Indholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2018 i Marlin

A hot marlin bite produced an incredibly competitive kickoff to the 2018 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown, hosted by the beautiful luxury resort located on the lush central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Capt. Scotty Jones led the Wire We Here team to victory with 17 sailfish and six marlin releases during the first leg; Wire We Here scored a total of 4,700 points and won more than $85,000. The team, fishing aboard JR Fleming’s beautiful 61-foot Garlington, won second place in the second leg of the 2015 series, and now leads the race for the overall top boat prize for the series in 2018. Finishing in second place was the On Location team, fishing aboard a 57-foot Capps captained by Drake Sawyer. They tallied 23 sailfish and four marlin…

It is estimated that some 85 percent of global commercial fish stocks have been pushed to, or beyond, their biological limits. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is a large component of the problem and wields significant fisheries and socioeconomic impacts the world over. For those not familiar with the concept of IUU, the explosion of so-called tuna ranching in the Mediterranean in the early 2000s provides a good example. In this case, large numbers of bluefin tuna were captured by net — often during or after spawning events — but, rather than being landed and accounted for, were transported to floating cage operations. The premise was to keep them in captivity and feed them, which would not only increase their overall weight but also the condition of their flesh, fetching…

In the third century BC, the Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes famously quipped, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I shall move the earth with it.” The principles he extolled at the time still ring true today in the world of modern sport fishing. A fishing rod is nothing more than a really expensive lever — it not only provides direct leverage but also the added lifting force as it loads and then unloads under pressure. Knowing how to properly manage that lever — the fishing rod — is one of the skills any good offshore angler should master. Here are a few key points. HIGH-STICKING ISN’T JUST FOR HOCKEY Consider yourself standing in the cockpit of a sport-fisher for a moment, facing aft and watching…

Most of us are somewhere between infatuated and obsessed with blue marlin, but unless you’re a billfish scientist, you probably don’t understand how these lightning-fast finely honed eating machines are able to swim thousands of miles, populate the vast tropical and subtropical oceans of the entire world, and detect and chase down the fastest, most elusive prey species — and to have done it successfully for literally millions of years. The short answer is incredibly engineered anatomy and physiology. While all top-level fish hunters realize that detailed knowledge about one’s quarry is the key to finding it, getting the bites and converting them into captures, most lack exposure to many of the cutting-edge scientific advances that can give them an edge. I recently reviewed these during the course of writing…

It’s no optical illusion or software sleight of hand but rather a case of navigating the tight turns and shifting sands of North Carolina’s southern Outer Banks. What might have been 6 feet deep yesterday may only hold 2 feet of water today. The local captains know the way over the bar, and most have been fishing these storied waters for years, in fair weather and foul. Line up with someone who knows the way home, then thank them on the VHF when you arrive, props and rudders intact.…

South Carolina is perhaps most famous as the starting point of the American Civil War, where Confederate troops fired upon the Union soldiers defending Fort Sumter in the mouth of Charleston harbor in 1861. Fifteen decades later, outriggerlined sport-fishermen rather than square-rigged barkentines are a more familiar sight. The state has an equally rich history in the blue water, yet most are unfamiliar with this part of the East Coast. Billfishing in this part of the world is not for the faint of heart but rather for the passionate, for it requires passion to remain dedicated. While it can be considered very good, the fishing is not on the level of a foreign hot spot where the bills seem to rattle themselves against the boat gunwales in anticipation of being…

IT was late in the evening the day before Labor Day when I received a call from my fishing partner that a mutual friend had found the striped marlin. He had worked an area we had recommended the day before and located a good batch of fish between Catalina and Santa Barbara Island, in a body of water we had been watching for the past two weeks via satellite imagery. he next morning found us slowly drifting past the bell buoy outside Corona del Mar Beach as a hungry school of Pacific greenback mackerel busied the crew catching bait for our next three days of fishing. As we gently shook our last mackerel into the bait tank, I slowly idled the old Pacifica out into the darkness on a familiar…

Following on the heels of the incredible 90-foot Jaruco, North Carolina’s Jarrett Bay Boatworks has introduced plans for a 110-foot enclosed-bridge sport-fisher that would truly stretch the boundaries of travel and exploration as well as onboard luxury and amenities. Although the layout can be adjusted to suit the customer’s desires, possibilities could include a full professional galley with expansive pantry, midship breakfast bar, extensive crew quarters and even a unique enclosed “garage” forward to house skiffs, personal watercraft and other gear. The 110-footer would have a proposed beam of 27 feet 6 inches and draft 5 feet 9 inches with a dry weight of 150,500 pounds. Powered by MTU 16V4000 M94 series engines, it would carry 5,800 gallons of fuel to provide extensive cruising range.…

A maritime lien is a claim against a vessel that may be enforced by seizure of the relevant property. They were created to promote commerce by allowing suppliers to freely extend credit to ships but still be protected from shipowners escaping their debts by sailing away without payment. They are often referred to as “secret liens” because, with the exception of a preferred ship mortgage, they arise automatically as a matter of law, do not require any form of consent to be granted and must not be recorded to be effective. PROPERTY SUBJECT TO A MARITIME LIEN Maritime liens can only be asserted against vessels in navigation. Thus, a vessel under construction, or one that has permanently been withdrawn from navigation, is not subject to a maritime lien. On the…

FAST FORWARD Marlin photographer Chris Balogh witnessed firsthand the incredible speed of a hot Pacific sailfish while aboard Capt. Hook, skippered by Capt. Eddie Bairez. “This one flashed by the boat at what seemed like 60 miles an hour,” he says. “I was able to swing and shoot, just in time. It really gives you a sense of just how fast these fish really are.” LOCATION Balogh captured the image during the 2018 El Salvador International Billfish Tournament in Bahia del Sol, El Salvador. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 5D Mark III LENS: EF24-105mm IS USM ISO: 400 APERTURE: f/5.6 SPEED: 1/125 sec…

We just really enjoy fishing together as a family. So far, we’ve been all over the world, and we’re having a blast doing it. Billfishing is a family affair for Bob Nagelhout, of Austin, Texas, a passion that he shares with his daughter, Jennifer Nagelhout Sultemeier, and his grandson, 10-yearold Brycen Oquin. Together, they are on an interesting quest: for each of the three generations to catch a royal slam of all the world’s billfish species. To date, young Brycen has had the hot hand, managing to release two of each Pacific billfish species, so now he is eyeing a particularly enviable feat in a double royal slam. “We just really enjoy fishing together as a family,” Nagelhout says. “So far, we’ve been all over the world, and we’re having…

Cape May is a historic town at the southernmost tip of New Jersey steeped in fishing lore, as well as the location of some of the longest-running and highest-stakes billfish tournaments held in the United States, including the first billfish tournament to offer a guaranteed $500,000 in prize money and the first to break the $1 million payout mark. Both of these milestones occurred 27 years ago, with the premiere of the MidAtlantic $500,000. It is also home to the Canyon Club, one of the finest sport-fishing resorts in the United States and one of the only to be planned, designed and built for the sole purpose of providing a family-oriented community for bluewater fishermen. Thirty years after its initial groundbreaking, it’s still growing. Cape May is at the center…

After spending years working under the watchful eyes of Outer Banks master boatbuilders Sunny Briggs and Omie Tillet, Paul Mann built his own plank-on-frame boat in 1988. He captained the boat himself, keeping his charter customers busy with marlin and tuna. His learning curve continued, and some 30 years later, with hull number 137, his latest ride is an impressive achievement, a customized sport-fisherman with luxury-yacht accommodations. Built for a seasoned tournament-fishing owner who mixes hardcore billfishing with leisure time for family outings, the 61-foot Jichi exudes North Carolina style, from its raked and moderately flared bow to its gentle tumblehome at the stern. FLYING BRIDGE With its 18-foot beam, the bridge gives the impression of a much larger boat. Visibility from the centerline helm is superb throughout the 32…