Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2025 i Marlin

AFTCO The top-tier option from an industry staple, AFTCO’s Fortress Rain Suit (A) offers the highest waterproof rating with exceptional breathability. Built for the toughest conditions, this jacket and bib combo keeps water out, stays secure in strong winds, and offers unrestricted movement with its articulated fit. Pair with AFTCO’s new waterproof Breakwater Gloves (B) for total protection in cold, wet or windy conditions. COLUMBIA A longstanding household name in the outdoor space for good reason, Columbia’s new PFG Force XII Collection is worth a look if you’re in the market for new foul-weather gear. Featuring its proprietary ODX OutDry Extreme fabric, the jacket (A) and bib (B) set offers superior waterproofing and breathability. Thoughtfully designed with anglers in mind, the jacket includes a high-collar hood, adjustable cuffs and reflective…

After spending decades in the charter business with a wide variety of captains, mates and customers, I’ve met a few tough cookies. By far the toughest critic on the water is not in your cockpit, but the billfish that’s staring a hole through your bait. That fish has literally made a living making good decisions. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that the most important thing between you and the fish is the quality of your bait. Among a few other important factors, quality live or dead bait can make the difference between being a winner and a runner-up. I’m going to try to take you through a few tips that might make the entire process easier, from catching to storing, rigging and presenting those baits. GETTING STARTED The…

In an era of supersize sport-fishers, omni sonar and ringer crews, it’s highly unusual for a major upset in one of the premier contests in the sport. Yet that’s exactly what happened in Cabo last fall as Team Crudo, a 33 Invincible Open Fisherman center-console, captured the biggest marlin of the week. And in doing so, on the last day, after an 11-hour fight and with minutes to spare before the weigh-in deadline, the local team electrified the massive crowd and provided an epic finish for the 2024 Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament. A total of 175 teams and 1,235 anglers competed for nearly $6.85 million in prize money during the three days of fishing. El Suerdo was the first on the leaderboard with a 340-pound blue marlin. Karma…

More than four years in the making, Willis’ new 70-foot Uno Mas is the latest addition to owner Brooks Smith’s globe-trotting operation. As both the owner of the boat and a partner in Willis Yachts, Smith incorporated the latest in custom technology and engineering to create a truly personal fishing machine with hull No. 15 for this reputable Florida builder. COCKPIT, MEZZANINE AND BRIDGE The first of Willis’ new 70-foot-hull series, Uno Mas was formed from a cold-molded hull with the latest in carbon composites for a light and strong finished product. Her spacious cockpit is extremely clean with ample storage to keep tackle and equipment clear. A Release Marine rocket launcher sits center stage in place of a fighting chair to match the crew’s preference for stand-up fishing. Uniquely,…

Growing up on a drift boat, I caught my share of kingfish, bonitos, and an occasional mutton or yellowtail snapper. Then I wanted to catch a mahi. Then it was a big bull mahi. Then I caught my first wahoo off the kite on the drift boat, and it wasn’t long before I got a sailfish. And not too long after that I started thinking about a white or blue marlin, or even a giant bluefin tuna. I am sure the progression was the same for many of us! In the early days, our bucket list consisted of just catching the next best fish. But as time moved on, and our goals matured to catching higher numbers of fish or targeting them on light tackle, our bucket list became filled…

The Pacific waters off Panama are one of the only places in the world where anglers can consistently chase black marlin year-round. From the Zane Grey Reef in the winter to the drop-off in the summer, the fishermen in Piñas Bay live to chase black marlin. Capt. Gavi Cordoba and angler Luke Lehman found this fish patrolling the shelf in early July while pulling teasers. After an exhausting two hours and five minutes, Lehman brought the fish to leader, where it put on an aerial display, allowing photographer Charlie Shalley to capture this incredible shot.…

Q: HOW DO YOU BATTLE FISHING BURNOUT? WALLIS HIGGINBOTHAM OWNER OF GRAND SLAM NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA We’re lucky to maintain a balance between competitive tournament fishing and fun fishing. Easygoing trips with family and friends break up the monotony or burn-out that can come from the tournament season. We also mix up our target species so things stay entertaining. When we’re in Costa Rica, we won’t target just sailfish. We’ll also fish for tuna or stay inshore for rooster-fish. Since we fish around 100 to 120 days per year, it’s important that we keep things fun and change things up. We go where the fish are biting and don’t stay in one place for too long, which also boosts morale. And the break during hunting season helps. CAPT. CHRIS…

It was mid-October in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, the time of year when the offshore fishing scene in Charleston slows way down. Most teams had already headed south with their boats, gone hunting or tied up for the season to watch college football. The South Carolina Governor’s Cup tournament series had ended back in mid-July, but the sailfish stuck around through-out the end of the summer with a few blue ones mixed in. For some folks who had ventured offshore in the fall, the fishing had been hit or miss, with several boats reporting a few sail bites. Although our crew aboard Sportin’ Life, a 59-foot Spencer, typically fishes a hand-ful of times each fall, we had no idea what we had in store for us that Sunday in October. After…

During the 2024 tournament season, more than 1,700 boats fished in at least one billfishing tournament along the North American coastline, catching more than 7,200 billfish and earning more than $57 million in jackpot payouts. Nearly 60 percent of that sum—roughly $33 million—can be attributed to just five tournaments: the White Marlin Open, Big Rock, Bisbee’s Black & Blue, MidAtlantic and Bermuda Triple Crown. The market’s primary production boatbuilder, Viking Yachts, dominated the fleet, with 24 percent of the participating boats having been delivered by the Healey family out of its New Gretna, New Jersey, facility. Those are among the headlines from Marlin’s groundbreaking review of billfish tournament participation trends in the North American market. This overview comes after a thorough analysis of participation and payout data gathered from 40…

From the pristine waters of the British Virgin Islands to the dramatic coastline of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Marlin’s two final tournaments of 2024 showcased the very best these legendary fisheries have to offer. In the Caribbean, under a late summer super moon, the North Drop off Scrub Island came alive with an incredible blue marlin bite during the Scrub Island Billfish Series. Over six days, the fleet released a staggering 132 blue marlin, making for some truly exceptional fishing. The rugged beauty of Scrub Island served as the perfect backdrop, offering both world-class angling and unparalleled island luxury. Meanwhile, across the Pacific in Cabo San Lucas, the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament proved once again why fall is prime time for fishing in Baja. With nearly $800,000 in prize money, the…

It’s no secret that omni sonar has been the hottest technological advancement to hit the big-game fishing market in years. Since launching their omni systems, Furuno, MAQ and Simrad have owned the blossoming omni market in sport fishing and have left excited customers wondering what’s coming next for this game-changing technology. Their questions were answered at the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, with Furuno introducing an upgraded omni system, the CSH10 360-Degree Omni Scanning Sonar. Taking feedback from captains and working with engineers, the CSH10 promises to deliver even deadlier results when it comes to locating and tracking fish. I sat down with the team at Furuno during the show to better understand what this new product will offer. BEAM STABILIZATION Sonar “noise” generated while fishing in rough conditions…

It’s rare in today’s world when you find a business that operates under the seemingly vanishing doctrine of “quality over quantity.” Many preach this overused phrase, but few actually follow through. Bill Buckland never envisioned a career in the fishing-tackle industry. Yet over the past four decades he’s built one of the most recognized names in the big-game tackle world with his shop, Fisherman’s Center, and has outfitted some of the top boats in the world along the way. He’s done that not by franchising out his name to the highest bidder, but because he prides himself on providing the best possible customer service. The Forbes list can wait. What was your introduction to fishing? I didn’t really come from a fishing family, so my introduction to fishing was probably…

“Hey, mate! Hey, mate! I see some birds!” That was something Capt. Chris Donato and I used to yell at each other as an exaggerated impression of a fired-up charter guest whenever we’d see birds while trolling off the Kona coast. Even if you don’t know a Bimini twist from a haywire twist, one of the things almost everyone knows is that bird activity means fish. It doesn’t take a genius to determine a Nat Geo-style feeding frenzy is worth a few passes, but the signs are often more subtle than that. Paying attention to the types of birds you encounter and taking note of their behavior can pay dividends. In today’s sport-fishing industry, most talk revolves around cutting-edge technology, but there’s still no substitute for the good old-fashioned skill…

If you’re in the Gulf of Mexico at night and hear a creeping bassline introducing Gucci Mane’s “One Minute,” then rest assured, you’re in a good spot. Just a short distance away, one of the region’s highest-performing tournament teams is getting ready for the day ahead. As the crewmembers aboard the 72 Viking nod along to the beat, they pull in one blackfin tuna after another. It’s a familiar routine for the crew. It’s game day aboard Team Supreme. Rituals are common among sport-fishing teams when competing in tournaments. Team Supreme’s early-morning starts are just one example. Although making bait is simply part of the job, those early-morning hours get the crew fired up to compete. Many decorated teams employ similar strategies. Some have routines born from lighthearted superstitions, while…

The rhythmic hum of the diesels, the cool sea spray and the thrill of the unknown ignite anglers’ spirits as they embark on their quest in the early hours of the morning. Racing into a golden horizon, photographer Hayden Dobbins masterfully captures the anticipation and energy of the day to come while heading out from Los Sueños with the Maverick fleet. Out here, every day holds potential, and every sunrise marks a new chapter in an angler’s pursuit of adventure. This is the dawn patrol.…

In the early ’90s I captained Hubert Lauffs’ 54 Bertram Colleen. Back then there was a really fun and super competitive marlin tournament circuit in Southern California, and as soon as those were over, most of the boats would depart for the black and blue marlin tournaments in Mexico. The competition was pretty fierce in that circuit, with tournaments having more than 100 entrants and everyone always looking for an edge. I remember running Colleen down the bay in Newport Beach one day and seeing a tail sticking out of a tube on the back of Lance Alworth’s boat 19’s Toy. As the tail beat rhythmically, water splashed out from the tube. My friend Mike “Beak” Hurt fished on that boat, so I gave him a call to get the…

The latest Bayliss is now part of a two-boat program that will pursue the world’s best fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and the Pacific. The result is a tournament contender that is sure to attract attention on the fishing circuit and inspire oddsmakers to double down on the Max Bet. COCKPIT, MEZZANINE AND BRIDGE The cockpit of Max Bet features a centerline transom fish box, teak flooring and cover boards reflecting its Carolina heritage. The mezzanine offers chilled bait and drink storage, ice dumps and compartments for organization. It includes a gas grill and easy access to shore power, washdowns and fire suppression systems. A large lazarette hatch allows quick access to the steering system and storage for gear. The bridge is equipped with two Release Marine Trillion Helm chairs…