MADEIRA. I’d heard stories of this place for years. Big blue marlin. Calm seas. Perfect weather and friendly locals. Oh, and some really, really big blue marlin. It’s quality rather than quantity in this fishery. If you want a shot at a fish that makes heavy tackle seem, well, not so heavy after all, then it’s certainly worth a closer look.
Officially known as the Autonomous Region of Madeira, this island archipelago is situated in the North Atlantic about 250 miles north of the Canary Islands and 325 miles west of Morocco. The geography and scenery are simply incredible; the island juts abruptly skyward amid the cool, deep, impossibly blue waters that swirl around it. Nearly everyone who has ever wet a line here has come away with the same impression: It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever fished.
I was invited by my buddy Capt. Rob Ellyn, who runs the worldwide multiboat operation. He needed an angler to pre-fish with him the week leading up to the Blue Marlin World Cup on July 4 because his boss and friends wouldn’t arrive until a couple of days prior to the start. One thing I’d always heard about Madeira, though, is the fish tend to move through in for the week.