Marlin November/December 2020

• The National Marine Fisheries Service has determined that the recreational landings limit for Atlantic blue marlin, white marlin, and roundscale spearfish has been reached and exceeded for 2020, based upon a review of landings data. Therefore, NMFS is prohibiting retention of Atlantic blue marlin, white marlin, and roundscale spearfish in the Atlantic HMS recreational fisheries. Fishing for these species will be limited to catch-and-release only for the remainder of 2020. That decree rippled through the bill-fishing community in mid-September like shock waves from an exploding warhead. Many were not even aware that we have a limit of 250 billfish—blue marlin, white marlin and roundscale spearfish—allotted to the recreational sector each year. One reason is that we have never exceeded that number in the past. Ever. Rick Weber, tournament director…

TWISTED SAIL Thanks to a remarkably consistent fishery for both marlin and sailfish, Costa Rica is a great destination to learn the finer points of light-tackle dead-bait fishing. Photographer Hannes Ribbner captured this sailfish in midflight during its battle with angler Audrey Koocher on the first day of the inaugural Ladies-Only Marlin University event held at Los Sueños in March 2020. LOCATION Ribbner was aboard the 43-foot Maverick Geaux Fly with Capt. David Mesen. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon 1DX Mk II LENS: Canon 100-400mm Mk II ISO: 640 APERTURE: f/5 SPEED: 1/5,000 sec…

• For nearly 30 years, the unofficial sign of your arrival in South Florida has been the huge American flag proudly flying over American Custom Yachts, a sprawling 70-plus-acre full-service facility built on the St. Lucie River, splitting I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike in Stuart. A Vineland, New Jersey, native turned Florida transplant, Dominick LaCombe Sr. is ACY’s president. LaCombe spent his summers with his maternal grandfather fishing out of Cape May and hunting in the winters. He began visiting Florida in 1972 while running a 45-foot Hatteras that was based out of Stuart, and finally made a permanent move south at the age of 28. LaCombe’s strong work ethic and creativity—born from a lifetime of working with his hands—has propelled ACY to the upper echelon of the world’s finest custom-boat…

BITE TRACKER Stay current with the best bites from the top billfish destinations around the globe at marlinmag.com/travel. WHERE DECEMBER—This month really kicks off the sailfish season in Florida. From Cape Canaveral to the middle Keys, bait is plentiful and the sails are hungry. Panama is also gearing up for black marlin season with the cold upwellings of the Humboldt Current on the Hannibal Bank, and Western Australia’s yellowfin tuna bite heats up.…

TAG HEUER LADIES WATCH Inspired by shades of the ocean, the famed Swiss watchmaker has introduced green-dialed Aquaracer models in men’s and ladies’ styles. Features of both models include water resistance to 300 meters, unidirectional rotating bezel, screw-down crown, luminescent hands and markers, double security clasp, and sapphire crystal. tagheuer.com PASSING FRONT ORIGINAL ARTWORK By filming the fish in their natural underwater environment, marine artist KC Scott develops a unique relationship with each species. That understanding is communicated through his artwork, which combines that natural environment—in this case, a South Florida cold front—with a leaping sailfish. Passing Front is a 24-by-48-inch original oil painting on canvas, and it is available. kscottart.com MEN’S HOOK BRACELET This large, 14-karat yellow gold bracelet is a very handsome, heavy piece of jewelry. Each link…

• Repeating as the winner of a prestigious billfish tournament is rare, with only a handful of experienced teams achieving that accomplishment over the course of their careers. The Desperado team, led by Capt. Rob Barker, did just that during the 37th Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament in Manteo, North Carolina, this season, releasing 16 white marlin to earn top boat honors. The team’s anglers were Mickey Carter, Brad Ward, Craig Sudbrink, Billy Carter, Andy Gay and Ron Wade, while mates Jeff James and JT Roehrs worked the deck of the 56-foot Taylor Harrison, an Oregon Inlet-based charter boat. This marks the second time in eight years that a boat has won the PCBT two years in a row; Capt. Jesse Granitzki’s Bi-Op-Sea was the last boat to accomplish that feat…