Marlin August/September 2022

Every once in a while, I get an email that jangles the warning bells in my head. The one I received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—just as we were going to press with this issue—set off a five-alarm fire horn. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries invites the public to participate in the first step in the process to potentially designate a new national marine sanctuary off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The Wildlife Conservation Society submitted a nomination for a Hudson Canyon National Marine Sanctuary in November 2016, noting that the area provides a wide range of benefits to New York and New Jersey residents such as clean air, fresh water, recreation, and food. The Hudson Canyon is the largest submarine canyon along the…

editor@marlinmag.com IN MEMORIAM: ALEXIS A. JACOBS Alexis A. Jacobs passed away on Friday, June 3, 2022. She was born in Columbus, Ohio, on March 28, 1942, and once owned Columbus Fair Auto Auction, one of the largest independent automobile auctions in the United States. Jacobs grew up in the auction business that her father established in 1958 at the Columbus Fairgrounds. After high school, she began her career in accounting, and upon her father’s passing of a heart attack in 1982, at age 40, Jacobs assumed the operating role for the business. Fierce in her intention, she was encouraged to sell the auction; instead, she forged ahead and secured a bright future for the company. She was later named the president of the National Auto Auction Association, awarded NAAA’s Pioneer Award,…

BLACK RELEASE Kelly Dalling Fallon captured this image of a nice black marlin before the extended pandemic lockdown in Australia. “Josh Goodson and his friend Ben Arnold enjoyed everything the Great Barrier Reef has to offer, from the snorkeling and baitfishing to the big blacks,” she says. “This one ate a queenie on the shotgun. Brandon Wilder was on the leader, and Josh was able to give her a pat goodbye before we cut her loose.” LOCATION The fish was caught off No. 3 Ribbon Reef. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 7D LENS: Canon EF 24-70mm ISO: 400 APERTURE: f/8 SPEED: 1/640 sec…

As a lure designer, it’s no surprise that Peter Pakula’s first steps as a child were toward a fisherman who helped him land his first catch as a toddler. Raised in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia, he studied textile design; his background made the jump to tackle design and production relatively easy. In the 45 years since, he’s developed some of the best products in the sport, sharing his tips and techniques through countless seminars, videos, and magazine articles. Now in his late 60s, Pakula is married to the love of his life, business partner and wife Jo, a cancer survivor for more than 20 years. Ever imagine you’d end up as one of the top lure and tackle designers in the sport? No way. My parents didn’t want…

Scoring one of the most memorable tournament finishes in recent memory, the team representing the Watamu Fishing Festival from the East African nation of Kenya stunned the field in a come-from-behind victory during the Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental Tire. The event brought together a total of 37 teams and 168 anglers from 18 different countries to Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, where they fished for four days in hopes of being crowned Offshore World Champions, one of the sport’s most prestigious titles. With tournament rules dictating a boat rotation each day as well as IGFA angling and tackle rules using video verification, each fish represented a critical scoring opportunity. And because the competing teams were required to earn an invitation to the event by winning…

FLORIDA SAILFISH CUP November 1, 2021-May 31, 2022 Fernandina Beach to Key West, Florida With four distinct zones and a unique “fish when you want, where you want” concept, the Florida Sailfish Cup wrapped up in late May with Old No. 7 emerging victorious. Reel Synergy pocketed the most cash at $81,804 for their second-place finish, and Seraphim rounded out the top three. SOUTH CAROLINA BLUE MARLIN CHAMPIONSHIP May 1-21 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Artemis, with Capt. Charles Moore at the helm, won the inaugural South Carolina Blue Marlin Championship with a 504-pound blue marlin. That catch was worth $79,200 when no other qualifying blue marlin were weighed. Fishing concluded on May 21 after three weeks of competition. WALKER’S CAY INVITATIONAL May 18-21 Walker’s Cay, Bahamas With a strong showing…