Indholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2020 i Marlin

[A] COLUMBIA PFG GRANDER MARLIN II OFFSHORE SHORTS With its quick-drying, comfort-stretch construction, the Grander Marlin II is a great pair of fishing shorts. Omni-Shield advanced stain repellency and Omni-Shade UPF 50 sun protection are also included. [B] FISH MONKEY QUICK RELEASE WIRING GLOVES Designed with input from Capt. Charles Perry, the Quick Release gloves are reinforced with Kevlar for protection from monofilament and wire leaders, while the four-way-stretch material adds comfort. [C] GRUNDÉNS SOLSTRALE REFRACTION CAMO CREW The vented panels beneath the arms and down each side make the Solstrale one of the most comfortable performance shirts on the water. Additional features include stain release, anti-odor and UPF 50 sun protection. [D] TORMENTOR BLACK AND WHITE TRUCKER HAT Don’t leave the dock without a great hat. This one from…

It’s amazing what ideas can come out of a good wine-drinking, brainstorming session. Last year, good friend and Marlin University director, Jen Dudas, and I were spitballing the possibility of having an all-ladies Marlin University after the subject of how female anglers get somewhat jilted on the “teaching” end was going around the dinner table. So, Dudas and I put on our thinking caps, flooded our Instagram feeds with attagirls and prayed it would work. We really wanted it to. And what we were rewarded with was a class of eight gung-ho women, who had little to no dead-bait experience, especially when it came to billfish, from all corners of the US, ready to rumble. With the help of South Florida tournamentwinning angler Debbi David, Jupiter, Florida-based charter mate Chessy…

A strong tropical storm brushed past the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula in October 2019, causing some major disruption in the bustling resort town of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. After hearing of the great striped marlin fishing in the weeks prior to their arrival, Bob Faith—owner of the 62-foot Bayliss Game Changer—and his friends Steve Leasure and Dale Lackey instead found themselves stuck in the slip for days, watching it rain. The port was closed. For big trips like these, boat owners often make their plans a year or more in advance: They buy the tackle and bait, put the proper spares on board, reserve the slip, set up the crew, and arrange shipping or plan the passage of the boat to navigate the 1,500 or so miles from…

The talented team at Merritt’s Boat and Engine Works in Pompano Beach, Florida, has begun construction on Hull No. 109, an 88-foot custom sport-fisher. The new yacht will feature Merritt’s classic unbroken sheer, with the layout consisting of a luxurious four-stateroom, five-head design, including an easily accessible day head located just off the cockpit mezzanine. Along with the elegant handcrafted teak interior will be Merritt’s first full-beam master stateroom and expanded master head layout. Systems will include an air-conditioned cockpit and flybridge, a 200-amp Atlas electrical system, 2,000-gallon-per-day watermaker, twin Kohler 40 kW generators and a Seakeeper 35 gyrostabilizer, all while utilizing Merritt’s advanced boatbuilding techniques of blending carbon fiber, hybrid Kevlar, composite cores, E-glass and epoxies. A pair of MTU V-16 2000 96L engines, producing 2,600 hp each, will…

When I was fishing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for big black marlin, I learned in that part of the world you had to tag the marlin for the catch to count, the theory being that the fish was within gaffing range when it was released. A friend of mine in Hawaii back in the 1970s caught and tagged 100 marlin in one season, and another captain who killed most of his fish did not believe him. My friend told the captain that he had two of the best crewmen working the deck, and the tag stick they used was like a wooden chamois mop handle, only about 5 feet long. He said with that short tag stick, his crew could have easily gaffed every one of the marlin they tagged…

SEEING SPOTS “This was one of a bajillion sailfish we released in a few days of fishing with Capt. David Salazar and his wife, Kristen, aboard Poco Loco out of Casa Vieja Lodge,” says photographer Austin Coit. “I wanted to get a really close shot to show the detail of the fish’s sail because they’re so crazy when they are lit up. It was a challenge to focus with a moving fish, a moving boat and a narrow focal plane—this shot came out just as I had hoped.” LOCATION Coit was fishing off Puerto San Jose, Guatemala. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon 1DX Mark II LENS: Canon 100 2.8 ISO: 8,000 APERTURE: f/6.3 SPEED: 1/2500 sec…

Main Attraction Sportfishing mate Clint “Digger” Rodamer sent out a group text that had Capt. Marty Lewis reviewing a set of conditions he observed a day prior. With a feeling of great sailfishing in the immediate future, Lewis followed up the text with plans to depart Key Colony Beach, Florida, on Easter Sunday at 5:45 a.m. Main One, a 49-foot custom charter boat and the largest of the Main Attraction fleet, loaded up on pilchards and headed out to 200 feet of water, where the Gulf Stream had pushed in with the southeast wind, creating tailing conditions and powder blue water for the migrating sails. Sailfish use these particular conditions for traveling, mostly. By surfing the waves created by the fast-moving current, the fish swim just below the surface and…

By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail. While the actual presentation is not rocket science, nor is exceptional fly-casting skill a requirement, it is the preparation that is most important, long before a cast is even made. A cool head and the execution of a series of planned steps is necessary to make sure any one of the many things that can go wrong, don’t go wrong. READY… With your tackle set, double-check that the fly is snugged up tight to the hooks. Doing so will keep the hooks ready for their job and prevent the fly or hooks from flipping over on the shock tippet during the cast or when it is tossed in the water. A right-handed angler will usually make a cast from the right (port)…

WE’VE ALL HEARD OF NEW PROVIDENCE’S TOURIST-RICH ATLANTIS RESORT ON PARADISE ISLAND. AND IT’S LIKELY WE’VE ALL MADE THIS POPULAR STOP TO CHECK IN AND REFUEL ON THE WAY TO OTHER DESTINATIONS SUCH AS THE EXUMAS OR SAN SALVADOR AT SOME POINT, NO DOUBT SAMPLING A GOOMBAY SMASH OR BUSHWHACKER OR TWO IN TRANSIT. CHANCES ARE, IF YOU’VE CHECKED BOTH THESE BOXES, THEN YOU’VE PROBABLY ALSO TRIED SOME TRADITIONAL BAHAMIAN CRACKED CONCH OR CONCH SALAD, BUT THAT’S NOT ALL THIS BEAUTIFUL CHAIN OF ISLANDS HAS TO OFFER. The Bahamas aren’t just a collection of lively marinas and restaurant-style local seafood. For those who are interested in traversing the road less traveled with a need to explore an almost endless array of picture-perfect anchorages, untouched beaches, and world-class diving and fishing,…

If you own a VHF radio manufactured in the past 15 years, it has built-in digital selective calling capabilities. The applications of DSC are plentiful, but most of us don’t take full advantage of them simply because most are just plain awkward to use. If your radio does not have a built-in GPS, it must be connected to a GPS chart plotter to function. Correctly connected and programmed with a free governmentprovided nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity number, it can send an SOS distress call that reports your location and displays it on all chart plotters connected to a DSC VHF with an MMSI number programmed into it, including the US Coast Guard. Next, your DSC-equipped, MMSIprogrammed radio can privately hail any properly equipped boats you wish to reach if…

Since 1987, Mon Chari owner Damon Chouest has caught more than 2,000 blue marlin while fishing the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Tonga, the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands. While much of this 68-footer was built under the watch of Capt. Dave Dalfo, it’s obvious the boat had been designed to not only travel swiftly, but also to catch fish in comfort, style and safety—features that both Chouest and her captain, Matthew Coppoletta, no doubt appreciate. Shakedowns and sea trials are vital tests to validate the seaworthiness and proper function and performance of a ship’s systems. The wringingout process takes as much time as needed before the boat is set free to head offshore and begin its career on the water. However, the new American…

CAPT. RYAN HIGGINS With a storied 16-year career to date with Viking Yacht Company—most of that time spent at the helm of the company’s various demonstrator vessels—Capt. Ryan Higgins is one of offshore sport fishing’s most recognizable personalities. And while he’s still the manager of the company’s demo program, he’s moved off the bridge to assume the role of southeastern sales manager for Viking. A passion for high-performance center-consoles also led to his involvement with Valhalla Boatworks, which was established by Viking to build a line of premium-quality outboard-powered boats, currently ranging from 33 to 41 feet in length; Higgins is general manager of Valhalla Boat Sales South, the dealer for southeastern Florida. With many hats to wear and an ever-growing list of responsibilities, he’s definitely up for the challenge.…

It’s an incredible enigma—unknown even to the experts—why this corner of the Atlantic Ocean produces so many blue marlin over 400 pounds. When you hook a blue off Madeira, the chances are good it will be a big one, perhaps even the fish of a lifetime. The juveniles seem to stay away, so if you’re looking for a true big-fish destination, this is it. THE MAGIC What is it about Madeira that makes it so charming? We could start with the magnificent food and world-famous Madeira wines, or just the easygoing ambience of this unique, safe and friendly island. For the average tourist, it’s Portugal’s bestkept secret, but travelers around the world are finally starting to learn more about this amazing destination that is located roughly 400 miles west of…

As we emerge from the shadow of a global pandemic, it’s time to dust off the passport and think about getting back on the road. And while the perennial-favorite hotspots in the Caribbean, Central America and Australia will all produce outstanding fishing, now is also an opportunity to take a look at some other destinations—ones that don’t receive as much of the limelight but offer not only surprisingly good action as well as a revealing look at different cultures and lifestyles. The centuries-old markets and mosques of Morocco. World-renowned Portuguese wineries. A big-game safari in Kenya. It’s all on the radar for the adventurous traveler who’s looking for something more PERU Most big-marlin aficionados will recognize Cabo Blanco, Peru, as home to the alltackle world-record black marlin—Alfred Glassell’s 1,560-pounder caught…

There is one small accessory that can easily mean the difference between survival while awaiting rescue and simply not making it. A life raft is essential, but the US Coast Guard has to be able to find you first. That waiting game is why the all-important ditch bag is so crucial. When a tragedy happens at sea, you don’t have minutes to spare. You’re lucky if you have seconds, and there’s a good chance there won’t be any time to go around the boat grabbing comfort items to take with you on the life raft, so it’s best to have a bag ready and waiting should such an event take place. As you build your overboard—or ditch—bag, it’s important to consider the obvious safety equipment, but it’s also time to…

My father, Dr. Peter Watson, was on his way to the fishing grounds off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, in early May 2020 when he heard a mayday call over the VHF radio. He listened closely to the information and recorded the coordinates provided by the vessel in distress. He immediately realized the vessel was in close proximity to his location, and upon his speedy arrival to the scene, he found a capsized boat and three men clinging to a large Yeti cooler in the 63-degree water. The men and the Yeti were rescued and returned safely back to port, but not after an exhausting day, both mentally and physically. Boaters often ask if they are required to assist in such a scenario and whether they open themselves up to liability…