Blue Marlin are probably the most sought after game fish. Surly a world record fish finds her way into Virginia-North Carolina waters annually. Catching her is the trick! They feed upon squid, cero and Spanish mackerel, bonito, and skipjacks. These prey make excellent enticers, the mackerel whole and the lesser tuna rigged as slab or belly baits. We recommend the use of natural baits for Blue Marlin. The ratio of hook-ups to strikes is higher than with artificials. A number of Florida-based bait companies sell flash-frozen versions, rigged or unrigged. Live bonito, bridled through the "hole" at the top of the eye-socket, make excellent baits for large Blue Marlin. Slow-trolling, by kicking alternate engines in and out of gear, allows the bait to live for a surprisingly long time. Usually the bonito must be caught well inshore of the Blue Marlin grounds. As soon as the Bonito is caught, the bait is either wrapped in a towel or placed in the live well. For Blue Marlin up to 250 lbs, a 30-50 Stand-Up Class rod will do well. It has enough beef in the blank to avoid an extended battle. Most rods run from 5 1/2 feet to 5-feet 9-inches in length, allowing the angler good leverage; and they should have Heavy Duty Aftco roller guides. Reels must have a good proven drag, such as the Penn 30W International II, or the Shimano TLD30II, heir to the original 20-50 Beastmaster. Both reels can spool 600 yards of 30-lb test monofilament. Double the last 30 feet of the line with a Bimini Twist, making a 15-foot section below the knot, and attach a BX5 or 6 Sampo-styled ball-bearing swivel with an Offshore Swivel Knot. For comfortable stand-up angling, choose a rugged harness and belt that fits you comfortably. Whether made by Reliable of Braid, these are important items and should be chosen carefully. Large Blue Marlin require a chair and heavy tackle. Machined aluminum reels are standard, the 80STW Penn International II or a comparable Shimano Tiagra or Fin Nor. Trolling rods for big critters are in the 80-lb Class, usually 7-footers with either Aftco Big Foot or Fin Nor Heavy guides. With the big outfits, an angler has the choice of dacron or monofilament line. Although there are advantages to both lines, most boats use 80 or 100-lb test mono. Many light-tackle (30 to 50-lb test outfits) anglers like to attach a Venezuela Rig to the end of the doubled mono line. Many coastal tackle shops will make a 20-foot rig by using 80-lb black dacron. A Venezuela Rig can be wound onto the reel, just at the end of the battle, and when you want to control the fish at boatside. Leaders for Blue Marlin vary according to the size of the intended target. Smaller Blues may require no more than 150-lb test mono, while big brutes call for 400-lb test mono. Some skippers use a terminal section of 49-strand wire. Good leader lengths run between 12 and 15 feet for smaller fish, longer for the huge Blues.