Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017/January 2018 i Marlin

Just days after we shipped the previous issue of Marlin to the printer, Hurricane Maria roared ashore in Puerto Rico as a devastating Category 4 major storm, the worst the country had seen in more than 80 years. The entire island experienced hurricane-force winds as the massive storm swept in, bringing with it high seas, torrential rains and some of the worst conditions imaginable. Much of the island could be without electricity and running water for some time; the effects of Hurricane Maria will be felt there for years. I first visited Puerto Rico in 2004 for the Club Nautico de San Juan International Billfish Tournament. Now in its 64th year in 2017, it’s one of the longest-running and most popular marlin tournaments anywhere in the world, and yet, aside…

In South Florida, the fishing revolves around live bait. Here are the pros’ tips on keeping your bait healthy. Always use a bait dehooker and avoid unnecessary handling When catching bait, it is critical that you do not put your hands on the bait or let them hit the deck. These gumdrops have a protective layer of slime, which prevents them from contracting skin infections. Each time you handle them, drop them on the deck or inadvertently hit them on the side of the well, that protective layer is compromised. Threadfin herring, a top sailfish bait, are especially vulnerable to infection, which is easily spread to their schoolmates when confined to a bait pen for periods of time. If you notice any marks, missing scales or red spots on individuals…

Designed to brew premium coffee in the world’s most challenging environments, the OXX Coffeeboxx is the perfect companion to fuel any high-energy adventure, on the water or off. Compatible with any K-Cup pack, you can brew a hot cup in 75 seconds, and it straps down easily with six stainless-steel tie-downs. Williams Knife Company’s Edisto oyster knife has won accolades nationwide for its functionality and craftsmanship. The Edisto can be customized with 25 different handle materials, 24 trim patterns, eight trim colors and four pin options. Face stormy seas with confidence in the Columbia PFG Force 12 insulated jacket. Constructed using OutDry Extreme waterproof and breathable fabric, the jacket features an adjustable storm hood and drawcord hem to stay watertight. It is available in two colors and in sizes ranging…

Twice a year, we go through all the safety gear on our boats. We are not accident prone or nervous: We do this because it’s good practice to keep all the gear up to date, clean, in good working order and easily accessible when we need it. Bad things never seem to happen when conditions are ideal, and some recent occurrences have also sent me searching for something better to have in our bag of tricks. I would much rather be preventive and not reactive in an emergency situation, should something unfortunate come our way. THE THROW RAFT For the longest time, the only thing to throw that was U.S. Coast Guard-approved was a life ring or square throw cushion. Few boats are really set up properly with an easily…

Maverick Yachts is well-known for its lineup of outstanding custom sport-fishers, so it’s no surprise it is delving into the walkaround market. Next up for the Costa Rican boatbuilder is a dynamic 36-footer that will take full advantage of the company’s notable cold-molded construction techniques, as well as a hull design from naval architect Erwin Gerards. Just like her larger sisterships, the 36 Walk Around will feature a durable and easyto- maintain Awlgrip finish on both the exterior and interior surfaces, including the faired and painted bilges. The hull is constructed of Costa Rican laurel blanco hardwood with marine plywood and foam composites, making it tough yet light. Power will come from a pair of Cummins QSB 6.7L diesels, rated at 355 horsepower each; at a cruising speed of 28…

Individuals outside the maritime world often wonder why certain owners choose to register their vessels in other countries and what comes with using a foreign-flagged vessel in the United States. One requirement associated with foreign-flagged vessels is a federal cruising permit. WHAT IS A CRUISING PERMIT? Under federal law, a foreign-flagged pleasure vessel may be issued a cruising permit by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which enables a vessel to cruise freely in U.S. waters. In other words, the cruising permit exempts pleasure vessels of certain countries from the requirement of undergoing formal entry and clearance procedures in the United States. In many states, including Florida, a cruising permit also allows a vessel to avoid being subject to the relevant-use taxes. Depending on the port or jurisdiction in which the…

editor@marlinmag.com SAILFISH CAUGHT FROM DOCK I had to send this to you. This is a photo I took from my dock in Naples, Florida. I live on a canal with access to the Gulf of Mexico, and the videos and picture were taken on the Friday before Hurricane Irma hit our area of southwest Florida. I was moving patio furniture into my garage with a friend when my neighbor called me over to look at this fish in the canal. He said it was a sailfish, and my buddy and I looked at each other like he must have been hitting the sauce early. We shot the first video, then went back to hurricane preparation. When we came back hours later, the fish was still swimming around. We called another…

The 2nd Annual Scrub Island Blue Marlin Invitational was held at the beautifully scenic Scrub Island Resort and Marina in the British Virgin Islands from September 1-3, 2017. Eleven boats participated in the tournament despite a threatening Hurricane Irma heading in that direction. The tournament was moved up a day, and then shortened to just two days of fishing due to the approaching storm, which did considerable damage in the Caribbean islands as well as South Florida and the Florida Keys. All boats fishing in Scrub Island were able to make their way to safer ports in time. On Day One, Capt. Randy Jendersee led Chad Damon’s Sodium team, fishing aboard Damron’s 75-foot Weaver, to three blue marlin releases and the early lead. Marlin Darlin and Never Say Never each…

When it’s time to lure a hungry billfish to the boat, there are a wide variety of methods to use. From dredges and squid chains to bowling pins and even boat fenders, the logic comes from those on the troll at 6 knots or more: Create the most splash and the biggest footprint in the spread as possible. But without the camouflage provided by a moving boat’s white water, the livebait sailfish that’s raised behind a barely moving sport-fisher or center console has more cause to be cautious. Tricking them into believing a feast awaits them at the surface is a task best handled using a different technique than conventional teasers. Unlike dead-bait trolling, teams live-baiting for sailfish move very slowly through the water. Relying on the Gulf Stream and…

I have been in the sport-fishing industry for over 30 years and have been fortunate to work with some great captains and anglers as a mate before I started running boats myself. Along the way, I’ve taught others to become more-proficient anglers, and I’ve seen them gain much more enjoyment from their fishing because of these acquired skills. THE TACKLE TRANSITION We started with heavy conventional rods in the chair and moved to shorter stand-up rods. In some places, we went from dead bait to lures and back to bait again. Then the hooks started changing, from larger to smaller, long-shank to short-shank, and then to circle hooks. I’m pretty sure I have seen and tried every technique currently known in an effort to catch more fish. Some worked, and…

North Carolina’s Jarrett Bay Boatworks’ 63rd hull is designed as a beautiful 67-foot retro extended-trunk cabin design, with the familiar Carolina lines of a custom Jarrett Bay but with a unique profile, integrated swim platform and in-cabin helm station. This throwback design will have a nostalgic sport-fish feel combined with modern performance, technology and amenities. Privateer will provide her owners with a spacious layout that is perfect for extended cruising with family and friends, as well as serving as an all- business fishing machine with its 195-square-foot cockpit. With a dry weight of approximately 70,000 pounds and an estimated draft of just 4 feet 10 inches, cruising shallow island destinations like the Bahamas will be a breeze, while the twin 1,135-horsepower CAT C18 ACERTs and a fuel capacity of 1,400…

At 6 feet 7 inches tall, Bud Koch casts a long shadow on the dock. He spends a great deal of time fishing with his son, who happens to be an inch taller than Bud, so they need a lot of headroom in the salon and belowdecks, as well as a roomy cockpit. Koch has owned and built many boats in different configurations, so when he was researching to build a new one, he had some specific needs for himself and his family. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY ROSCIOLI DONZI SPORTFISHING YACHTS “I had some wacky ideas and looked around for the builder that could create what we wanted,” he says. “We found Roscioli, and it delivered.” What the longtime builder of Roscioli Donzi Sportfishing Yachts built was a proven 58-foot hull…

TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 1-DX Mark II LENS: Canon 100- 400mm L IS II USM I ISO: 2000 APERTURE: f/6.3 SPEED: 1/8000 sec ON THE PITCH A big blue marlin switching from a teaser to a pitch bait is one of the most heartstopping moments in sport-fishing. A splitsecond after Richard Gibson snapped this incredible photo, the 400-pounder inhaled Chad Damron’s mackerel just a few feet behind Sodium. LOCATION This blue was released during the Hurricane Irmashortened Scrub Island Blue Marlin Invitational in the British Virgin Islands.…

Capt. Harold Staples was happy when one of his mates asked if he would fish with his father and a client in the 1977 New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament. Little did he know that invitation would lead to a 40-year relationship as the captain of Jim Wilson Jr.’s Wynsong. Staples, who is 68 years old, celebrated 40 years with the Wilson family on November 1, 2017. He ran the boat for 29 years for Jim Jr., who died in September 2006, and continues as a captain for Wilson’s sons, Jim III and Will, fishing out of Destin, Florida. In a sport where many captains don’t remain with the same boat owner for more than just a few years, working with the same family for four decades is a rare achievement.…

Through the years, some teams that fish the South Florida sailfish tournament circuit come and go — one year you’re hot, the next you’re not. But there always seem to be a few that are always in the hunt, season after season. They sneak up on the rest of the fleet when you’re not looking. The next thing you know, they’ve racked up seven releases before lunch — faster than you can say, “Pass me a sandwich.” So naturally, I talked with some of these perennial sailfish tournament heroes, who did not want to be named, about the teams they’re keeping a close eye on this year. And many of the same names kept coming up. This circuit is as formidable as it is fierce, and with the best of…

Flip through the International Game Fish Association’s book of world records, and you’ll see one destination that consistently stands out: Piñas Bay, Panama, home of the world-renowned Tropic Star Lodge. Just a few highlights: a 445-pound black marlin caught on 16-pound-test by Elizabeth Hogan, a 171-pound sailfish on 12-pound-test for Felipe Estrada, a 58-pound mahi landed by Gary Carter on 2-pound-test, a pair of big swordfish for the husband-and-wife team of Jerry and Deborah Dunaway, caught just seven days apart with Capt. Skip Smith in 1986. The list continues. Even today, while some of the recordchasers may have turned their attention elsewhere, Tropic Star Lodge remains a top-shelf destination for the ultimate family-friendly fishing trip of a lifetime. ADVENTURE AWAITS, HISTORY ABOUNDS Tropic Star is no ordinary fishing lodge: It’s…

I recently had two 12-inch eSeries Raymarine displays installed on my boat’s helm. No, it isn’t an inboard-powered, tuna-towered offshore sport-fisher; it’s a Ranger 2510 bay boat. An acquaintance, proud of his 12-inch Simrad unit in a pop-up display pod on his own boat, was incredulous when I told him. “Two displays? What did you do that for?” he asked. “Because they were the largest displays that would fit the height and the most that would fit in the width,” I replied. BIGGER IS BETTER That’s the rule now: The best bet is bigger and more-numerous displays. Cutting corners on displays in a $5 million sport-fisher is a false sense of economy, and it’s one mistake billfish captains are learning to avoid. Why? Even though we may have reached a…

Hatteras Yachts has announced plans to build a new model, the GT59, at its boatbuilding facility in New Bern, North Carolina. The GT59 will join her sisterships, which include the GT45X, GT54, GT63 and GT70, in current production. The new boat will feature a large 153-square-foot cockpit with full mezzanine. A pair of Caterpillar C32A diesels will power the new Hatteras to cruising speeds in the mid-30-knot range, with a top speed of 40 knots. Heading belowdecks, a three-stateroom/twohead layout is standard. Optional layouts include a tackle-storage station with workbench, or a third head. “We are building on the success of the GT Series and taking it to the next level with the GT59,” says Hatteras president and CEO Kelly Grindle. “With this model, we are offering our customers a…

The first thing you notice about the Viking 44 Open is her racy, eye-pleasing and proportional profile. From that slightly raked bow to her gently sloping sheer, and the way the wraparound windshield rises up easily from the foredeck, she is indeed a head-turner. But as with every Viking Yacht, there is much more to her than a stunning exterior. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY VIKING YACHTS “The 44 Open appeals to families ready to take the next step into the Viking lifestyle,” says Viking president and CEO Patrick Healey, as we stepped aboard the latest addition to the company’s well-admired lineup. With more available space in the cockpit, on the command deck, and in the belowdecks accommodations than their popular 37 Billfish and the 42-footer, the Viking design team went to…