Innehållsförteckning för April/May 2020 från Marlin

APRIL/MAY is a time of transition, from spring to early summer, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring means white and blue marlin in the Bahamas, from the Abacos down to Cat Island and beyond; don’t be surprised if a spearfish shows up in the spread. The season gets underway in Cape Verde too—it’s remote and often rough, but it’s one of those destinations that can produce excellent fishing. BITE TRACKER Stay current with the best bites from the top billfish destinations around the globe at marlinmag.com/travel.…

There are no guarantees in fishing, especially in tournament fishing. One day you’re feeling it, and the next, your hopes are crushed. But, despite a mechanical failure that left the Scandalous team boatless for the first leg of the Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown series held at Los Sueños Resort and Marina, the team remained positive. Enter HT Hook. Without hesitation, Capt. Ronnie Riebe stepped in to help. Without a crew to fish the tournament, the 62-foot Viking became the Scandalous for the next four days. Good vibes prevailed, and the team took the Day One daily with four blue marlin and three sailfish, a milestone that carried the team through the entire tournament to end on the big stage with an overall tournament win, and an unbelievable three-day hookup…

Thumper is like a grand old Southern dame: aging gracefully, showing a few wrinkles here and there, but still able to dance with the best of ’em. The 60-foot Mikelson sashays out toward the deep seamounts off Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast, the boat’s classic wood interior creaking comfortably as she shoulders aside the wind-whipped frenzy of swells. Darkness comes quickly in Central America—after an all-night chug at 7 knots, we’ll be ready to fish at sunrise. Thumper’s owner, Harry Glah, is a throwback. He graduated from Pennsylvania’s Villanova University in 1967, enlisted in the US Army and spent some time in Southeast Asia, along with many other young Americans of his generation. After the service, Glah went into business with an Australian chap he met in Laos, sold the…

If you have avoided the convenience and safety of satellite communications on your vessel, it’s probably because you thought it was too costly and the equipment too bulky. I checked out Inmarsat’s Fleet One service as a possible solution, and here’s what I found. First, some background. Inmarsat says Fleet One is a coastal service for sport-fishers and cruisers from North America to South America. It’s carried on its L-Band global constellation of satellites. Inmarsat says Fleet One is coastal, but when you look at its coverage map, it covers the entire Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast—out to 200 miles or more in some areas. And if you’re one of those whose boat finds its way down to Central or South America, the coverage there is comparable. AVOID…

The American flag snapped in the breeze at Ocean City, Maryland’s Sunset Marina in early September 2019 as I walked down the famed C dock on a crisp morning. I was looking forward to stepping aboard the new 62-foot Titan, Effie Mae. Built primarily for long-range comfort, and outfitted to fish the highly competitive mid-Atlantic tournament circuit, Hull No. 7 certainly met the mark and checked every one of the custom-boat boxes. At first glance, the sizable teak-soled cockpit and elegant mezzanine seating is immediately noticeable, compliments of the boat’s 19-foot-2-inch beam. A beautifully crafted Release Marine Trillion Series fighting chair is the center of attention here, while just forward of the chair stanchion, a Seakeeper 16 gyrostabilizer is nestled in the deck, giving Effie Mae an impressive 92 percent…

BACK ON BLACK Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the best spot on Earth to tangle with the black marlin of your dreams, as photographer Christie Turner proves here. “I was crewing on Moana with Capt. Dan McCarthy when Tradition hooked up with this one, and we were close enough for a photo,” she says. “Just as they released their fish, we hooked our first big black of the season, so it was a pretty cool day.” LOCATION Turner was fishing off No. 8 Ribbon Reef when she snapped this image. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon 7D MARK II LENS: Canon 18-135 ISO: 100 APERTURE: f/6.3 SPEED: 1/2000 sec…

I came to Kona for one reason: to meet the professional female fishermen who all seem to be doing just fine here. And despite the relatively easy fishery and calm waters, it’s all fun and games until you’re hooked up to the big one. That’s where experience makes an entrance, and they must shine. Their reputations are riding on it. You would be hard-pressed to make a don’t-do list when it comes to Kona, Hawaii. Trolling these waters is like quietly floating over a sapphire-blue cloak of velvet sprinkled with diamonds. There is a certain peacefulness here: a love for ohana—family—and everything that goes along with it. The people of Kona, specifically, are about as nature loving as you can get—minus the Birkenstocks—and it shows. There is no trash littering…

The interiors of sport-fishing yachts are an interesting space. They are beautifully handcrafted with fine attention to detail. But unlike a home, they also take a lot of abuse: The inside is shaken up all day offshore, the carpet is trampled on, and the furnishings are blasted with salt-infused air and exhaust fumes each time the salon door opens. Pile on the constant rotation of guests and crew visiting the facilities, and we have to ask ourselves: How do we keep the inside looking and smelling fresh all the time? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER For new guests, it’s important to give them a rundown of what to do—and not to do—when visiting the interior spaces, such as keeping the salon door closed throughout the day. Most guests don’t understand that salt…

Patrice Marie is a custom battlewagon that is perfect for an owner who wants to operate his own vessel, and her retro lines pay homage to the pioneers of Carolina boatbuilding and design by the likes of Warren O’Neal, Omie Tillett, and Glenn “Peanut” Haught. After owning a 39-foot Harrison express for the past five years, the owner absolutely knew whom he would contact for a slightly larger convertible for the 100-plus-mile runs and sea conditions he frequently encounters off the Texas coast. Enter the Harrison 41. Patrick Harrison grew up fishing the waters of Oregon Inlet, beginning his career as a fish cleaner at the venerable Oregon Inlet Fishing Center while attending college. His eye was drawn to the style and function of the local charter boats, so after…

One thing we all have in common is that, at some point in our careers, it will be time to step off the bridge or out of the cockpit for the last time. For most, it will be a bittersweet moment, but in our hearts, we will realize that there is a lot more ahead of us that remains to be seen and enjoyed. I’m referring to the stage in life that we call retirement. FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL Retirement is something we should all take the time to prepare for. There are many cliches when it comes to retirement planning, and one of my favorites is that people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Here are some basic facts that you can use when the…

In 1976, Conway Kittredge purchased an earthquake-ravaged fishing lodge called Tropic Star, located on the Pacific edge of the Darien rainforest in Panama. He rebuilt the mangled lodge in time for the 1977 fishing season; Kittredge’s daughter, Terri, was 24 years old. Eight years later, she became the general manager, responsible for the guests and a staff of over 100 Spanish-speaking employees, most from the nearby village. In 1991, she married Mike Andrews at the lodge, and the pair transformed Tropic Star into an iconic world-class fishing destination. Four years ago, ownership of the lodge transitioned once again, this time to a wealthy Panamanian who is dedicated to maintaining the lodge’s ultra-high standards. Mike has since retired, but Terri remains the worldwide ambassador for Tropic Star. What are some of…

The full moon shined over Quepos, Costa Rica—a small town perched at the edge of Manuel Antonio National Park—as 67 teams comprised of 350 anglers from all corners of the world competed in the fourth-annual Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament for a purse that claimed to be the largest in Costa Rica tournament fishing. With general divisions in most billfish releases and the heaviest tuna and dorado, the fleet departed for the fish-rich waters to have a go at catching not only the most billfish, but also to bring in two of their heaviest gamefish for a chunk of the overall prize of $700,000 in cash. Both large boats—over 35 feet—and smaller craft vied for prizes in their individual category and a crack at the overall title. The event kicked off…

We can learn a lot from commercial fishermen when it comes to the quality of our gamefish. They unequivocally know that every single fish that goes into the fish box needs to come out looking just as good as it went in. A fish brought to market with obvious discoloration, cloudy eyes, or that looks as if it has taken a trip through the rinse-and-spin cycle in your washing machine will immediately be rejected by the buyer, destroying all hopes of selling the fish, and putting the kibosh on a hard day’s work. For recreational fishermen, the same rings true. Although we might not be toting our catch to the market, we are eating it ourselves or gifting it to friends, so by applying the same concepts and care that…

THE FIRST TIME THAT charter captain Mark Hoos took customers on a daytime swordfish trip aboard his 58-foot custom Carolina, Marli, out of Ocean City, Maryland, in fall 2018, they hooked a 424-pounder four minutes into the first drift and boated it. On subsequent trips, Marli’s crew averaged eight sword bites a day—and caught some bigeye tuna along with them. “It’s been an untapped fishery,” Hoos says of the daytime swordfishing in his local waters. “It has definitely extended our season. Usually our offshore action peters out in October, but now we’re fishing through Thanksgiving.” That same scenario is repeating all along the mid- and southern Atlantic coasts, from Maryland to Virginia Beach, Virginia, down through the Carolinas and northern Florida. While dropping baits to the bottom at high noon…

A new design by Ritchie Howell features the combination of a conventional hull bottom with sleek, modern topside lines. As with all of Howell’s boats, the new 66-footer has a cold-molded hull with composite construction throughout the rest of the boat for the ultimate combination of strength and light weight. The interior features elegant teak cabinetry and hidden rod storage in three different areas. All couches are hinged at the top to provide easy access to ample storage areas below. The four-stateroom/three-head layout also has a tackle/laundry room. On the bridge, there is bucket seating for guests and an island console with lounge seating forward. The cockpit has a walk-through tuna door plus hidden gaff storage; the fish box will incorporate a set of tuna tubes. Belowdecks, two Caterpillar 27-kilowatt…

Purchasing a brand-new boat—whether custom or production—from a manufacturer or dealer certainly has its advantages. However, there is a common misconception that new boats are free of all deficiencies, and that certain due diligence and pre-closing actions are less important than when purchasing a used product. On the contrary, buyers should still take the same precautionary steps and pay close attention to the details discussed below prior to closing on a new boat. SURVEYS AND SEA TRIALS To begin with, it is still important to do a survey and sea trial on a new boat, whether it be a large center-console, sport-fisher or mega-yacht. Even new boats can have minor issues that might need to be resolved. A survey and sea trial will not necessarily reveal all issues, but it…