Marlin magazine is an international billfishing magazine that gives you updates on the world's hottest billfishing destinations, insider tips on live-baiting and trolling, glimpses of people influencing the sport and reviews on the latest equipment.
The day after we shipped the October issue of Marlin, the editorial team headed to Manteo, North Carolina, for our 2017 planning trip. The mission: spend some time on the docks during the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, visit several of the custom boatbuilders and, of course, head offshore in pursuit of billfish. We did get in a little work planning for next year too … To say we hit the timing just right would be an understatement! I knew the fleet would be dialed in following the tournament, but I don’t think any of us anticipated what kind of days were ahead. On the way out to the fishing grounds aboard the 56 Paul Mann Qualifier with Capt. Fin Gaddy, he told me a boat had stayed in close in…
Follow Marlin’s Instagram (@marlinmag) and tag your fishing photos with #MarlinMagazine. @haulingrassfi shingteam @mattttglass @fi shhuntphoto @kylehaasbroek @bucky_holland @tropicstarlodge @ifi tswims @pcates0612 @stevetgoione @joaocanelas17 editor@marlinmag.com CAPT. RANDY JENDERSEE I first met Randy Jendersee [Off the Deep End, August/September 2016] in Cat Cay on June 1, 1983, when he asked if he could ride on a boat I was running to see how to catch a bluefin tuna. I said, “Welcome aboard,” and off we went. The first tuna we hooked was in the shallow 30-foot water west of Cat. The angler pushed the Fin-Nor drag lever all the way up, and 10 minutes later, pow! went the 130-pound-test Dacron. The next tuna worked out better. When it was on the surface in about 40 feet of water, Randy came up…
OPEN WIDE Capt. Chris Sheeder snapped this incredible photo of an angry blue marlin while aboard Finest Kind with angler Trey Wills. This was one of the 10 blues they released that day, and the crew made quick work of the fish — even with Sheeder backing down with camera in hand. LOCATION The seamounts off Costa Rica produce fantastic numbers of blue marlin and are in range from several marinas with boats typically going out for multiday trips. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II LENS: Canon EF 100- 400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM ISO: 1,600 APERTURE: f/8.0 SPEED: 1/6,400 sec…
When asked about his favorite game fish, Myles Colley said blue marlin were his top pick, though he also enjoys tangling with big yellowfin tuna offshore and cobia along the picturesque beaches of Destin and Pensacola in Florida. Growing up in the Florida Panhandle, all Myles Colley wanted to do was fish. When he was a teenager, his parents used to drop him off at the piers in Pensacola or Navarre Beach, where he and his friends chased king mackerel, cobia and whatever else happened to swim past. That passion led Myles to a series of freelance deckhand jobs, first on local charter boats before moving on to private vessels. Colley now runs the Hatteras 63GT, Born2Run, for Dana and Lisa Foster, and he was The Billfish Foundation’s Top Tagging…
Whether targeting yellowfin in the Outer Banks, blue marlin in the Gulf or South Florida sails, fishing a bait or lure from a kite is one of the deadliest techniques on the water. The kite creates a stealthy presentation because the leader remains suspended vertically, out of sight of wary game fish. Here are the essentials you need to add kite-fishing to your offshore toolbox. Products courtesy Capt. Harry’s Fishing Supply (captharry.com) and Hooker Electric (hookerelectric.com) Products courtesy Capt. Harry’s Fishing Supply (captharry.com)…
There’s no doubt about the efficiency of hooking billfish using the bait-and-switch method, where the angler drops back a dead bait to a fish raised on a hookless teaser. Feeding a bait to a chargedup billfish just feet from your rod tip is probably the most exciting part of the sport besides grabbing the leader, which is a story for another day. Some teams pull their pitch baits in the water just short of the teasers. Others keep their pitch baits in the cockpit, reasoning that if a blue marlin makes an appearance, it won’t get a chance to eat a bait rigged on a lighter setup and the angler can reach for the “big pitch” (usually a 50- or 80-pound outfit) to match the tackle to the size of…
