Big-game fishing means going offshore after the largest, strongest fish in the sea — marlin, swordfish, giant tuna and sharks. It’s done from a sport-fishing boat, and a single fish can fight for hours. Big Fish, Blue Sea™ is built around the same day on the water.
Finding the fish
Big pelagic fish follow bait, and bait follows current, temperature and structure — the edge of the continental shelf, seamounts, rips and the edges of currents like the Gulf Stream. Captains look for birds working over the water, bait balls and fish shadows, and use sonar to see below. In the game you read the same signs and drive the boat yourself.
Trolling
Instead of casting, big-game anglers troll: they pull lures or live bait behind a moving boat at a slow, steady speed. Outriggers spread the lines wide. The lure, its depth and the line strength are chosen for the fish and the conditions.
The strike and the fight
When a fish hits, the hook has to be set quickly. Then the angler gets into the fighting chair and the battle begins: the fish runs, dives (sounds), charges the boat and jumps. The angler gains line by pumping the rod up and reeling on the way down, manages the drag so the line doesn’t break, and drops the rod tip when the fish jumps so it can’t throw the hook. Every one of those moves is in the game.
The gaff — or the release
Once the fish is tired and alongside, the crew brings it aboard with a gaff, or releases it. In real life many billfish are released today to protect the population. In Big Fish, Blue Sea™ you choose: keep the fish for the scale or let it go.
Tournaments and the weigh-in
Fishing tournaments are usually won by the heaviest qualifying fish, weighed at the dock at the end of the day. Big Fish, Blue Sea™ has 10 tournaments (all made up) on real waters, each a single day from 6 AM to 4 PM. Your heaviest counting fish goes up against the field at the weigh-in.
How to play · Glossary of terms · The real waters behind the tournaments