4 boats went out today. A total of 15 blue marlin were raised, 7 were released, plus 1 white marlin and a mako were released. The Pennington family on Xacara released the white marlin early in the day and later hooked a blue which got away almost immediately. Fortunately a second one hooked up, estimated at 700 lbs, which Steve got to the transom and released successfully. 8th September 2009 No fishing – too windy. 7th September 2009 Yesterday Frank, the mate on Habitat, was delighted to be able to put his hooks out again, with a proper fishing charter. They had an amazing day, in rather windy and rough conditions, releasing 3 blues estimated at 950 lbs, 800 lbs and 600 lbs. They had a strike from a fourth which did not hook up. Unfortunately, the weather is even worse today so they have stayed in port. 2nd September 2009 Habitat raised 2 blue marlin. The first one did not hang around long enough for Daniel to get into the water but the second one, about 900 lbs, teased up successfully and Daniel says he got some great underwater shots. Xacara did not fish today, we had a family outing to the neighboring island of Sao Jorge instead. Due to a cancellation we will not be fishing on Xacara till 8th September. 1st September 2009 Andrew Wicks fishing aboard Xacara released his first ever blue marlin today, estimated at 550 lbs. Habitat has Daniel Goez aboard, an under-water photographer. Franck, the French mate, complained “I put ze lures in ze water but zey ‘ave no ‘ooks!” They tease up the fish as in any ordinary fishing charter and when it gets close to the boat Daniel dives in and takes photos of it underwater. So there will be no catch statistics for Habitat for a week. Bryan Wicks’s second blue marlin 30th August 2009 Bryan on Xacara released another marlin today. Estimated at about 800 lbs his wife, Shelley, says it was the little sister of the one he released yesterday. However it was a much harder fight. Steve got the leader 4 times but she was not ready to be subdued and each time she took off again and Bryan had to reel her back in. He says it was an exhausting battle, but so enjoyable. Bryan Wicks fights a big blue marlin – better than 950 lbs 29th August 2009 After a couple of days off, a respite for Ian’s injured ribs (which he broke a few days ago while releasing the 650 lb marlin on 25th in rough sea conditions), we welcomed Bryan Wicks and his son Andrew aboard – Sian’s brother-in-law and nephew. They chartered with us a few years ago and released a couple of white marlin but today Bryan streaked ahead by fighting the biggest blue marlin we have seen this year. It was estimated at better than 950 lbs and he fought the beast for 45 minutes. Photos on Photo page. 28th August 2009 Habitat was out on Azores Bank with Stig Jensen. 6 blue marlin were seen there today but they didn’t have any luck. 26th August 2009 It was Rhett’s last day of charter. They had a mystery bite which did not hook up successfully. No luck for Habitat either. 25th August 2009 Rhett Spencer on Xacara had a grand old fight with a blue marlin today. It came up on the short left, tried to bite but missed, then switched to the long right and hooked up successfully. It took off up sea and took miles of line before going deep. Rhett took over an hour to get it back up to the surface. They thought it may have died but she was just alive and after working to revive her, she was tagged and released in good condition. Estimated 650 lbs. 23rd August 2009 Xacara had quite an active day yesterday with bites from 2 white marlin and 1 blue. One of the whites pulled the hooks and so did the blue after taking a long look at the lures, lunging but missing then coming back for a second bite. Unfortunately it was not a good hook up and the blue also got away. Jaques on Habitat once again had the luck with him and released a blue estimated at 500 lbs. 22nd August 2009 Yesterday was a zero day for everyone. Today Rhett Spencer on Xacara went 2 for 3 on white marlin. 20th August 2009 A day lost due to bad weather is very unusual in August but that’s what happened yesterday. Xacara went out with novice deep sea anglers but they came in early because conditions were rather testing. Jaques, fishing again on Habitat, is made of much sterner stuff and they stayed out but didn’t have any luck. Today, our 3 new anglers, Warren, Chris and Gary, had a much better time. In perfect weather conditions they caught a white marlin, pulled the hooks on a second and saw some action from a big blue marlin which lunged at a lure, took quite a bit of line then leapt clean out of the water and threw the hooks. 18th August 2009 In the last 4 days Xacara has fished 2 days, but caught nothing, and Habitat has also fished 2 days and Jaques released another blue marlin, estimated at 600 lbs. 14th August 2009 At last Lukas Folk, fishing on Xacara, had a good day. On the 3rd day of his charter he released a blue marlin estimated at 550 lbs. Earlier a blue marlin of similar size lunged at a lure but missed. It circled round and came back to sit behind the lure for a few minutes before disappearing. 13th August 2009 Jaques, fishing on Habitat, did it again! He released another blue marlin estimated at 700 lbs. Xacara had 4 white marlin amongst the lures at different times during the day. They knocked the lures around a bit but not one of them tried to take one. 12th August 2009 Jaques, on Habitat, celebrated his birthday today by releasing a blue marlin, about 800 lb. They were fishing the north side of the island again. 11th August 2009 Habitat had a white marlin amongst the lures. It tapped one of them a couple of times but didn't bite. Xacara’s night on Princess Alice bank was very interesting, watching all sorts of marine life swim into the flood lit water. They caught a yellowfin tuna just before sunset and had tuna steaks on the barbecue for dinner. 10th August 2009 Xacara has gone all the way out to the Princess Alice Bank with long-time clients Mike and Kevin because the weather conditions are perfect. They will return tomorrow. Habitat fished the north side of the island and released an 800 lb blue marlin. 8th and 9th August 2009 Zero days! 7th August 2009 Yesterday was a zero day for everyone but today Habitat had a wonderful day. The anglers, Peter Ibsen and his 17 year old son Ando, hooked up 2 blue marlin both estimated in the 700 lb range. Peter’s fish took off almost to the horizon and he fought it back to within 50 meters of the transom when it pulled the hooks. Fortunately, Ando had more luck and brought his marlin all the way to the boat to record his first release of a blue marlin, estimated between 700 and 750 lbs. They also had 3 strikes from a white marlin that did not hook up. 5th August During the last 3 days Habitat has released a 600 lb marlin, again the angler was David Irwin, and a mako shark. On Xacara we had John and Gitte from Copenhagen. This is the fourth year that they have chartered with us but, after 3 years of good fishing, this time they did not have any luck. 2nd August 2009 Yesterday there was nothing to report but today was a good day for Habitat. Jaques from Belgium released 2 blues, a small 150 lber and another of 500 lbs. Xacara did not fish today. 30th July 2009 Habitat had a one day charter who must be a very lucky man. David Irwin released 2 blue marlin and a white marlin. Xacara had 2 strikes from blue marlin. Both hooked up, but all aboard were very disappointed that neither of them stuck. All 4 blues today were a good size, up to 800 lbs. 29th July 2009 Both Habitat and Xacara were out today. Xacara hooked a nice size blue marlin, about 750 lbs, but it pulled the hooks, and Habitat released one of 600 lbs. 15th July 2009 No boats have been out since 9th July and no one has any charters till almost the end of the month. There are still dates available in August and September on both Xacara and Habitat. 9th July 2009 2 days of glorious weather, but no marlin! 7th July 2009 First blue of the season! No fishing yesterday but Habitat and Xacara were in action again today. Sean, on Xacara, released a very active 750 lb blue marlin. Was this the same one they had on briefly on the 4th? It was very lively and gave the mate a good work-out. 5th July 2009 Habitat was the lucky boat today, they released a white marlin. All aboard Xacara were relieved that the fish that won the competition weighed 865 lbs. The one that got away yesterday was about 750 lbs. They all got a good look at it as it came into teaser, smacked it around with its bill, then switched to the lures, chaffed the line and hooked up briefly. Now they are feeling relieved that a beautiful big marlin is still swimming – maybe they’ll get another chance to reel it in. 4th July 2009 Yesterday was a zero day for the 2 boats out fishing, Xacara and Habitat. Today is the Blue Marlin World Cup so all 3 boats went out early for the 8.30 start. Xacara and Braslia are fishing the Condor Bank and Habitat is on the Azores Bank. Ian reported that the bait was good and in the early afternoon they hooked a good sized blue marlin, but it got away before Sean could get into the chair. At the moment, only one fish that qualifies, 595 lbs, has been reported and Ian reckons the one they hooked was bigger than that. How frustrating is that! 2nd July 2009 There were 3 boats out today. Kareem Linjawi has started his charter aboard Habitat on which he will be doing the Blue Marlin World Cup on July 4th. Rune and Aslak went out with Brasilia today. Unfortunately, no one saw any blue marlin but Xacara saw 2 swordfish and a shark. 1st July 2009 Today Rune and Aslak chartered with Habitat and Sean Mason started a 9 day charter on Xácara. Sean will be fishing the Blue Marlin World Cup with us on Saturday. They saw whales and dolphins but no marlin. 30th June 2009 The marlin season has arrived. On 26th June a blue marlin, estimated at 500 lbs, was seen close to the north coast of Faial by a cameraman Rick Rosenthal while filming for a National Geographic documentary. For “Xácara” the fishing season should have started on 28th June with Norwegians Rune and Aslak . Unfortunately, the weather had different ideas and we had to cancel the first day of the season because of high winds. Monday 29th, in beautiful weather, Xacara headed out to the North coast of Faial. They didn’t see anything interesting there so headed across to Condor Bank. The bait and bird action was good but they didn’t find any marlin. On Tuesday, they went to Azores Bank where they hooked a marlin. Rune fought it for about 5 minutes before it pulled the hook. 2008 26th September 2008 Our last charter day of the season. Unfortunately, it was windy so both Brasilia and Xacara fished the north coast of the island but conditions were not good. Neither of them saw anything and returned to the marina early. 25th September 2008 For the first time in many days there were 3 boats out today. Brasilia and Habitat went to Condor Bank. After a few hours, with no signs of action whatsoever, Habitat left for the north coast of Faial. The conditions were a great deal better there with a lot of bait and bird action, but, they did not raise any marlin. Meanwhile, out on Condor Bank, Brasilia released 2 blues, 300 and 500 lbs, late in the day. Xacara went to Azores Bank where they too saw very little action for most of the day but that all changed towards the end of the afternoon. Uli, again fishing bait and switch with 50 lb stand up gear, hooked up an 850 lb blue marlin. It was a hell of a fight and Uli gives full credit to the captain and mate. Between the 3 of them they brought this monster to the boat in about 15 minutes. Again the green fish gave SteveO a really hard time on the leader. It was a magnificent achievement for all three of them. Good one! Danny got some great footage on the video so I hope I will be able to upload it soon. 24th September 2008 Right at the end of the day Uli, fishing bait and switch with 50 lb stand-up tackle, hooked up and successfully released a 550 lb blue marlin. It was a lively fish and he got it to the boat within 15 minutes when it was still very green, so it gave Steve a good work-out on the leader but was released in excellent condition. Brasilia pulled the hooks on a blue early in the day. 23rd September 2008 We did not fish for 2 days and today Uli and Danny Laux joined us aboard Xacara. Brasilia was also fishing but neither boats saw any marlin. 20th September 2008 It was Tim and John’s last day today and unfortunately they didn’t even see a blue marlin today. Brasilia released a 500 lber. Double Header was fishing south of Pico today where they caught/released 6 big eye tuna between 150 and 300 lbs. We now think the tuna that were identified as small bluefin on the 17th were more likely big eyes. 5 of the 6 blues released by Tim and John in 2 days ANOTHER UPDATE Xacara hooked yet another blue marlin and released it successfully, also estimated at 650 lbs. 4 for 4 so far – and still plenty of time for more action! 19th September Update They released the third blue marlin too, estimated at 650 lbs. 19th September 2008 Again, today, John and Tim on Xacara had released 2 blues by early afternoon, estimated at 500 and 450 lbs, and they were fighting a third one when I called. They did not get any more strikes yesterday and Brasilia didn’t see anything. 18th September 2008 Xacara is out fishing again. For the next 3 days we have Tim Lonsdale and John Buckle on board. By early afternoon they had already released 2 blues, estimated at 400 and 600 lbs. I hope I will be able to post an update later today! 17th September 2008 Habitat had a one day charter today. They picked up their clients at the main port on Pico and decided to try the banks off the south coast of Pico. What a good decision – they hooked up a double header of 2 Big Eye tuna. One was estimated at 165 lbs and the other at 250 lbs. 15th September 2008 We have 3 days off before our next charter on 18th Sept. 14th September 2008 A great deal better today. Xacara, again fishing bait and switch, raised a blue, well over 900 lbs, which took a long, long, nail-biting 3 minutes or more to finally make a crash bite on the bait. Fortunately, it hooked up and was successfully released after a very exciting fight. Well done to Rob O’Neill. Brasilia released 2 from 1 strikes, estimated at 400 and 700 lbs 12th September 2008 Result! Today Dan O’Neill chose to fish the bait and switch method. This is quite tricky and the angler really needs to know what he is doing. And he did – he successfully hooked and released an 800 lb blue marlin. Well done, Dan. Daniel Goez, the photographer, was back on Habitat for just one day and finally got the photos he really wanted – underwater shots of a blue marlin, estimated at 750 lbs. Photos by Daniel Goez of Rob O'Neill's 400 lb blue marlin and waiting for the bite. 11th September 2008 Xacara released a small blue marlin estimated at 400 lbs. Nothing for Lukas on his last day on Habitat but he leaves us with the memory of 2 blue marlin that he released earlier in the week. 10th September 2008 No boats were fishing today – too windy! A series of photos, taken by professional photographer Daniel Goez, of the 2 big blue marlin, 750 and 800 lbs, released by James Hill on 7th September. 9th September 2008 Nothing for Dan on Xacara, a 400 lb blue for Lukas on Habitat and a 200 lb for Louis on Brasilia. 8th September 2008 3 boats out today – no result, a zero day for all of them! 7th September 2008 What a day. The weather forecast this morning was for moderate wind increasing during the day so Capt Ian took the decision to head for Condor bank and return to the lee of the island if the conditions deteriorated. But they never even got to Condor Bank and tucked into the lee close to the airport. Habitat, the only other boat out fishing today, hooked up quite early, which gave everyone hope, but the marlin, about 700 lbs, broke off. Not long afterwards, Xacara had a nice sized blue come into the spread and after a bit of teasing it struck. James, a first time big game angler, did a great job and they released a 750 lb blue. Towards the end of the afternoon, they had strike from another bigger blue marlin. This one proved to be a great deal more difficult. They got it close to the boat quite early in the fight but then it sounded. It took a great deal of effort and great diligence on the part of the angler to get it back up to the surface and to the boat. At that stage it was not in good shape but they worked at getting water flowing through the gills and when it was released it swam away energetically. 6th September 2008 It was a good day with 10 strikes between 3 boats. Xacara had a strike early. A blue marlin, 600 to 700 lbs, came up on the teaser and switched to the short right but missed, then attacked the long right and hooked up but, as the angler, James Hill, got into the chair, it got away. Later in the day they had a 2 blues come up at the same time, a big blue on the left and a much smaller one on the right. Unfortunately neither hooked up successfully. At the end of the day they had a crash strike from a 600 lb blue which hooked up and was successfully released. Double Header went 1 for 3 strikes, releasing a 650 lb blue. Brasilia went 3 for 3 with two 600 lbers and tiny 150 lber. 5th September 2008 Brasilia was the only boat fishing today but returned to port without any flags. Habitat is still on a photographic mission and Xacara had a day off, the first one in 6 weeks. But a day off does not mean the guys get to relax – it was a maintenance day instead. They’d rather be fishing. 4th September 2008 Xacara went 1 for 2 today, releasing a 350 lb blue and pulling the hooks on a really big blue just a few feet from the boat after an hour long fight. Brasilia released 4 from 6 strikes, estimated at 550 lbs, 550 lbs, 500 lbs and 200 lbs. 3rd September 2008 Just Xacara and Brasilia are fishing at the moment. Habitat has a charter with a photographer who is hoping to get some really good photos of a marine animals for an exhibition in Munich later this year. There were 5 strikes between Xacara and Brasilia. Xacara released 2 small blues, 200 and 300 bls, and pulled the hooks on a big one, possibly 600 lbs. Brasilia released 2 from 2 strikes, 850 lbs and 250 lbs. 2nd September 2008 Xacara was the only boat fishing today and returned to the marina with 3 flags. Both Kevin and Mike saw some action. Kevin released a 500 lb blue and a white marlin. Mike released a 600 lb blue marlin. 1st September 2008 Another window shopping day. Brasilia raised a big blue that came to inspect the lures but never took a bite. Xacara had 2 blues come into the lure pattern, look around, take a nibble and not hook up at all, and had a third bite that no one saw but it took quite a lot of line before getting free. Habitat also had an unsuccessful bite from a blue. 31st August 2008 It was Mike’s turn in the chair today and he released a 550 lb blue marlin. Stig Jensen aboard Habitat got a record today – for the smallest blue marlin ever released in the Azores, it was a cute little 150 lber! Brasilia had a good day today, releasing 2 blues both estimated at about 650 lbs. 30th August 2008 Mike McEwen is back for the second time this season. In July he released 2 blues in a 4 day charter so we hope he has even more luck this time. They hooked a blue in the early afternoon and first in the chair was Mike’s fishing partner, Kevin. The fish, estimated at 600 lbs, took a lot of line and gave Kevin a real work out. Kevin did a magnificent job to get it to the boat in 15 minutes. Habitat released a blue of 750 lbs and had 2 more strikes. Photo of Xacara taken by Marc van Den Bulck 29th August 2008 On Condor Bank again, the 3 boats each had 3 strikes today. Xacara’s strikes included a double header of 2 decent size blues but both of them got away. Braslia didn’t manage to get any of theirs to the boat either but Habitat released one of 700 lbs. 28th August 2008 Today the boats moved from the north coast of the island to Condor bank and had 8 strikes between them. Xacara had a bite from a big blue which didn’t hook up and released a tiny 250 lber. Habitat also released a 250 lb blue and pulled the hooks on another bigger one. Brasilia released 2 from 4 strikes. The blues they released were estimated at 400 and 500 lbs and pulled the hooks on a 700 lber and another they did not see. 27th August 2008 Nothing for Xacara today. Habitat had a 550 lber and Brasilia got an 800 lber that gave Bonze a bit of a work out. 26th August 2008 Only 2 boats were fishing today, Xacara and Brasilia. Brasilia released a 900 lb blue and hooked another that pulled the hooks must a few meters from the boat. Xacara released a 750 to 800 lb blue, part of a double header. The second fish got off the hook, came back for another bite but still didn’t stick. John Christensen's 900 lb plus blue marlin 25th August 2008 For Xacara and Brasilia today was a “window shopping” day. Brasilia had 2 decent size marlin come into the lure pattern and take a look, a half-hearted bite and then fade away, i.e. window shopping. On Xacara we welcome Joel Roberts and Joe Dove who last fished with us 10 years ago. They got to see a very big blue, minimum 800 lbs, also window shopping, but this one hooked up briefly before getting off and disappearing. Jaques and Yousef on Habitat were much luckier and released a 700 lb blue. 24th August 2008 Perfect weather conditions and a good day’s fishing for both Habitat and Xacara. John Christensen was back on Xacara for the second time this season. Earlier this month he released 3 blues, the biggest of which was 700 lbs, and today he did even better releasing a huge marlin, which both Capt Ian and Steve estimated at over 900 lbs. Habitat released a 650 lb blue. 23rd August 2008 Only 2 boats fishing today, Habitat and Xacara. Habitat had a bite from a blue that didn’t hook up. Xacara saw lots of whales and dolphins but not one marlin! 22nd August 2008 A good day for Habitat. They released 2 blues, 700 and 750 lbs. Nothing for either Xacara or Brasilia. 21st August 2008 Today it was quite windy in the morning and very rough out on Condor Bank with the wind against the current. Xacara had a zero day and Habitat had a bite from white marlin. Brasilia released a blue of 350 lbs and hooked another that pulled the hooks close to the boat. 20th August Update Late in the afternoon Sean, on Xacara, released a 400 lb marlin. The marlin that Brasilia released was estimated at 700 lbs. 20th August 2008 Sean’s last day aboard Xacara. They raised a reasonably big blue marlin early in the day. It took a look at a couple of lures but did not strike. Habitat has released a 750 lber and Brasilia also released one but I am not sure of the size. 19th August 2008 The news from Condor bank is that Habitat has released a 700 lb blue marlin, Brasilia had a knock from a blue marlin, and Xacara found a school of white marlin that had a go at the lures. One of the hooked up briefly but 12/0 hooks are a bit big for the small whites. 18th August Update Sean had a long fight with the marlin, over an hour, and unfortunately it died. Capt Ian estimated it at 900 lbs and decided to bring it in to weigh it. Once on board they measured it and it seemed it would not make 900 lbs. When weighed, it was 880 lbs. Habitat and Brasilia had no luck today. Looking for a charter? Xacara and Habitat still have days available in September. 18th August 2008 Xacara is travelling slowly back to port, bringing in a blue marlin to weigh! 17th August 2008 Double Header was the boat with the flag today. They released a blue marlin which I think was estimated at 500 lbs. The angler on Habitat hooked a really big blue marlin, a giant, which he fought for over 2 hours before it broke off. A zero day for Xacara. 16th August 2008 The news I have received so far is that Habitat released a blue marlin estimated at 850 lbs. 15th August Update Xacara hooked a second blue marlin, estimated between 600 and 700 lbs, towards the end of the day but, unfortunately, it jumped off. Habitat had a strike from a white marlin that did not hook up. 15th August 2008 Sean Mason is back on Xacara again, for his second charter this season. Ian’s day started in the engine room, attempting to repair the generator with spares that Sean brought out with him from England. Unfortunately, the generator did not respond to Ian’s mechanical wizardry so no hot coffee while out at sea! As a result, the charter started later than usual this morning. In mid- afternoon they got a strike from a huge blue which hooked up, jumped liked crazy, gave Sean a real work out, but was successfully released. She was estimated at 900 lbs plus, but not quite a grander. All three boats are still out there so it’s possible that there may still be more strikes today. 14th August 2008 Aboard Xacara we had the Melo family for just one day and their son released a 550 lb blue marlin. Great work. No other strikes were reported by Habitat and Double Header. 13th August 2008 Quite an eventful day. All three boats raised big blue marlin but with differing results. Xacara had a really aggressive big marlin take the teaser and run with it. Unfortunately it ran straight into the lures on the starboard outriggers and pulled all rigging into the sea. It didn’t want to let go of the teaser and took a lot of line off the teaser reel before it let go. This made a real mess of the lines from the outrigger and a lot of line and lure were lost, plus the rigging. Crazy marlin! Late in the day all three boats hooked up at much the same time with really big blues but non of them stuck. Xacara’s jumped off, making a huge hole in the water, and Double Header fought theirs for half an hour before pulling the hooks. Double Header then got a second strike which was successful and they released a 750 lber. So, Xacara was 0 for 2, Habitat 0 for 1 and Double Header 1 for 2. Kareem Linjawi with his 700 lb blue marlin 12th August 2008 3 boats were out again today, all on Condor Bank. Xacara hooked up early in the morning soon after arriving on the bank but the marlin pulled the hooks. Habitat released a 600 blue marlin. Double Header also had an early bite and hooked a large blue which, unfortunately, pulled the hooks just a few metres from the boat. Later they successfully released a blue marlin which I think was about 600 lbs. 11th August 2008 Double Header, Habitat and Xacara were on Condor Bank today. Double Header released a blue marlin estimated 550 lbs. Kareem on Habitat released a 750 lber. Rhett, on Xacara, got what he came for – a great monster of a marlin, probably a grander but they released it so Ian is calling it 950 lbs. It came up on the teaser but when SteveO pulled the teaser away it did not switch to the lures, so he dropped the teaser back in front of it. It lunged at the teaser but again when SteveO pulled it away, it would not switch. It was sitting right at the stern of the boat seemingly watching the propellers. SteveO dropped the teaser in front of it a third time but this time when he pulled it away he had one of the lures ready to drop right in front of it. That did the trick and the beast was hooked – and then it took off, giving a great aerial display. It would take a lot of line and as soon as it got close to the boat it would start the acrobatic antics again. Unfortunately, with only the captain, mate and angler on board, no one had any hands free to take photos. 10th August 2008 Yesterday was a zero day for everyone but today was better. Aboard Xacara we have Rhett Spencer and his family from South Carolina. Rhett first fished with Capt Ian in Ghana many years ago. Today he released a white marlin and raised a blue which did not strike. 8th August 2008 3 boats, Xacara, Habitat and Brasilia, started out on Condor Bank where Billy Ballard, aboard Xacara, released a blue marlin estimated at 250 lbs. It has always been a dream for him to catch a blue marlin and he was the probably the happiest man on the planet. Well done, Billy. In the afternoon the wind picked up so they headed for the north side of the island. In deep water Habitat hooked up but the marlin jumped off and at Capelinhos Brasilia also jumped off a blue, estimated at about 700 lbs. Late in the day Xacara raised a big blue which attacked the teaser but did not switch to the lures and just faded away. Double Header spent the day on Azores where they got one strike but it got away. 7th August 2008 A zero day for everyone except Brasilia, where Uli released a blue marlin estimated at 750 lbs. 6th August 2008 Between the 4 boats 8 blue marlin were raised today, although only 2 were released. John on Xacara was the luckiest angler. They raised 2 blues and he successfully released both of them. Interestingly, they were smaller than those we have been catching so far this season, estimated at 500 lbs and tiny 250 lbs. Jaques on Habitat was the unluckiest angler, the marlin they raised put up a good fight and they lost it just 2 metres from the leader, estimated at 700 lbs. Brasilia raised one and Double Header raised 4, 2 of which hooked up but they both got away. 5th August 2008 4 boats went out today in conditions that were a great deal better than yesterday. Xacara released a 700 lb blue marlin. Habitat released an 850 lb blue marlin. I have no news yet of Double Header and Brasilia. 4th August 2008 Not a particularly nice day: windy and rainy. It was the first day of charter for John and Gitte Christiansen and, even though Capt Ian gave them the option to cancel, they wanted to go out. They’re tough, these Vikings. They started on the north side of the island. The weather improved throughout the day so they went out to Condor Bank soon after mid-day but did not see anything. Double Header went out for a half day in the afternoon to the north side of the island but didn’t have any luck either. Keith Julian’s 650 lb blue marlin And the 750 lb blue marlin 3rd August 2008 A windy day. Habitat went out to Condor Bank but it was not long before he joined Xacara and Braslia on the north side of the island, out of the worst of the wind. Braslia raised a blue that made a half-hearted strike at a lure then disappeared. Xacara saw nothing. Not the best way to end Keith Julian’s charter but he leaves with good memories of releasing 3 great blue marlin. 2nd August 2008 No luck for anyone today. Xacara was on Azores Bank and didn’t see anything of interest. Habitat was on Condor Bank and got 2 bites but neither of them hooked up successfully. 1st August 2008 Another day out on Azores Bank for Xacara, Habitat and Brasilia. Keith, the angler on Xacara, released a 700 lb blue marlin early in the day. They saw 2 more, a big one, 800 to 900 lbs, came into the lure pattern but didn’t strike and towards the end of the day they saw a free jumper. Habitat released a blue of 650 lbs, and hooked another that got away. Brasilia also went one for two, but I don’t know the size. Update for 31st July Habitat released the third marlin, estimated at 850 lbs. They found a wooden box floating in the sea with a lot of dorado under it. They were considering stopping to catch a couple for dinner when a big blue marlin came steaming in and lunged at a lure. Danni, Uli’s wife, took the rod and a long fight ensued, taking nearly and hour and a half to get the fish to the boat. 31st July 2008 Three boats are out today. With good calm conditions at last they have all gone to Azores Bank. Towards the end of the afternoon I received a call from Captain Ian with the following report: Habitat: released 2 blues early in the day, 900 lbs and 300 lbs and were busy fighting a third, the fight had already lasted over an hour. The angler is Uli Laux. Xacara: released one blue of 650 lbs, and hooked another which they did not see before it got away. Brasilia: so far nothing to report. They are all still trolling (apart from Habitat which is busy fighting a fish) so there might be more releases to report. 30th July 2008 2 marlin in 2 days, one for Brasilia and one for Xacara. At last we have another sport-fishing boat out on the water with Brasilia back in action. Yesterday they released a 700 lb blue marlin. We have Keith Julian back with us again. Yesterday was his first charter day and the weather was not kind to him. It was rather breezy, extremely bouncy and he chose to come back to port early. Today the weather conditions were not any better but Xacara went out to Condor Bank. Keith was is fine form and did a magnificent job when they hooked a 750 lb marlin. It took miles of line and headed up-sea. It was a tremendous battle for angler and captain to get it back. The cockpit was awash; angler, mate and even captain up on the bridge were drenched as the boat backed into the breaking waves. The fight took over half an hour but Keith eventually won the battle and the marlin was successfully released. 26th July 2008 We have actor Robson Green here for a 2 day charter, filming a documentary about marlin fishing. Yesterday, the first day of the charter, was not a successful day. We woke to rain and wind: it was fishable, but not great conditions for filming. They went out to Condor Bank but when the cameraman succumbed to sea-sickness and, with no one else available to film the catch if they did get a marlin, they headed back to port. Just one day left to get the footage they so desperately needed. Today the conditions were much better, although still a bit bouncy. They went out to the Azores Bank, where Mike caught his blue marlin on Wednesday, and luck with was with them – Robson hooked a 500 lber which was successfully released and recorded on film. Hoorray! <24th July 2008 News of Habitat: For the last 2 and half weeks Filipe has been occupied with a film charter for National Geographic so he has not been doing any fishing. 24th July 2008 The last day of Mike’s charter- and we woke to find the wind picking up and strong gusty conditions forecast for the rest of the day. They went out to the North coast of the island, where conditions were better, but by early afternoon even Mike agreed that it was just not a good fishing day and they returned to port. However, Mike will be back later in the season and he leaves with good memories from yesterday. 23rd July 2008 What a great day. Mike hooked up a big 850 lb marlin, which he brought to the boat in not much more than 5 minutes, so it was very green when Steve got the leader for the first time, and the second time, and the third time…. After 7 attempts, with the marlin still green and jumping like crazy on the leader, they decided to cut it free. They found a floating piece of wood with a lot of Dorados under it so brought out the spinning rods and caught of few of those, which they kept to put on the barbecue. They also sighted a lot of sharks, including Atlantic White Tips, which we do not see that often in these waters. 21st July 2008 Today is the first day of Mike McEwen’s charter. They left the marina in perfect weather conditions and not long after mid-day they hooked up a nice size blue marlin, about 600 lbs. Mike fought it for about 10 minutes but then it pulled the hooks and got away. It’s good to know there are still blue marlin in this ocean! 17th JULY 2008 After Sean left we had a 6 day break with no charters, then the Nanz/Goldberg group arrived. They have chartered with us every year since 2000 but usually come in late August. Work commitments dictated that they charter earlier this year and so far they have not had any success at all, with rather windy weather and bouncy seas. 7th JULY 2008 Sean Mason, who is now on the 6th day of a 6 day charter, finally got some luck today. A blue marlin came up on the teaser and hooked an Andromeda lure. It gave some great jumps and they cold see it was a big one so when they got it to the boat they measured it. The short measurement was 10 feet, which means a good 800 lb marlin. This was the fish that Sean wanted to catch for the July 4th competition but it showed up 3 days late. They hooked another earlier in the day but it got away. Yesterday Sean caught a mako shark and a few days ago they saw a swordfish on the surface. JUNE Both Xacara and Habitat are back in the water with their annual maintenance completed. During the first week of June, Habitat had a very early charter with the McAlleer family from Ireland. They raised 2 blue marlin on 3rd June plus one more and 5 or 6 white marlin during the next days. The blues were lazy and not particularly interested in the lures. One of them tried to bite but missed the lure. They hooked a couple of the whites and released one of them. June 3rd is really early to see blue marlin and we hope this is an omen for a really good season ahead.