Marlin November/December 2023

● The National Marine Manufacturers Association recently announced the results of a 2023 study on the economic impact of the recreational boating industry in the United States. Incredibly—and yet somehow, not surprisingly—recreational boating grew by 36 percent in annual economic activity in the past five years, from $170 billion in 2018 to $230 billion in 2023. There was also a 14 percent spike in industry-related employment, from 691,000 jobs in 2018 to 812,000 in 2023. This increase was obviously fueled by record growth during the pandemic years from 2020 through 2022, when Americans found themselves prioritizing outdoor recreation while spending quality time with family and friends. There is some additional good news, though: The economic momentum is expected to remain steady heading into 2024, with sales of both new and…

editor@marlinmag.com IN PRAISE OF P.A. What an incredible journalistic piece Cameron Rhodes wrote about the phenomenal sail-fishing in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. I was lucky enough to be there in the late 1990s with Mike “Bubblegum” Merritt and Jimmy Grant on the Sea Pup. Cameron captured the vibe to a T, as I recall the best dolphin nuggets and snapper ever under the tent on the dock washed down with tequila “off the plank” and under a rigger full of laundry. Never before—or since—have I ever dropped the riggers over the end of a rock jetty and started trolling for billfish. I have fond memories of Bull Tolson sending smoke signals down toward Tulum while chasing down countless sails, but I will never forget Jimmy Grant, with mask, flippers, and a…

REFLECTIONS Shoot enough photos of billfish, and you’re bound to capture something unusual. That was the case with Marlin staff photographer Jon Whittle. While fishing with Capt. Eddie Bairez aboard Capt. Hook in Guatemala, Whittle snapped this image as the sailfish was being released. After reviewing his work, he noticed that the photograph also included a reflection of the photographer and wireman in the fish’s eye. LOCATION Capt. Hook is based in Puerto San Jose, Guatemala. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Sony ILCE-1 LENS: Sony FE 70-200mm ISO: 400 APERTURE: f/2.8 SPEED: 1/800 sec…

● Growing up on the Bahia Mar docks in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Capt. Frank “Skip” Smith was baiting hooks on his father Capt. Frank Smith’s drift boat at the age of 5, spending every weekend and summer vacation working aboard that vessel until he turned 18. He moved up to charter fishing, caught a white marlin on his first day as a mate, and was hooked on bill-fishing. He later began swordfishing commercially until a longlining injury sidelined him in 1979. Smith then went to work for Jerry Dunaway aboard The Hooker, where they went on to set a memorable string of world records together, rewriting sport-fishing history along the way. You set so many IGFA records during your career at the helm. Which ones stand out the most? We…

RAD POWER RADEXPAND 5 We’ve been seeing a lot more electric bikes on the docks these days, especially the folding models that store easily but also offer the flexibility to commute around town. This one from Rad Power is a winner, with a range of up to 45 miles on terrain that other e-bikes would never be able to handle. It sits on 20-inch wheels and 4-inch tires, and has a seven-speed drivetrain, plus a rear rack with a 55-pound carrying capacity. radpowerbikes.com CHASING M2 UNDERWATER DRONE James Bond, beware: The Chasing M2 is a professional, underwater remotely operated vehicle/drone capable of a wide variety of useful underwater applications. It’s also compatible with sophisticated attachments such as a robot claw arm, GoPro camera mounts, external LED lights, laser range finders,…

● The island nation of Puerto Rico has long had a love affair with offshore fishing. Naturally, this history led to the creation of the International Billfish Tournament of San Juan, which is now the longest consecutively held big-game fishing tournament in the world. In August, the event celebrated its platinum anniversary, with 70 years of history, competition and camaraderie. And from the shotgun start and flag ceremony to the closing awards celebration, it’s a sport-fishing spectacle like no other. Club Náutico de San Juan has championed Puerto Rico’s nautical lifestyle for more than 90 years. The historic club was founded in 1933 overlooking San Antonio Channel, a location where it remains today. The IBT was among the first to establish minimum qualifying lengths for blue marlin, and then went…