The Striped Marlin is the fish that makes trolling at Kaiji No Ri worth it. It is a surface hunting predator that jumps clear of the water when hooked, it runs on almost the same trolling rig as my Yellowfin Tuna, and it pays well. My Unique came in at 151.433 kg and a huge 315.1 cm for 89,849 coins and 46,331 XP. This guide covers the open water spot off Green Harbor, the one lure change from my tuna setup, and an honest note about when this fish actually feeds best.
Why Target the Striped Marlin?
My Unique paid 89,849 coins and 46,331 XP. On coins it is one of the better paying fish at Kaiji No Ri, edging out even my Yellowfin Tuna, though the tuna returns more XP. If you are trolling for coins, the marlin is a prime target. If you are grinding levels, the tuna gives you more per fish. It is nice to have both on the same map, because the same trip can serve either goal depending on which lure you run.
It comes in Common, Trophy, and Unique classes. Mine was a Unique, the top class, so my figures are the ceiling rather than a typical catch. Even so, a marlin of any class is one of the most exciting fish to fight on this map, because of how it behaves once hooked.
This sits in my Kaiji No Ri cluster with my Yellowfin Tuna, Giant Trevally, and Giant Grouper guides. The tuna guide in particular is the one to read alongside this, because the two share a rig.
About the Striped Marlin
The Striped Marlin is a large predatory pelagic fish of the surface layers in the tropical and temperate Indo-Pacific. It reaches up to 225 kg and just over 4 metres, so my 315 cm Unique was a genuine giant. It usually lives a solitary life, but several marlin will sometimes gang up on the same large flock of forage fish, which the game notes is unusual behaviour specific to this species. Its diet is schooling fish and cephalopods, and importantly for us, you can catch it by trolling artificial lures.
The behaviour that defines it is the surface hunting. The marlin works near the top of the water and frequently jumps clean out of it, which is both how you spot the action and what makes the fight so dramatic. Keep that surface habit in mind, because it shapes how you fish and how you play the fish once hooked.
Where to Catch Striped Marlin at Kaiji No Ri
I launched from Green Harbor and marked this catch near coordinates -938, 3123, out in the open water. That is close to where I take Yellowfin Tuna, so the same broad area produces both. That overlap is convenient: one trolling run out of Green Harbor can put you over tuna and marlin water at once, and the lure you choose leans the odds one way or the other.
As with all trolling, the exact coordinate matters less than covering water. The marlin hunts the surface layers and roams after forage schools, so keep the boat moving and search rather than parking. Drop a marker buoy as a reference point, then troll runs across the open water off the harbour until you find fish.
Timing: I Caught Mine at Midday, But Night Is the Peak
Here is where I want to be honest rather than just report my catch. I landed this marlin at 11:38, logged as Midday, under clear sun at 21°C air and 23°C water with a light north westerly around 6.5 m/s. So midday clearly works. But the game itself says something important: the marlin feeds around the clock, yet its peak of activity occurs at night.
That is a real difference from the Yellowfin Tuna, which peaks in the middle of the day. If you are targeting marlin specifically, the honest advice is to try a night session, even though I happened to catch mine at midday. Around the clock means you can hook one any time, but peak means you will likely get more chances after dark. Use Forward Time to reach whichever window you want, and never press Next Day, which sells your storage.
The Rig: My Tuna Setup, One Lure Change
If you have my Yellowfin Tuna rig, you are one lure away from being ready for marlin. This is that same trolling setup, and here is what landed the fish:
- Rod: Kōdo Kage 155
- Reel: Jōnin 22000
- Main line: ZenLine Braid 0.52 mm, 250 m spooled
- Teaser: Squid Chain 20 cm, 5 pcs
- Lure: Trolling Octopus 85 g, #7/0
The rod, reel, braid, and squid chain teaser are exactly the same as my tuna rig. For why each of those is chosen, the high-drag reel and the X Heavy offshore rod in particular, see the rig section of my Yellowfin Tuna guide, because the reasoning carries over directly. The only change here is the business lure at the end of the chain.
The Lure: Trolling Octopus 85 g
The Trolling Octopus is where the marlin rig differs from the tuna. In place of the tuna’s Metallic Plug, I ran a Trolling Octopus 85 g with a #7/0 hook. It is a skirted silicone lure shaped like an octopus with realistic tentacles, and the game calls it one of the most popular marine lures and a good choice for beginners. It is designed specifically for trolling tuna, small marlin, mahi-mahi, and wahoo, which is exactly our target list here.
It still rides behind the squid chain teaser, the same as the plug did for tuna. The chain imitates a fleeing school and pulls the marlin in, and the octopus at the back is what it strikes and gets hooked on. Both the plug and the octopus work on this rig; the octopus is simply the one that put this marlin on the deck. The marlin also lists Plugs, Squid Chain, Crankbait, and Minnows among its preferred lures if you want to experiment.
Landing a Jumping Marlin
A marlin fights unlike anything else on this map. It is a surface fish that jumps clear of the water, so expect leaps and fast direction changes rather than the deep, grinding pull of a bottom fish. When it jumps, keep the line tight but do not lock the drag down so hard that a headshake tears the hook free. Let the reel’s drag absorb the runs, recover line on the pauses, and stay patient through the aerial display. At 151 kg it sat well within the Valkyrie’s 720 kg single-fish limit, and the crane handled the lift at the end.
Common Mistakes
Fishing only at midday. I caught mine at midday, but the game says the marlin peaks at night. If daytime runs are slow, switch to a night session for your best odds.
Sitting still. The marlin roams the surface after forage schools. Trolling means covering water. Park the boat and you take yourself out of the game.
Locking the drag during jumps. A marlin leaps and shakes its head. Too much drag on a jump tears the hook free. Let the drag work and keep steady, not brutal, pressure.
Skipping the teaser. The squid chain sells the illusion of a fleeing school. Run it ahead of the octopus rather than fishing the lure alone.
Pressing Next Day. It sells your whole storage. Use Forward Time to reach the window you want and keep your catch.