Southern California Striped Marlin
(Originally published November/December 2017)
By Bob Hoose
The sun is just breaking the horizon in the east as we idle along the 250-fathom curve in lee of San Clemente Island. It’s early September and a small fleet of hardcore billfish yachts are working the same area for sleepers — striped marlin sleeping on the surface with their tail fin exposed. Two guys in gyro binoculars slowly sweep the horizon, while a third guy wearing lowlight sunglasses looks in areas of water close around the boat. We are less than a mile from the east end of the island when I hear the words “Got one – at your 11 o’clock. Just past the second slick.” I set down my gyro binoculars and turn the boat slowly toward 11 o’clock when my friend says “OK, I got at least two fish now, at our 12 o’clock now.”
Photo courtesy of Bob Hoose
As we approach a pair of striped marlin “sleeping” on the surface, two guys are now up on the foredeck baiting up with live mackerel from the bow tank. The marlin are motionless as we slowly slide past and
