Marlin August/September 2024

In the 43 years since Bill McLellan, Lee Stevens and other members of the Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club dreamed up the concept of Marlin magazine, only a handful of lucky individuals have held its top editorial position. I was fortunate enough to have 10 years in the chair, from 1992 through 2002, and man, those were some of the best years of my career. Fond memories include catching 28 striped marlin in 10 hours in the Galápagos Islands with Paco Sola and Rick Alvarez; fishing virgin waters over the Royal Charlotte Bank with Capt. Rick Ogle out of Canavieiras, Brazil; and enduring one of the roughest days offshore I ever experienced with Capt. Dave Noling during the heyday of Venezuela’s hot bite, which we highlight in this issue. Serving…

A GREAT AMBASSADOR It’s been a while since I have fished any of the big East Coast tournaments, but back in the mid-2000s I attended my fair share. My favorites were the Big Rock, Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament and the Ocean City White Marlin Open. Sure, the fishing was great, but when I look back on my memories from those days, the thing that really stands out isn’t the fish I caught. It’s the people I met on the docks. One of those people was Capt. Drew McDowell, who was the Viking factory skipper at that time. I was really happy to see him highlighted in Cameron Rhodes’ excellent article “Inside the Viking Demo Program” in your April/May issue. While Drew will probably not remember me and we never actually…

BLACKED OUT There is no shortage of outstanding images coming out of Panama these days, thanks in large part to the efforts of Hannes Ribbner and Matilda Leijon, two of the sport’s top photographers who spend considerable time at Tropic Star Lodge. Ribbner captured this airborne black for angler Kelly Brashear in perfect afternoon light with the unmistakable scenery and Miss Panama as the backdrop. LOCATION The team was slow-trolling live bonito on the Zane Grey Reef. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 7D LENS: Canon EF 100-400mm ISO: 400 APERTURE: f/5.6 SPEED: 1/3200 sec…

He’s practically a household name in the sport-fishing industry, with a celebrity that is nicely accented by a well-traveled Southern twang, extraordinary storytelling and a devilish sense of humor. As the owner and operator of Tijereta—a busy charter operation based out of Costa Rica’s Los Sueños Resort and Marina—Capt. Bubba Carter still fishes an impressive 200-plus days per year. Winner of the IGFA’s prestigious Tommy Gifford Award in 2019, he’s released over 30,000 billfish in a career that has spanned half a century and included storied locations such as Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Costa Rica and the Carolinas, among many others. How did you get your start in fishing? My dad started running a charter boat out of our hometown in Hilton Head, South Carolina,…

NAUTICAL DESIGN For those who want a bit more space for rigging baits or lures, this 46-inch rocket launcher from Nautical Design is a perfect match. It has six dedicated rod holders, four combination rod/cup holders and an oversize tackle drawer. It’s also constructed of genuine teak. nauticaldesigninc.com BLUEWATER CHAIRS Outfitting your vessel with BlueWater’s 11-rod rocket launcher gives you the opportunity to have all your outfits ready for action in one place. The double-laminated teak with no-screw stainless steel rod holders, recessed tray and tackle drawer offer plenty of options for both storage and fishing; packages are available in a wide range of sizes from four to 15 rods. bluewaterchairs.com NAUTICAL DESIGN Starting with highly polished 316-grade stainless steel construction, Nautical Design’s fighting chairs are designed so the backrest…

A fleet of 59 custom boats gathered in the Abaco Islands from May 15-18 for the 22nd annual Custom Shootout, releasing 197 billfish, including 93 blue marlin, 55 white marlin and 49 sailfish. The tournament began under challenging conditions, with heavy rain and rough seas. While conditions weren’t ideal for the fishing fleet, the rain provided much-needed relief onshore, where numerous fires had kept the local volunteer fire department busy over the previous three weeks. Incognito took an early lead on Day One by releasing three blue marlin. Kickin Tires followed closely, catching two blue marlin and a white marlin to secure second place and the daily prize. Day Two brought calmer seas, with Reel Steel winning the daily by releasing three blue marlin and one white marlin. Bar South…