By DOUG KELLY, Managing Editor

It was a dorsal fin breaking through the surface of the blue abyss that gave away its identity. The monster locked onto a trolled king mackerel like a fighter pilot, its long, dark sword slashing at the mack like Zorro carving his initial.

And then came those rousing, treasured words from the bridge: "Blue marlin--a big one."

The long rigger snapped as the marlin mouthed the bait, and the momentary slack al- lowed a short drop-back. The action shifted from the rigger to the trigger-the angler- who scrambled to remove the rod from the holder and jump in the fighting chair. The marlin tossed the kingfish morsel into the air and took it head-first down the gullet, a spectacle that inspired four mighty hooksets. At the taste of steel, the fish exploded to- ward the bottom in a head-shaking dither, with line spewing from the 80-pound conventional reel.

The marlin screeched on the breaks at around 200 fathoms and decided to hover a spell. He wouldn't budge an inch, and since the straight up-and-down pull was becoming a lengthy stalemate, the captain slowly moved the boat a short distance to give the line some angle. It worked. About an hour later, the burly blue was cranked to boatside in the Pocket, and length and girth calculations revealed that the marlin weighed 620 pounds.

And so it often goes in the Bahamas when playing with blue marlin. Although granders are extremely rare, fish are frequently caught each year in the 500-pound class and bigger. While there are a number of marlin playgrounds in the Bahamas, one of the most prolific for the past 30 years is known as the Pocket. The Pocket is a triangular sliver of the deep Northwest Channel, bordered by Chub Cay to the north, Morgan's Bluff to the south and to the west by the Great Bahama Bank and the Joulters Cays north of Andros. The closest port is Chub Cay, offering a short ride from the Pocket, but it can also be reached from Nassau and Andros.

A delightful characteristic of the Pocket is the presence of a good number of white marlin in addition to blues. It's not unusual to catch more whites than blues over the span of several days-which few anglers seem to mind.

Speaking of white marlin, the first leg of the Bahamas Billfish Championship (BBC) was kicked off at Chub this spring, and I hopped aboard the Flea Flicker, owned by H. Wayne Huizenga, Jr., and his wife Fonda. Yes, I was going marlin fishing with owners of the Florida Marlins.

Fonda accounted nicely for the team, catching a huge 84-pound white marlin on the first day of the tourney. She did the trick again with another white on the lay (break) day and also hauled in a wahoo--common in the Pocket-plus several blue marlin hit the lures but didn't hook up.

The Pocket is d-e-e-p, with a plunging, near-vertical edge near the bordering is- lands and banks. The water can turn from shallow green to deep blue in the length of a 9-iron shot-sometimes even a wedge. The depths of the Pocket and sur- rounding bodies of water often range well over 1,000 fathoms.

But it is more than mere depth that makes the Pocket a favorite haunt of marlin. Tidal currents flow into this narrow gap from the east via the mouth of the mile-deep Tongue of the Ocean between Nassau and Andros, as well as from the Northeast Providence Channel. The currents create upwellings over structures that dot the bottom of the Pocket, and they help circulate water as it backflows off the plunging walls of the Great Bahama Bank and surrounding islands. The swirls attract and hold baitfish, which brings in predators such as blackfin tuna and dolphin-both high on the list of marlin delectables.

Although you can blind-troll the Pocket, you'll do far better with more specific game plans. Capt. Ralph Laird of the Hatt Box out of North Palm Beach Marina doesn't run charters anymore, but he still regularly fishes Bahamas billfish tournaments, and won the Chub Cay Championship of the BBC in 1993.

"The best conditions are when the water is really pretty and blue, with concentrations of bait," said Laird. the wind howls out of the west or west, however, it can get murky, makes it tough to catch marlin."

Laird concentrates his efforts in al areas. He trolls close to the shore in 1,500 to 2,000 feet of water near the northwest tip of the Pocket at Northwest Channel Light. "There are usually better concentrations of bait along this edge because it's near shallow water," he added. "It can really be good when the tide is flowing off the bank and pushing the bait- fish atop the dropoffs."

Another hot site is out from the Joulters and down to Morgan's Bluff, which consistently produces some of the biggest blue marlin in the region.

Even so, Laird keeps a close eye on his temperature gauge. "I don't normally catch many marlin in the middle of the Pocket, but back in 1975 or `76, we caught a 628-pound blue amidst a temperature change when crossing from the Joulters back to Chub," he recalled.

Robby Robinson launches his 28-footer from Haulover on Miami Beach and heads to the Pocket about a half-dozen times each year during the spring and summer, fishing for several days at a time. He usually sleeps on the boat, anchoring near Morgan's Bluff, but checks into the Chub Cay Club on Chub Cay when it's too windy.

"It takes only a half-day or so to run from Miami to the Pocket," said Robin- son. 1 cross the Gulf Stream to Great Isaac Light, then flit across the Great Bahama Bank. I especially like going in the midst of summer because I usually have flat seas all the way."

Robinson likes to troll off Morgan's Bluff, but most of the time he fishes bottom structures. "Over the years I've trolled over much of the Pocket with my depth- sounder and marked some small and large humps, plus many enormous breaks and areas with drastic roller-coaster bottoms," he said. "If you have a sensitive depth- sounder that can work in deep water, you can build up lots of good waypoints rather quickly. I catch most of my marlin over these structures because of the effect they have on the current."

Although Robinson wouldn't let me peek at his black book of GPS numbers for the Pocket--he keeps it in a vault at home when not on the water-he did provide a good hint: "There's a good reason why the region out from the Joulters and Morgan's Bluff attracts a large proportion of marlin. And checkout the rim of the Pocket that lies south and east of Northwest Channel light."

While bottom contours may be the most promising areas to hunt marlin, the more common signs of big- game activity shouldn't be ignored, since a blue or white may be amongst the fray. Circling frigate birds should be investigated, since they feed by spotting large gamefish and follow them. When the predators come to the surface to corral baitfish, the frigates swoop down and intercept the showering baits in midair. Approach quietly when you see this activity, then drop back your spread and make a wide circle in order to troll your baits across ground zero without getting too close with the boat.

Weedlines and flying fish are also good marlin signals, especially when sighted over bottom contours in the Pocket. Weedlines and flying fish often attract smaller gamefish such as dolphin and tuna, which in turn coax visits from blue marlin.

Laird and Robinson like to troll a variety of baits in their spreads, such as horse ballyhoo, mackerel and mullet; some anglers also troll bonefish, citing their aqua- dynamic shape. However, Robinson eschews their use: "I believe their coloration makes them harder to see than other baits, and besides, I wouldn't be happy with a cooler of dead, rigged bonefish on my boat--I'm used to releasing them all the time."

Laird occasionally uses lures, but says he's caught more marlin on baits over the years, especially in the Pocket. Even so, those who put their faith in lures have done very well. The crew of the flea Flicker in the BBC included Capt. Joe D'Amico, Capt. Scott Levin and Capt. Bait Miller.

Levin has caught marlin off Australia, St. Thomas, Florida and the Bahamas. Miller is a recent transplant to Florida from Hawaii, where he designed his lures and has been discovering that they're effective on Atlantic marlin, too. Levin and Miller trolled only Miller's lures in the BBC-never baits- and the results were convincing: Fonda Huizenga caught two white marlin at Chub Cay and had three blue marlin strikes, then won the second leg of the BBC at Walkers Cay, winding in a 551-pound blue.

Since Levin and Miller had never fished the Pocket before, their success is revealing. Said Miller: "Dead-bait trolling is like dragging a dead antelope through the jungle--some lions and tigers may take it, but most won't. A proper spread of lures, on the other hand, will set off the prey drive of a gamefish by attracting it with sound. When a wise old fish rises and sees a ballyhoo with leader and hook, it often passes on it. The correct lure, however, distracts the fish due to its agitation factor and will often draw more strikes."

Miller selected mostly smaller marlin lures for the Pocket. "The marlin in the Pocket tend to average less than 300 or 400 pounds, and they are more likely to take smaller, less aggressive lures. If we were fishing other areas of the Bahamas where marlin encounters are often in the 500- or 600-pound class, most of the spread would have bigger lures."

Levin trolls the biggest lures in the spread the farthest back. "Big marlin usually won't come close to the boat," he said. "However, if hits are coming on the short lines, we'll move the lures in closer, and vice versa if the hits are on the long lines. I also ask others at the dock or on the radio which lines got their hits, and adjust accordingly."

The Flea Flicker trolled at 8 to 8 1/2 knots while in the Pocket. "If you go too slow, the fish lose interest and won't chase the lures," Miller noted. "If you move too fast, you usually miss the hookups. Another technique is to run quick and when you get hits, slow down and work that area carefully."

As with Robby Robinson, Levin stresses that good electronics are essential to successful marlin fishing anywhere, and in particular the Pocket. "Changes in bottom structure and depth are important, especially because you want the current running into the structure to create upwellings. The current usually runs parallel to land or away from it, and by knowing that you can troll accordingly in the proper direction over structure."

Going after blue marlin requires serious equipment. Rigs are generally 50- to 80-pound gear, although 130s are often used in tournaments. The Flea Flicker went with 130 reels, custom-made marlin rods with six roller guides, 80-pound Dacron backing connected to 100-pound monofilament (which allowed for additional line capacity), and leaders constructed of 600-pound mono. Four lines were set out--two long and two short on the outriggers.

Miller and Levin differ on whether it's best to troll single- or double-hooked marlin lures. Miller favors one hook because he feels the lure works better, but Levin believes a trailing hook accounts for a higher percentage of hookups. Miller aligns double hooks so they're in a straight, 180-degree line to each other. "When they're at a 90-degree angle, they tend to spin," Miller explained. "And, when a fish strikes a lure, don't drop back... keep it moving and the marlin will usually come back for it, much like a bonefish that's hot on the trail of your fly."

Most marlin skippers still put their faith in baits, however. Said Robinson, "I believe scent is important, because I've brought up marlin with teasers and watched them in my mixed spread, and more often than not, it hits the bait, not the lure."

Whether you troll lures, baits or mix the spread, the Pocket provides good opportunities for summertime marlin, particularly when the water is clear and good concentrations of baitfish are present. There may be other places in the Bahamas where bigger blues lurk, but for sheer numbers-not to mention excellent shots at big white marlin--it's nice to have a friend with deep Pockets.

The Chub Connection

Chub cay is part of a cluster of nearly 30 cays known as the Berry Islands. Often called Chub for short the island is about 35 miles north of Nassau and lies at the northeastern boundary of the Pocket. The Chub Cay Club on Chub Cay caters to members and visitors offering an airport, Bahamian customs, hotel accommodations, a restaurant, boat slips and a full service deepwater marina. They can be contacted at Box 661067 Miami springs FL 33266 or call (809) 325 1190.

Chub was crunched hard by Hurricane Andrew but general manager Michael Kaboth and staff have rebounded in style, and more expansion plans are in full swing. Most flights to Chub are private charters although Island Express has daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale, except on Tuesday and Wednesday. Be sure to call the airlines or your travel agent for the latest connections and flight information, or the Bahamas Tourist Office at (800) 327 7678.

Mucho Marlin

Marlin fishing is on the upswing in the Bahamas, according to statistics gathered since 1974 from the Bahamas Billfish Championship and results from the recent 17th Annual Bacardi Rum Billfish Tournament at Bimini.

The winning marlin in the Bacardi tournament was a 448-pounder, with 292.5 and 263 pound blues taking second and third. More revealing however was the fact that large schools of baitfish produced the best marlin fishing in recent history, with numerous boats engaging marlin of various sizes

The 1995 BBC was a five-tournament circuit at Bimini Walkers Cay Treasure Cay, Marsh Harbour and Chub Cay. An all time high 199 billfish were tagged released or boat ed 170 blue marlin 26 white marlin and three sailfish. In 1994, the numbers were 164 billfish 140 of which were blues and 16 whites. The number of fish hooked per hour of fishing effort was 3 1 per 100 hours in 1995.

The biggest blue marlin last year in the BBC was an 800-pounder caught by John Moll aboard the Gun Moll at Walkers Cay. The largest white marlin last year was a 61 pounder which was eclipsed at the first leg of this year’s BBC at Chub Cay (Huizenga's 84-pounder).

Many attribute the surge in marlin to a greater presence of baitfish, and a heightened emphasis in the Bahamas on catch and release. To wit: 80 percent of the billfish caught in 1995 in the BBC were released, com- pared to earlier years of the BBC when nearly all billfish were brought back to the dock.

The BBC circuit reveals where marlin are concentrated in the Bahamas, although other good prospects include deepwater haunts near San Salvador, Long Island, Tongue of the Ocean Harbour Is land off Eleuthera, and the southern end of Cat Island.

FS