Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Marlin

In late 2019, I had a phone call with Carl Allen, the new owner of Walker’s Cay in the Bahamas. He related that while conditions remained difficult throughout the region, his team was doing everything possible to get the people of Little Grand Cay and else-where in the Abacos back up and running after Hurricane Dorian. Restoring power and fresh water were the immediate goals at the time. And while there wasn’t much on Walker’s Cay to be affected by Dorian, Allen did mention that the chapel made it through virtually unscathed, just as it has done for several decades (perhaps with some divine intervention at work). He also felt that the marina at Walker’s would be ready by December 2020 if all goes well. Allen touched on a key…

• In the devastating wake of Hurricane Dorian—a massive Category 5 storm that pummeled the northern Bahamas, making its first landfall at Elbow Cay on September 1, 2019—the sport-fishing community rallied to support the people of the Abacos, many of whom lost everything. For nearly two days, the strongest hurricane on record to hit these islands turned a once lush and welcoming getaway to a flooded group of islands reeking of death and despair. When faced with such devastation so close to home, we often find ourselves asking: “How can I help?” The answer: any way possible. Some help with the donation of time, some by donating money, some help through the power of prayer. And the fishermen? Well, we help in all those ways. Why? Because that’s who we…

• Large sport-fishing boats have always been the preferred choice for trolling over a smaller center-console. Not only do bigger boats provide a more stable platform, but the sheer width of the footprint also allows for a more flexible spread. Trolling from a center-console has always been a challenge; they look like aliens out there with their riggers flopping around. But you make do with what you have and put out a good spread that effectively presents your baits. And after all, no one ever accused a fisherman of not being inventive. BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER The advantage of fishing from a center-console is the ability to fight a fish 360 degrees around the boat, or better yet, the fish can be chased down with the pointy end, which is…

THE YEAR WAS 1872: ULYSSES S. GRANT HAD BEEN REELECTED TO THE PRESIDENCY; YELLOWSTONE WAS ESTABLISHED AS THE WORLD’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK; AND SUSAN B. ANTHONY VOTED FOR THE FIRST TIME, FOR WHICH SHE WAS SERVED AN ARREST WARRANT AND IN THE SUBSEQUENT TRIAL WAS FINED $100, WHICH SHE NEVER PAID. IT WAS ALSO THE YEAR ZANE GREY WAS BORN TO OUTDOORSMAN DR. LEWIS M. GREY, A DENTIST IN OHIO. THE APPLE DIDN’T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE FOR DR. GREY’S CHILDREN. ZANE AND HIS BROTHER, RC, GREW UP HUNTING THE WOODS AND FISHING THE RIVERS AND STREAMS AROUND THEIR HOME IN ZANESVILLE, OHIO; ZANE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR FISHING AND ADVENTURE. Although he followed his father into dental practice, it was writing that was Zane’s true calling. He…

• The abuse our engine rooms take is perpetual: Pumps and equipment that literally never stop working always has us thinking outside the box for ways to improve the issues that we ultimately will be faced with at some point. In this business, the condition of your boat’s engine room is a direct reflection on the captain and the owner. Most systems have a specific life span, and we do what we can to address issues before they become problems based on our prior experiences. But we also rely heavily on builders and yard crews to steer us toward solutions that will not only protect the investment, but which also will hopefully make our lives easier. LIGHTING For many boats, Pacific-style overhead lighting is standard, and we thought they were…

• Ask anyone who’s ever held a video camera in a high-stakes billfish tournament, tasked with verifying a legal release, and they’ll say it’s the most stressful job on the boat. Aside from filming all the necessary requirements and the species identification, there is always the looming specter of equipment failure, an incorrect time/date stamp or other unforeseen malfunction that can disqualify a perfectly good release. That’s just one of many reasons why observers play such a key role in tournament fishing. FROM THE START In 1999, the IGFA began a training program to certify observers. Candidates were educated on the specifics of IGFA rules, as well as species identification and boat etiquette, then given a pass/fail test at the end of the course in order to receive the designation…

• Fishing for a share of a total cash purse estimated at $4.5 million, Squidnation president Bill Pino never expected his first Bisbee’s Black & Blue tournament to end like it did. As far as he was concerned, it was just another event for Team Tranquilo, a 57-foot Spencer Yacht hailing from Quepos, Costa Rica, and owned by Ken and Amanda Cofer—except that the prize money was the most for which he had ever fished in his career. The 2019 Bisbee’s was my first experience at the Black & Blue, and all I can say is wow. What an incredibly well-run tournament and such a fun event to fish. The atmosphere was electric—the glitzy opening ceremony with the moving Mexican national anthem, coco bongo dancers, the lighting of the torch…

FOR 16 SUMMERS NOW, Capt. Mike Puller has been teaching Miami’s youth the art of sport fishing. On the surface, the lessons these kids learn not only include knot tying, cast-net throwing and kite-fishing, but beneath, the underlying lessons that create the foundation of moral socialization, appreciation and teamwork are also embedded. For Puller, it’s not just the satisfaction of teaching his students to master a new skill set, but it’s also the joy of seeing the way they mature—as humans—navigating obstacles and connecting the lessons to everyday life without even knowing it. He’s not curing cancer, he says, but perhaps one day, one of his kids will. In 1996, 28-year-old professional mate Mike Puller stepped off an airplane from Italy, where he had been fishing for the previous few…

Long before any sport-fishing boats were ever built in other parts of the East Coast, the sweet, cedar swamp waters of southern New Jersey produced a group of notable boatbuilders well-known for the robust construction of their vessels. Today, the most prolific production builder in the industry—Viking Yacht Company—continues to develop stylish, functional and fishy boats from its facilities along the winding and historic Bass and Mullica rivers. I had the opportunity to review Hull No. 1 of the sporty new 46 Billfish. The boat embodies everything about a sport-fisher that makes them the effective tools we all yearn to fish with, while also taking aim at a segment of the market that has been virtually ignored for over the past decade. The team at Viking has developed the all-new…

ON THE BALL Capturing a free-swimming marlin underwater is an incredibly difficult feat for any photographer. Hunter Ledbetter was up to the challenge when he slipped overboard with camera in hand. “Packs of striped marlin were pushing the bait to the surface, eliminating the vertical dimension in which the school can travel. The ball begins to slow down, and the marlin rush in to feed.” LOCATION Ledbetter captured this beautiful image off Mexico’s Magdalena Bay. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon 5D MKIII LENS: Tokina 10-17mm fisheye ISO: 1,250 APERTURE: f/7.1 SPEED: 1/800 sec…

DECISIVE CONNECTS IN GUATEMALA Anglers don’t mind sancochos—it’s for the kids • A reported 163 sancochos—a missed bite costing participating anglers $20 for each one—were tallied in Casa Vieja Lodge’s annual No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout, which helped raise $7,390 for the local schools of Guatemala’s Puerto San Jose. This tournament is designed to, according to the lodge, “make you put your money where your mouth is.” In three days of tournament fishing, 10 teams raised 686 billfish, had 560 bites, and released a total of 397 in one of Guatemala’s most revered events. The lodge cites camaraderie and charity as the main premises of this fundraising event, and the donations prove it’s working—sancochos or not. Participating teams have the option to fish with conventional trolling gear loaded with 20- or…

Q: WHAT’S YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR NEW TOURNAMENT ANGLERS? DEBBI DAVID L&H SPORTFISHING MIAMI As hard as it might be, always try to remain calm and pay attention. Many tournaments are both won and lost in the final seconds of the last day. The captain will most always have a better visual of the bite, and the crew needs to be kept abreast of what you see or feel as the angler. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to accept criticism, and try to learn something from each experience. Read the rules: Anglers must know what counts and what will disqualify a catch. Getting started with an experienced team is a good bet, because being observant is one of the best ways to learn. VINNY DELGADO JIM SMITH 71,…

• With staggering numbers coming out of Papua New Guinea’s small fishing and tournament fleets, this country has its sights set on the big time. With a new tournament scheduled and billfish numbers on the rise, Papua New Guinea could be the next big-game destination on your list. There are still some thriving fisheries in the world, and it just so happens that most are also in some of the most beautiful locations. But not too many include the backdrop of an active volcano. Just a tennis ball’s throw away, the deep drop-offs of the waters of Papua New Guinea are teeming with blue marlin and sailfish. Kokopo in Papua New Guinea is located in the province of East New Britain—a country that speaks over 800 languages and sports an…

• We are always searching for ways to make our low-visibility and nighttime travel easier—not only on our eyes, but also on our psyche. The stress captains go through when moving the boat from point A to point B during the day is nerve-racking enough, but add low-viz conditions such as heavy rain, fog or darkness, and the pucker factor goes through the roof. Using a combination of equipment specifically designed to “see in the dark” makes that stress level a little more livable, so why not look into the new and improved ways of making our lives easier? While on an overnight shift from Key West, Florida, to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, I was able to track various cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico and adjust course with minimal…

• The next boat coming down the line from Garlington Landeweer Marine in Stuart, Florida, will be Miss Behavin, a new 71-footer designed for long-distance travel. The boat will feature a genuine teak interior with a luxurious four-state-room/three-head layout, including crew quarters. Notable features include spare propeller storage beneath the king-size master stateroom bed, granite countertops in the galley, a U-shaped lounge to port for entertaining, and electrically actuated sister doors at the salon entrance. The cockpit accessories incorporate tuna tubes, an in-deck baitwell and multiple refrigerated fish boxes; a full tuna tower completes the profile. A pair of Northern Lights 25 kW generators will supply power to the vessel when away from the dock, as well as redundancy while traveling. The boat’s MAN V-12-1900 engines—rated at 1,900 hp each—combine…

• The winter sailfish season is wrapping up in South Florida, which means that a handful of lucky crews have been able to cash some sizable checks. Millions more dollars will be awarded on the tournament circuit this summer as well. Hopefully you’ll have to figure out what to do with all the money if you do win big. As an investment professional who has spent a lifetime on the docks and fishing, it’s almost easier to tell you what not to do. With the amount of money in today’s tournaments, winning one can be life-changing. By no means will you be able to retire or buy that huge house on the water, but it can help add to or start a nice nest egg for the future. I spent…