Innehållsförteckning för August/September 2017 från Marlin

“Here’s a better picture where you can see how big she actually was …. That little lure in the corner of her mouth? That’s this head, right here.” Andy Moyes proudly displays a dirty iPhone screen and then gestures toward a shiny black-and-green Kaiwi lure. The fish is Steph Choate’s 1,018-pound blue marlin from Mozambique, and the Kaiwi is the surprisingly small lure that felled the thousand-pound fish. “I’m telling you,” Moyes says, “elephants really do eat peanuts.” Moyes’ shop is a modest little spot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he is making completely custom lures — and doing it alone. The hopper of custom lure-makers is full. No, it’s bursting, and I can’t help but think, How can Andy’s lures be that much different? And yet they are. Trays…

Of all the marlin stocks currently assessed, white marlin are perhaps in the worst shape. For the past three decades or so, they’ve been severely overfished and, until 2011, were said to be experiencing overfishing. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas has recorded the white marlin catch since 1956: Early on, total catches were minimal, but in 1965, those catches peaked at 5,000 tons. ICCAT has since capped the total white marlin catch at 400 tons for the entire Atlantic after the last ICCAT assessment for white marlin that was conducted in 2011. However, there is significant skepticism whether current management measures are adequate to rebuild the white marlin stock. The next stock assessment for white marlin is slated for 2018, so we’ll have to wait a…

The tiny bill of a shortbill spearfish looks more like a joke than a javelin. But don’t be fooled: Spearfish — known locally as chuckers — live in a dangerous neighborhood and must fight to avoid being eaten by their hungry relatives. And despite appearances, the spear of a 30-pound spearfish can do a lot of damage, as a 707-pound blue marlin discovered one sunny April morning in Kona. Angler Mike Hartman caught the big blue aboard Vixen with Capt. Kevin Hibbard and crew Pat Crackel during a jackpot tournament, and they got the leader after an hour-and-a-half fight. With the fish in sight, Crackel and Hibbard instantly saw the red and white scar of a fresh injury on the marlin’s forehead. After Hibbard weighed the fish at the dock…

There is a lot of confusion in the marine industry surrounding duty and sales tax, and their relationship to each other. The truth is they are two separate items — one being assessed on the state level and the other on the federal level. SALES AND USE TAX All boat owners, from those with small skiffs to those with mega-yachts, should be familiar with sales and use taxes. Sales tax is assessed at the state and local level and, if applicable, is imposed or triggered at time of the purchase. In most jurisdictions, state sales tax on a vessel is collected at the time of purchase if bought through a dealer or broker. However, if sales tax is not paid at the time of purchase, it is remitted as a…

This year’s 16th annual Custom Shootout tournament hosted a record fleet of 61 teams, participating aboard some of the finest custom sport-fishing boats in the world. They were treated to a terrific marlin bite off the Abacos in the Bahamas — by all accounts, one of the best in recent memory. Capt. Daniel Spencer on the 60-foot Spencer Gratitude started the tournament with a grand slam, releasing a blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish to earn points for each species, as well as a bonus for the slam, taking an early lead. The team on Chaser had a blue marlin and four white marlin releases as well. On Day One alone, the fleet tallied 61 billfish, including 28 blue marlin. Jr. Davis helped put Wave Paver, a 61-foot Garlington, into…

Capt. Bobby Brown showed me this technique for adding tag lines to our cockpit teasers in 2006 while we were working on the mothership operation God’s Will and God’s Favor, which were formerly the world-famous The Madam and The Hooker. Brown was running the boat for a weeklong charter with Fonda Huizenga, chasing the 6-pound-test ladies blue marlin record in Costa Rica. I was immediately impressed by how much better this tag-line system worked during the bait-and-switch process compared with running the teaser lines through the standard AFTCO Roller- Troller release clips on the outrigger halyards. One of the drawbacks of the traditional system is that the teaser line’s angle increases sharply when the teaser is wound closer to the boat: As this angle increases, the lure is more likely…

“MY ENTIRE LIFE, I’VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OTHER WOMEN WHO WANT TO FISH.” The Pacific Ocean parted obligingly before Geaux Fly on that January afternoon as Amanda Sabin stood at the stern, scanning Costa Rica’s indigo plain for fish that refused to rise. These waters off Los Sueños are famous for their primordial numbers of sailfish, and Sabin had wrangled plenty of them over the years as an angler on Florida’s competitive sailfish circuit. But now, competing in the Triple Crown with an all-female team, the stakes felt higher. This was about more than personal glory: Sabin was here to advance the reputation of all women, everywhere. GREAT EXPECTATIONS It was a burden that felt heavier with every fish they flubbed. She hadn’t imagined this would be an exercise…

It’s a common conversation: “Boss, I just changed the oil and mailed off the oil samples for an analysis. I also noticed the engines are due for their 1,000-hour tuneup.” We as captains take such good care of the boss’s boat, their tackle, and maybe even their cars and pools, so why don’t we take better care of ourselves? Quite a few captains have passed away in the past couple of years due to health problems that might have been prevented by a simple health test. The sad part is most of us get a physical only when we renew our captain’s license every five years. We think that’s enough to give us a clean bill of health. And what about the rest of our crew? We think we are…

HOLD ON TIGHT Kelly Dalling Fallon snapped this shot of a giant black marlin on the leader of Capt. Luke Fallon’s Kekoa. It was the classic reef scenario: A late?afternoon bite on a big bait — known as a “scaly.” Jada Holt made quick work of the fish before a healthy release. LOCATION Holt caught the black on Ribbon Reef No. 3, located on the Great Barrier Reef north of Cairns, Australia. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 7D Mark II LENS: Canon 24?70mm f/2.8L IS USM ISO: 400 APERTURE: f/4.0 SPEED: 1/1250 sec…

BITE TRACKER Stay current with the best bites from the top billfish destinations around the globe at marlinmag.com/travel. WHERE AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER mean terrific billfishing for a variety of species stretching from the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina all the way north past Cape May, New Jersey. A number of high-profile tournaments take place in North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic region during August, so enjoy the competition, because it will be as hot as the weather.…

After several unsuccessful encounters, Capt. Nick Gonzalez of Double Threat Fishing Charters vowed to be prepared with the appropriate tackle the next time a giant bluefin appeared in his spread. Here is his account of that very memorable day fishing off Miami. Every year it seems that we see more bluefin tuna cruising along the coast of Miami. The conditions need to be just right, with a strong east wind pushing the Gulf Stream all the way up on the reef. Most of the bluefin we see are in depths ranging from 80 to 150 feet. The problem is that the tuna are swimming quickly to the south, and it’s nearly impossible to anticipate exactly when they will come through. And we use mostly 20-pound-class tackle when we’re kite-fishing on…

THE TRUE ADVANTAGE OF A CENTER CONSOLE IS THE ABILITY OF AN ANGLER TO FIGHT AND RELEASE A FISH FROM THE BOW MENTION A CENTER CONSOLE among the sport-fishing teams in the Gulf of Mexico, and I guarantee the words “monkey boat” won’t be too far behind. But the monkey boats of old — once considered large at 28 feet — are no longer just for the weekend warrior; many of the teams fishing aboard them are downright competitive on the billfish tournament circuits. The advances in engineering — both in boats and outboards — have evolved this segment of offshore machines to points once thought inconceivable. Add improvements in tackle and electronics, and you can bet center consoles will keep showing up in the winner’s circle. Center consoles have…

Frank Johnsononce described his background as half-yuppie/half-hillbilly. Sadly, the engineering genius behind Mold Craft Fishing Products and the Unibutt died this past September. He was 77. Frank was that rare businessman with a gift of gab. He was more fun to be around than anyone you can name, and I’d wager that anyone who spent time with him has at least one crazy story to tell. After all, this is the guy who once lost his tower to a low bridge. There was the time I fished with Frank and his son, Frank Jr., or “Jocko,” during the final day of the Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo. A longtime Rodeo volunteer, Frank was supposed to stage a Bimini start with a flare from his 25-foot Mako Soft Head. Turns out, he…

The Viking 37 Billfish is the company’s answer to those wishing for a reasonable alternative to any of the many comparably sized outboard center consoles now on the market, as well as a way to appeal to young families ready to take the next step into the lifestyle — it’s all that and more. “It also attracts a group of serious fish people who are out to set world records with light tackle; it’s just that style of boat with the open bulkhead, maneuverability, comfortable accommodations and all the angling features one comes to associate with Viking,” says Capt. Ryan Higgins, the company’s senior corporate captain. “It really is the perfect entree into our product line.” EXTERIOR DESIGN Viking acquired the mold for the Billfish 37 in 2015 when it…