Find marlin down deep

One of Australia's marlin hot spots lies off Port Stephens in New South Wales, and during the summer months, huge numbers of black and striped marlin are caught here using an unusual drifting method. Twenty-eight miles from Port Stephens, schools of slimy mackerel mass in tremendous numbers on the edge of a huge canyon - and the marlin show up to get in on the smorgasbord. These marlin feed so intently on these midwater slimy schools that trolling lures with live or dead baits sometimes go untouched.

The secret to success in this instance involves dropping live mackerel down deep using lead sinkers attached to the trace with rubber bands. We tie a heavy rubber band to the eye of the appropriate-sized lead sinker - the size depends on the amount of current - then gather up about two feet of the trace leader in small tight wraps. We then lay the sinker against the wraps and tightly bind the rubber band around the weight and leader until it comes tight. When the marlin eats the bait and begins to move off, the lead simply pops off straight away, allowing the angler to fight the fish without worrying about the weight acting as a dehooker.

John Ashley,
Cronulla, Australia