Unlike so many other offshore fish, the white marlin will rarely commit suicide on your trolled bait. This requires the angler to constantly monitor the bait spread. As a white approaches your bait from behind watch for it to swat at the bait with its bill. Regardless, if it hits the bait or not immeadiatly free spool your line with your finger tips on the spool applying only enough pressure to prevent a birds nest. Drop the bait back in free spool while slowly counting to ten. When you reach ten slowly push the drag up to strike. If your line is still in the clip it will pop out quickly and the hook will set. After only a couple times using this technique you will learn to feel the pressure on your line and finger tips while in free spool when the fish has your bait in its mouth.