(Originally published May/June 2022)
By Capt. Ricky Wheeler
“Left teaser, left teaser!!!!”
There are few things that compare to the thrill and excitement of a lit-up white marlin in the trolling spread. The best part of it all is working together with your crew to hook that fish. To me, it is the epitome of “sportfishing.” I quote sportfishing there because offshore fishing, especially for billfish, is truly a team sport. What’s even more fun is being dialed in with your crew so you can also catch any other friends that white marlin has swimming with it, for a multiple hookup!
White marlin are the smallest of all the marlin species, but they are challenging and exciting to catch! When you see one lit up, those beautiful neon colors behind your boat ready to eat, it’s tough not to get amped. Their pectoral fins turn an amazing electric blue color, and the sides of the marlin light up with bright banded stripes. If you didn’t know any better, you would call them a striped marlin in that moment. For these reasons, along with the exciting acrobatics they show off when they are hooked up, they are one of the most beloved gamefish on the East Coast.
In the Mid-Atlantic waters, most years we see great numbers of white marlin in our spread throughout the summer. These fish ride in on warm-water eddies that branch off the Gulf Stream and make
