How much of the color range a marlin can see is still an open question
Among the questions I get asked the most, two of the most frequent are: “What colors do you prefer in marlin lures?” or “Can marlin see color?”
Answer number one is “I don’t really care” — which is only partially true. I tend to prefer colors that I can see. I like colors that allow me to quickly see the lure when I glance back at the baits. Red catches my eye and so does white. Purple isn’t bad, and an orange and black combo is quickly picked up by my eye when I look back at the lure spread.
I also like colors that remind me of something that actually exists in the world of marlin food stuff. Blue and white reminds me of flying fish. Both purple, and a combo of red, white, and blue look a lot like the color I see when I get a side view of skip jack tuna surfing down the waves. Yellow and green is the color of small dolphin fish and some of the scad mackerel that most bill fish regularly snack on. I have had great success on chocolate or reddish brown lures that look to me like squid and stay down and DON’T make a bubble trail. I think it doesn’t really matter.
The answer to the second question is “No one really knows.” We have a few ways of making educated guesses but there is still some argument among the top bill fish scientists about what bill fish can see.
There is no doubt that some fish (including tuna) have excellent color vision. The rainbow hued reef fish species that divers and snorkelers revel in should have color vision — Why else would they be colored like that? — and they do. They live near the surface where all the colors of the spectrum still exist and use color displays for a wide range of behavior including mating, species recognition, and territorial defense.
Bill fish cannot be kept alive in a confined space. We can only look at their eyes and compare them to the eyes of other species: fish, mammals, or reptiles and compare the physiology. From sophisticated experiments on other animals we know which types of cells are necessary to see color. Marlin eyes are mainly lacking in the types of cells known as “cone” cells needed for color vision.
Scientists can also analyze the chemicals present in the specialized cells that send the signals to the brain. Marlin retinal cells have a high proportion of the photo active chemicals known from other species to respond to the wave lengths of light in the part of the spectrum we call blue but have little of the chemicals for other colors. The inference has been that marlin see mainly shades of blue (the only color left at extreme depths), but can’t distinguish between other colors and are “color blind”. A new study by an Australian researcher indicates that marlin might have some limited ability to perceive color.
The only CERTAIN thing about lure color is that if the lure does not first attract a fisherman it will not get used. If it does not get used it will not get bitten. No marlin, anywhere in the world, has ever stolen a lure from a tackle shop or out of a tackle drawer.
I once brought in a particularly ugly, over skirted, all white with rust stains, lure, that ran like an old rag that a client had asked me to put out. When asked why, I said, “it didn’t run very well as it had too many skirts.”
“I’ve already weighed one over 1,000 pounds and another over 900 pounds on that lure” was the hurt reply at my rejection of his favorite lure.
Needless to say I put it back out and left it out!!!
The action in this amazing video includes not only a giant blue marlin taking the bait right up close in the prop wash, but also International World Record Holder Stewart Campbell being pulled out of the fighting chair, over the transom and into the drink. Stewart and his team consisting of captain Bark Garnsey and wireman Charles Perry are far and away the best blue marlin team in the world. This awesome footage shows that the unexpected can happen even to the best.
The “bait and switch” technique they perfected where the rigged bait and hook are slid back to the fish as the teaser (lure with no hook) is retrieved, makes not only for fishing success, but also for a visual thrill as the marlin takes the bait on the surface. The technique is explained in this video and Stewart’s Atlantic Blue Marlin World Records of 336 lbs. on 6lb test, 562 lbs 8 lb test, 820 lbs on 16 lb, 714 lbs on 20 lb test and 872 lbs on 30 lb test are proof of just how successful this style of fishing can be when you have the right team in place to take advantage of it.
This video is presented by GuyHarveySportswear.com with permission from Stewart Campbell and from Charles Perry of Nautical Dreams.
Recently my daughter Carrie e-mailed me to have me check out this video of a guy jumping out of a helicopter to catch a free swimming marlin. She knew I would get a kick out of seeing it, and she also wanted me to help solve an argument she and her friends where having as to whether it was real, or simply Hollywood at its best. Check out this video, it is truly awesome. Real, however, it is not.
To the friends of my wonderful daughter this appeared real indeed. To someone like myself, or any of my friends who have also spent a lifetime trying to better understand and figure out marlin and other highly migratory fish, this is an impossibility made to look real through some very clever and outstanding camera work. Whether or not it actually happened does not change the fact that this is a way cool ocean video.
The video features adventure fisherman Matt Watson, star of the Discovery Network series Man vs. Fish. Matt is a great entertainer and we mean no disrespect, as he is an avid promoter of responsible catch and release fishing, and helps drive awareness of our beloved sport. He has caught marlin from a surfboard and a jetski, and a shark from a child’s inflatable raft. In this particular episode, they’ve found a marlin near a feeding frenzy of dorado and proceed to hover the helicopter over the fish, allowing Matt to dive head first into the water (with his sunglasses on) tackling the marlin unaware, and then riding it for a few seconds and releasing it.
So what might have actually happened? My speculation is that the marlin was caught in the traditional way, with a fishing rod and reel. After a long, drawn out battle the weary fish was pulled along side the boat, photographed for posterity and carefully released, at which time the film crew was already in the water, ready to shoot the “helicopter jumper” as he jumped the couple of feet from the side of the boat onto the worn-out fish.
But again, I take nothing away from the entertainment value of watching a man jump from a helicopter onto one of the most amazing and sought after game fish in the ocean and wrestle it bare handed. It’s fun to see what you can do in the video edit suite!
Our main goal with this blog will be to bring you directly from Guy Harvey his insights and personal accounts of his many adventures and expeditions in the ocean world. We also will bring you guest blogs from additional experts on ocean issues and we will bring you the most interesting videos that deal with the ocean and the fish who call it home. Real or not, this is one such video. Pass this on to your friends and you are guaranteed to have some interesting conversation as to whether this is real or not.
The month of January marked the beginning of my quest to catch a blue marlin each month from the waters around Grand Cayman, the tiny Caribbean island that has been my home for the last decade. However, this is typically a busy time for me, and it wasn’t until the last week of January, in 2008, that I was finally able to break away for a day of fishing aboard my 26-foot Dusky Makaira. A last minute decision meant that I would be fishing alone, and any hope I might have had of catching a marlin every month of the year was fading. Still, I wasn’t going to let January slip by without at least giving it a try.
Guy Harvey examining trolling lures during his 12 month pursuit
The day’s adventure began as I was trolling three miles west of North West Point, at a spot known as the pinnacle. Surveying the boat’s wake where I had four lines out, I spotted a high dorsal fin streaking in behind the lure I had on the right short rigger. The strike popped the rubber band with a satisfying slap and line started pouring off the reel. I continued to throttle ahead at trolling speed to keep pressure on the marlin while I quickly cleared the three other lines and slipped into my fighting belt and harness. This would be a challenge, as I was on my own — captain, mate and angler all rolled into one.
I braced myself against the console and spun my 26-footer to chase the marlin as it headed downsea, jumping magnificently in a series of head-shaking leaps. Maneuvering the boat by using my left hand to both operate the throttle and steer the wheel, I faced the big fish off the starboard bow and was able to keep up with it until the marlin decided to sound. After a spell, the fish changed tactics and popped to the surface ahead of the boat, where it started wildly jumping again. Then it suddenly turned and charged the boat, which put me in a bad spot. I cranked hard on the reel in an attempt to keep the line tight as I was running around the bow to keep my line clear of the outrigger halyards as the fish sped on by.
Prior to its release, Guy Harvey leaders and photographs his first Blue Marlin of 2008
It was an exciting 20 minutes of fast-paced action before I finally got the blue to the boat. For me, the first order of business was to grab the leader and wrap it around a cleat so I could free up my hands to take a photo of the beautifully lit-up 150-pounder. I then quickly removed the hook from the marlin’s upper jaw, revived the fish for a minute, and after releasing my grip from the bill, watched it swim off like a rocket. That was quite a milestone for me — my first blue marlin caught on the water alone.
After pausing a bit to savor the moment, I throttled the boat forward, methodically reset my lines, and trolled west to Twelve Mile Bank. My day of fishing excitement wasn’t done. Reaching the southwestern corner of the bank, I suddenly found myself hooked up with two jumping blues at one time. I’ve never felt so shorthanded in my life, and proceeded to lose one of the marlin after just five minutes. The other jumped all over the ocean before it finally broke the leader. My body was shaking with exertion and excitement. Fishing alone, I had hooked and fought three of these great fish, managing one — my first solo blue — to the boat for release.
And so, it was this remarkable day of fishing at the end of January that served as a starting point for the pursuit of my lofty goal of catching a blue marlin from Grand Cayman waters during each month of the year. In quite an exhilarating fashion, my quest had begun.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in February, as I continue my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
Guy Harvey releasing a Blue Marlin during his year long effort to catch a Marlin-a-Month in the Cayman Islands
I trust you all are having a Happy Holiday with you families and friends. This time of year always makes us both look forward and look back. As I do so now I am reminded of my own family and friends and of the kindness so many people have extended to me. I am also reminded of the ocean, of how we all need to focus on learning more about it and taking care of the fish that call it home. I can’t help but think of the magnificence, adventures, and joy the seas provide.
One such adventure for me took place in January of 2008 while fishing in Grand Cayman. I released my first blue marlin caught alone. What a thrill! It was quite a milestone and set me off on a 12-month journey to see if I could catch a blue marlin every month of the year in my home waters. The Cayman Islands are better known for its diving than its fishing, as sport fishing has yet to reach its full potential. From my personal experiences and from local friends such as full-time fisherman, Charles Ebanks and his father Ferris, I thought this could be accomplished. This effort was not only a personal challenge, it would also help demonstrate the fact that the year round Grand Cayman fishery was stronger than previously known.
With my travel and work schedule I had to try and reach this goal fishing only on weekends when I was at home. Adding to the challenge was the fact that most of the time I was fishing by myself or with only one other person. Even with a passenger, the odds were difficult as two people play the roles of captain, mate and angler while one of the most magnificent fish in the sea does her best to make things as complicated and difficult as possible. What made this marlin-a-month journey even tougher was the fact that I fish from a smaller, outboard-powered boat. Bigger inboard boats create a bigger and better disturbance in the water which can entice billfish to check out the situation, as it can look to them like a feeding event for predators. In fact I have filmed both billfish and tuna rising to check out a boat’s wake even when no lures or live baits were being trolled.
As it turned out, my quest was quite an adventure. My friends at Marlin Magazine wrote about this in a 2009 issue and I thought you would also enjoy my reliving this experience with you each month during 2010 here on this blog. As 2009 comes to a close I wish you all much good health and good fishing in 2010.
We are happy to include Peter B. Wright as a contributing editor to the Guy Harvey Sportswear blog. Peter is one of the world’s best known and respected big game fishing captains and will be writing here on various aspects of catching the largest fish in the ocean.
Peter is an inductee to the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, has caught more marlin over 1,000 pounds than any captain or angler in history, has won dozens of tournaments, and guided his clients to numerous records. He holds the Bahamas Bluefin Tuna record of 972 pounds and guided angler Stewart Campbell to an amazing single day’s record of 73 Giant Bluefin Tuna tagged and released off Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Peter B at Work (Play)
Captain Wright has fished every season in Cairns, Australia since 1968 and has also fished the waters of New Zealand, New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, Mauritius, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, The Ivory Coast, Bom Bom Island, Cape Verde Islands, Canary Islands, Madeira, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, US Gulf and East Coast, Canada’s Maritime Provinces, East and West Coasts of Mexico, Guatamala, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, French Polynesia, Fiji, Hawaii and the Galapagos.
Peter is a highly sought after writer and speaker. He has recently been hired as Editor at Large by World Publications to write a big game fishing column for “Marlin” Magazine as well as hosting television shows and conducting seminars and “Marlin University” programs.
This is the ultimate “fish story” because it involves a monster fish (1,200 plus pound black marlin), a world class angler (Neil Patrick) who graciously gave up personal glory and a potential IGFA world record for the sake of science and conservation, and the unbelievable feat of a man (Guy Harvey) who swam down to attach a second fishing line so the majestic fish could be brought up quickly enough to be tagged and released unharmed.
In late January of 2005, Guy Harvey traveled to the Tropic Star Lodge in Panama to tag black marlin and to film the process for his popular television series “Portraits from the Deep.” Guy’s series is not your typical fishing show, as it combines awesome fishing footage (both from above and beneath the water) with the science and conservation of various fish species in a way that only Dr. Harvey can present it. I felt privileged when asked to join him as “guest angler.”
The tags we were to use — Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSAT), which are the latest in modern technology and cost $4,000 each — served as part of a broader research program in cooperation with the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) in Oceanside, CA. Designed for use in learning more about the movements of pelagic game fish in the world’s oceans, the tags are attached to fish prior to their release, after which the sophisticated transmitters record data such as depth, water temperature and location. Following a programmed length of time, the tag pops up to the surface, where the information is sent to a satellite and then on to the researchers at PIER.
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
