Inhaltsverzeichnis für March 2023 in Marlin

• According to a report by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, 19.4 million women went fishing in 2021, and 1.6 million were first-time anglers. Granted, this represents fresh water and all kinds of salt water, where access to fishing is much easier than jumping straight into an offshore fishery. But it’s undeniable: Women are an important consideration in the growth of fishing, and especially offshore fishing. A large part of this was a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed more people into outdoor recreation than ever before. Recreational angling has an incredible impact on our economy of some 11 billion dollars annually—yes, that’s a billion with a capital B. And women play a critical part of that overall growth. One bright example: Ladies-only tournaments are more popular than…

• Predestined for a life on the water when his parents moved from Massachusetts to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when he was 4 years old, professional photographer Scott Kerrigan grew up living on boats and fishing around the numerous docks, canals, beaches, and piers that surrounded his floating home in South Florida. An early love for the sport led to jobs in local tackle shops and charter boats, but the glistening allure of fishing internationally was impossible to ignore. He took his first traveling job as a 19-year-old mate in 1982, embarking on an illustrious career that’s still going strong more than four decades later. You fished the Cat Cay Tuna Tournament in 1982—what was that experience like? That was my first travel job, fishing with Capt. Joe Kononchik on a…

HOOK LAST CALL (A) Designed by optical-industry pros who also love fishing, Hook Optics are designed to give fishermen the edge in any aquatic environment, especially offshore. Last Call was named in honor of Capt. Franky Pettolina, president of the Ocean City Marlin Club and a passionate offshore angler who passed away in 2021. PARALLEL ZION (B) Based in Southern California, the Parallel Eyewear team enjoys a variety of outdoor sports, including fishing. The Zion frame in Amber Stripe really stands out, especially when combined with the BR16 Neox polarized lens, which offers glare protection, a crystal-clear image, and a perfect level of tint. COSTA TUNA ALLEY PRO (C) Costa’s ultra-popular Tuna Alley Pro style now comes in one of the company’s top-selling frame colorways, Tiger Shark. Pro Series upgrades…

• Ah, Bermuda. It’s nearly impossible to have a bad time when visiting this beautiful, serenely peaceful island. Perhaps it’s due to the location, some 600 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and essentially Middle of Nowhere, Atlantic Ocean. Maybe it’s the laid-back island vibe, or the relatively high per-capita income level of the 65,000 or so full-time local residents—a nod to its historic ties as a hub of international finance and investment banking. ¶ Or it could be the marlin fishing. Let’s be more specific—the big blue marlin fishing. According to Grander Watch (granderwatch.com), there have been 19 Atlantic blues weighing more than 1,000 pounds put on the scale in Bermuda in modern times. The winner of the worldwide Blue Marlin World Cup has come from those storied…

• Nearly everyone loves to eat tuna. Whether we are targeting them or another species, when the opportunity presents itself, it’s hard to pass up putting a few tasty ones in the box. Oftentimes we are fishing for something else, but occasionally the tuna show up and give us an excuse to get a hook into them. Watching tuna—especially the big ones—sky out of the water during a feeding frenzy is something any fisherman can find impressive and appreciate. And for most of us, the desire to change gears on the fly to grab a few is almost too strong to ignore. Being prepared for these kinds of situations can mean the difference between eating sushi or chicken for dinner. And whether they are 10-pound blackfins, 60-pound yellowfins, 150-pound Allisons…

While the numbers vary from season to season, there is no doubt that Los Cabos, Mexico, has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the world’s top destinations for all types of billfish. The total number of blue, black and striped marlin caught there each season is unparalleled, and it continues to attract anglers from across the globe. But it wasn’t always like that. This region, which includes bustling Cabo San Lucas as well as the more laid-back San Jose del Cabo—now connected by a highway lined with luxurious resorts and immaculate golf courses—was once quite different. The 1970s was the coming-of-age decade that would see this area grow from a dusty fishing village to the world-class destination it is today. STRIPED MARLIN: THE WORD SPREADS As the Southern California…

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• No one in the tournament-fishing universe would turn down the opportunity to start the Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series by catching a 942.5-pound blue marlin. Many people who spend their lives chasing marlin never even see a fish that large, simply because, at least in part, there are few individual fish swimming around in the ocean that reach that milestone. Most male blue marlin stop growing when they get to be about 300 pounds or so and can live about 20 years, according to otolith dissections. About 85 percent of the male marlin caught in Hawaii are between 100 and 200 pounds. Female blue marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds can live to be in their thirties. However, 80 percent of females tested from dock samples in 2013 were between…

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON’T BE LIKE CAPT. BUTCH COX. THAT’S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING YOU’VE EVER HEARD BEFORE ABOUT THE LONGTIME PRIME TIME SKIPPER, WHO’S WELL-KNOWN FOR NOT JUST HIS FISHING ABILITIES, BUT ALSO HIS FRIENDLY NATURE. SO, WHEN I SAY TO NOT TO BE LIKE HIM, IT’S WITH AN AIR OF PLAYFULNESS. WHILE COX HAS COUNTLESS CHARACTERISTICS WE ALL SHOULD BE SO LUCKY TO EMULATE, THERE’S ONE PARTICULAR AREA IN HIS LIFE THAT COULD USE SOME IMPROVEMENT: SUN PROTECTION. IN THAT REGARD, COX CALLS HIMSELF A BAD BOY. AFTER NUMEROUS SURGERIES, HIS DERMATOLOGIST WOULD LIKELY AGREE. A FIRST BRUSH WITH CANCER Cox turned 71 in June and has been fishing professionally for 50 of those years. While working in Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina,…

• Can you really find fish by tracking seabirds using radar? The answer is yes, and the practice is certainly nothing new. Christopher Columbus encountered frigate birds as soon as he sailed past the Cape Verde islands in 1492 during his first voyage across the Atlantic. Also called man-of-war birds in the Caribbean by English sailors, these majestic airborne hunters are capable of soaring on the winds for weeks, helping them to be excellent locators of fish. They aren’t the only ones though; among many other species are countless varieties of terns, gannets, boobies, shearwaters and gulls, and all can point us to better fishing, depending on where we are and what our target species is. NEWER IS BETTER Myths and legends of using seabirds to find fish, predict weather…

• I remember seeing the ads in Marlin promoting Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Costa Rica when it was being built and then first opened to the public in 2001. I doubt anyone could have envisioned that it would become one of the premier fishing destinations in the world just a little over 20 years later. Owners now keep their sport-fishers in Los Sueños and other marinas in Costa Rica for years at a time in order to take advantage of its incredible fishery. As a result of the nation’s popularity, it has become commonplace for vessel closings to occur there. Of course, there are several important factors for buyers to consider. CLOSING AND POST-CLOSING Vessel closings in Costa Rica are relatively straightforward, and for the most part, the…

This iconic fishery is home to a range of diverse species, including Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Cubera Snapper and Roosterfish, as well as monster Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna, and a whopping 17+ inshore species. Captains and mates offer anglers invaluable local knowledge, helping maximize every catch, and providing a truly unique saltwater adventure from start to finish. The lodge caters to anglers of all ages and skill levels, making it the perfect destination for your next family vacation, milestone celebration, all-out angling trip, or the hunt for your next record catch. Tropic Star is home to the largest fleet of Betram 31’s in the world, as well as other larger boats. Anglers get exclusive use of their boat for the whole trip, with tailored tackle, gear and supplies all…

SEISMIC ACTIVITY Those fleeting moments of predawn always seem fascinating, as the world shakes off its slumber from the previous night and prepares for a bright new day ahead. In El Salvador, this phenomenon takes place before a spinal ridge of volcanoes stretching along the coast, lending a surrealistic vibe to the scene. LOCATION Photographer Christopher Balogh captured this image prior to the start of the El Salvador International Billfish Tournament. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 5D Mk III LENS: Canon 24-105mm ISO: 2000 APERTURE: f/4.0 SPEED: 1/125 sec…

+ BITE TRACKER Stay current with the best bites from the top billfish destinations around the globe at marlinmag.com/travel. WHERE MARCH means spring is ramping up, especially in Florida and the Bahamas. In the Keys, sailfish begin their final push south, and can be located either tailing down-sea or traveling in the sand channels off the patch reefs, depending on the right weather conditions. The marlin bite for blues and whites will kick off in Chub Cay and the Abacos, so put in your time for a rewarding grand slam.…

• Anthony Hsieh, of Bad Company fame, has created the largest nonprofit fishing tournament in the world: War Heroes on Water. What began five years ago as a way to unite the Southern California fishing community in honoring those who fought for our country has grown to include 125 veteran participants hosted on a fleet of 50 sport-fishing yachts. Hsieh chose Freedom Alliance as the partner for this visionary undertaking to recruit and select the warriors who attend. While many charitable events focus solely on those who suffered physical wounds from war—such as those who lost limbs to explosions—Freedom Alliance established a scope for eligibility based on the premise that combat affects all who engage in it. Thus, to be eligible for participation in the WHOW tournament, veterans and active-duty…

Mothership operations have existed for nearly 100 years, ever since Zane Grey began traveling to far-flung, exotic destinations aboard a sailing sloop he purchased in 1924 named Fisherman I. He retrofitted the yacht to accommodate two small fishing boats—a 32- and a 25-footer—which rode on deck cradles. Once launched from the larger sloop, the smaller craft offered the agility needed to maneuver on the marlin species he targeted, and the mothership-and-gameboat concept was introduced to the world. Since then, there have been a handful of globe-trotting operations that have traveled the oceans of the world to seek out the very best fishing destinations. A common denominator? The top two would have to be a passion for the sport and the means to successfully pursue it. Anthony Hsieh has both, but…

• While perhaps a bit off the beaten path, Bay of Islands, New Zealand, is home to Bluefix Boatworks, builders of the NorthCape line of sport-fishers ranging in size from 24 to 75 feet in length. Currently underway is Hull No. 4, the NorthCape Custom 43. This boat features full epoxy-foam core construction with resin infusion and will be powered by twin Cummins 600 hp engines. The boat is designed with outstanding maneuverability as a primary consideration, with a curved transom and tumblehome hull running aft, as well as a widely spaced drivetrain. Fuel efficiency and long-range capabilities have also been a focus in this design; the 43 has a fuel capacity of 800 gallons. Additional features include a drop-down aft window—creating an open bulkhead—along with a two-stateroom layout for…

• Have you ever heard of a rainy-day fund? That’s where you have money set aside just in case something bad happens and you need those funds to carry you through hard times for a while. Well, unless our policymakers can come up with a plan, you might be needing that rainy-day fund sooner rather than later. According to the most recent economic data and industry analysts, we are headed for a recession in the US. So, what does that mean for the sport-fishing industry? A SPENDING SLOWDOWN First, let’s take a look at what a recession looks like and how we can prepare. One of the primary components of a recession is when unemployment rises and the economy is contracting. This will leave more people without jobs; overall consumer…

• As we move into a new season, I truly hope everyone catches bigger fish in 2023. And with tongue in cheek, I also hope that some of you received a scale for Christmas. I have never seen so many fish posted online that people say weighed so much but that looked so small, even with their arms extended way out so that the fish looked bigger. Some of the true experts are calling them out on it too. There are people claiming to have caught a 100-pound wahoo, a swordfish laying on deck and calling it over 500, and way too many 70-pound mahi out there. In reality, those are all rare trophy catches, no matter where you are. I understand when it’s a charter crew trying to get…