Striped marlin gear?

D

dbaken

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I'm going to be fishing for striped marlin around the 100 lb range this fall. We will be casting to them and stripping.

I've got a 12 wt Sage Salt and an Abel Super 12 with 500 yards of 65 lb gel spun backing.

Trying to figure out if I should also bring a 14 wt setup. This is probably a one time thing, so hoping to avoid it. But I also don't want to be under gunned and making the other people on the boat wait an unreasonable amount of time while I'm trying to bring in a fish.

Any advice?
 
Either one will work, but I always like going bigger rather than risk not having enough. So the 14 would be my pick. The same reel would get it done.

Fish like marlin that tend to fight toward the surface have less of a reliance on the power of the rod than something like a tuna that sounds down. So your line, leader and knots should be your main focus, but sounds like you're all set there.
 
I've never targeted striped marlin, or any marlin for that matter, but I've seen a few up here and from everything I've been told about them my guess is that your 12 would be just fine. However, "just fine" is likely not where Id like to be sitting when heading into an unknown trip like that so Id probably think hard about a 14 were it me.

If you don't want to plunk down a bunch of cash for a setup you might not even use, I have a Sage XI2 14 with a Tibor Pacific you'd be welcome to borrow. I keep it around for a "just in case" rod when I'm offshore, but have never found a real excuse to pull it out up here.
 
Your 12 weight rod and reel above should be fine for small marlin. Will you be trolling only or opportunity for casting?

P4091531.JPG
In 2023 my fishing partner landed this ~200 pound black marlin on his 12 weight out of a small boat. His rod/reel was not top quality either. The boat driver helps keep on top of the fish once the big jumps taper off.
 
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@Evan B Evan - thanks for the info! Makes sense that you don't need to pump them up from the depths. Good point on the knots. I suck at knots, and am not looking forward to tying knots with 100lb flouro. Another thing to practice.

@Nick Clayton Hey Nick - thank you for the offer, that's incredibly generous. I'll probably hit you up on that. I'm on your boat in August for a trip arranged by Cabezon - would that be a good time to talk to you about how it might work?

@dimebright - That's a hell of a fish on a 12wt. We'll be casting to marlin that are slashing through bait balls.
 
dbaken said:
@dimebright - That's a hell of a fish on a 12wt. We'll be casting to marlin that are slashing through bait balls.
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If you are casting, definitely 11 or 12 weight. What location will you be fishing? Have fun!
 
dbaken said:
Hey Nick - thank you for the offer, that's incredibly generous. I'll probably hit you up on that. I'm on your boat in August for a trip arranged by Cabezon - would that be a good time to talk to you about how it might work?
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Absolutely. That would be perfect
 
To me as others have made in their posts I’d make sure that I can comfortably fish either the 12 or 14. I’d be doing ‘gym’ time to practice casting with a very good strip with either set up. Being fit is likely most important to enjoy it more than the wt. I spent 3 days on a boat striping for queenfish and it really beat the shit out of me plus the rocking boat. A great point is the boat can chase so I’d be sure to know what the skipper will do once you get the fish on. Wear glasses, have the drag well set…and a hat 😎

Dave
 
I don’t have practical advice in response to your question, but I’m “watching” this thread with interest and sure as heck hope we get a report after your trip!
 
Matt B said:
I don’t have practical advice in response to your question, but I’m “watching” this thread with interest and sure as heck hope we get a report after your trip!
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I'll definitely drop a report. Unless I don't catch anything.....
 
Agree with @DimeBrite on this and your shoulder, forearm, dominant pec, and wrist will agree also.
12 weight will do the job. Use chapstick on the leader knots prior to snugging them down. It will eliminate the heat associated with cinching, not burn the material, and make the knot tighter if you decide to make your own leaders.
Definitely need to get back to Mag Bay in November/December. Best of Luck and enjoy the mayhem!
 
VAGABOND said:
Use chapstick on the leader knots prior to snugging them down. It will eliminate the heat associated with cinching, not burn the material, and make the knot tighter if you decide to make your own leaders.
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Thanks for the tip on chapstick! Snugging down thick flouro has been a problem for me.
 
What sort of leaders are people using for these fish? Watching some videos on dorado and roosters via Red's Fly Shop it seems like they're using straight 25# (give or take) fluoro. Seems likely I'd need something more substantial for marlin bills though.
 
adamcu280 said:
What sort of leaders are people using for these fish? Watching some videos on dorado and roosters via Red's Fly Shop it seems like they're using straight 25# (give or take) fluoro. Seems likely I'd need something more substantial for marlin bills though.
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Based on a bunch of reading and asking folks who do it a lot, I built 6-7 foot leaders of hard mono—50 lb, 30 lb, 80 lb “bite tippet.” The ones I built never got tested. The 50 protects the fly line loop, the 30 is your “fuse” so you don’t lose a whole line, and the 80 is for those raspy pointy faces.
 
Nick Clayton said:
I've never targeted striped marlin, or any marlin for that matter, but I've seen a few up here and from everything I've been told about them my guess is that your 12 would be just fine. However, "just fine" is likely not where Id like to be sitting when heading into an unknown trip like that so Id probably think hard about a 14 were it me.

If you don't want to plunk down a bunch of cash for a setup you might not even use, I have a Sage XI2 14 with a Tibor Pacific you'd be welcome to borrow. I keep it around for a "just in case" rod when I'm offshore, but have never found a real excuse to pull it out up here.
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Kinda relieved to hear you have a 14wt/Pacific outfit. I won't feel quite the lunatic bringing mine on board now (BLUEFIN!!! - there, I said it for you ;) )
 
Matt B said:
Based on a bunch of reading and asking folks who do it a lot, I built 6-7 foot leaders of hard mono—50 lb, 30 lb, 80 lb “bite tippet.” The ones I built never got tested. The 50 protects the fly line loop, the 30 is your “fuse” so you don’t lose a whole line, and the 80 is for those raspy pointy faces.
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Hey Matt,

What knots were you using when building the leaders? Thanks!
 
dbaken said:
Hey Matt,

What knots were you using when building the leaders? Thanks!
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50 and 30 are bimini loops both ends and joined loop to loop. For the 30 to 80, I did a double (triple?) over hand knot in the 80, snugged up against the “top” of the bimini and pulled tight. I added knot sense to that junction. It looks a little weird, but experienced dudes say it’s legit. Pic below. Then I did a 3 turn nonslip mono loop in the 80 to attach the fly.

IMG_1689.jpeg
 
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