Meaning of colored flags on fishing boats?
Posted on Jul 19, 2009 under Fishing Boats | 5 Commentswhat are the corresponding colors of flags on fishing boats to the fish you catch? we only know that blue meant marlin in mexico, does anyone know what the others mean?
I am assuming you are asking about catch flags. It is not only the color of the flag, but the picture of the fish within. Normally a white flag with a blue marlin in it is a blue marlin, and a blue flag with a white marlin and stripes is a striped marlin in Mexico and a white marlin in the Atlantic. If flown upside down, it typically means a release just like red flags with a T on them under the flag. Yellow with pics of the various fish on them are used for tuna, dorado, etc. Google the billfish foundation and it has some of the flags you are interested in. It goes back to the old days before radios were common in boats, this would single the others on the fishing grounds and in the harbour what fish were caught (before catch and release was common) so the weigh master could get the scales ready. All commonly sought after offshore game fish have their own flags. I hope I helped, if you e-mail me I can send you some pics I have of a couple of flags being flown on a boat in Cabo San Lucas that I was fishing on one time, they were blue with a white marlin in them and used for striped marlin. As stated by some of your answers above, the color schemes vary a little from port to port. However, a red flag always means tagged and released.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
White means Peace
Red means Alert
Blue means We r Superior
Balck means War
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July 19th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
There a lots of colored flags and lots of meaning.
For example, ask for help, boat is sinking, crew is missing and many more.
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July 19th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
There are international maritime signal flags, like the ones you see on warships. These flags have lots of different meanings.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags)
The ones you occasionally see on fishing boats are referred to as "capture flags". These flags are unofficial, and usually have the fish printed in the middle of it. Marlin is often blue but it can be white, shark is usually red but can be blue or white. Between fishing communities, the colors often change and can represent several kinds of fish.
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July 19th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Red colored flag means catch and release of fish over 20 lbs.
White Flag with blue colored marlin in the center is Blue Marlin catch and release.
White Flag with blue sailfish is the same thing.
Green Flag with white tuna is catch and release of skipjack tuna.
White Flag with blue tuna means catch and release of tuna.
Red flag with white shark means catch and release of shark.
The flags vary a little from place to place.
Orange with white wahoo is catch and release of wahoo.
There are a bunch more, but you get the idea.
Red Flag with a hook means you hooked up on a fish. (Also means you lost it, not sure why you would want to boast about that.)
Here in south Florida the only one you with really see the most is a small red triangle flag. That more or less means you caught a sailfish. On a good day you will have multiple flags flying. I have seen up to 12 of those little suckers on one sport fishing boat..
Hope this answers your question.
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July 19th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I am assuming you are asking about catch flags. It is not only the color of the flag, but the picture of the fish within. Normally a white flag with a blue marlin in it is a blue marlin, and a blue flag with a white marlin and stripes is a striped marlin in Mexico and a white marlin in the Atlantic. If flown upside down, it typically means a release just like red flags with a T on them under the flag. Yellow with pics of the various fish on them are used for tuna, dorado, etc. Google the billfish foundation and it has some of the flags you are interested in. It goes back to the old days before radios were common in boats, this would single the others on the fishing grounds and in the harbour what fish were caught (before catch and release was common) so the weigh master could get the scales ready. All commonly sought after offshore game fish have their own flags. I hope I helped, if you e-mail me I can send you some pics I have of a couple of flags being flown on a boat in Cabo San Lucas that I was fishing on one time, they were blue with a white marlin in them and used for striped marlin. As stated by some of your answers above, the color schemes vary a little from port to port. However, a red flag always means tagged and released.
References :