On kites, color changes, drop-back baits trolled and pitch baits over the reef, sailfish present some highly technical catch scenarios. Those fish beguile us, dazzle us, and make us feel fortunate to catch them on their swift migrations. Drape a sailfish across an angler’s lap for a picture though, and that fish loses a lot of its magic. Turns out that removing a sailfish from the water for a pic, or for any reason other than to keep the fish, is not only awkward looking, but also prohibited by federal regulations.

Don’t Remove Sailfish from Federal Waters

That’s right. While it’s legal to keep a sailfish if it measures 63 inches (lower jaw fork length) and the angler has all the necessary licenses and permits, it’s not legal in federal waters to remove a sailfish from the water if it’s meant to be released. It’s a violation of the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) regulations. The specific HMS regulation (50 CFR 635.21 (a) (2)) states: “If a billfish is caught by a hook and not retained, the fish must be released by cutting the line near the hook or by using a dehooking device, in either case without removing the fish from the water.”

Those regulations apply to anglers aboard vessels with an HMS Angling Permit, whether they fish in federal or state waters, and to fish for sailfish and other HMS species in federal waters, that permit is required. For anglers in state waters without an HMS permit, it’s up to the state whether they want to enforce the same regulations.

Can Anglers in Florida Bring a Sailfish into the Boat?

In the case of Florida, where many sailfish are caught in state waters, even from piers, Emily Abellera of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says, “Specifically for sailfish, temporary removal of sailfish from state waters would be allowed unless fishing aboard a vessel that has an HMS Angling Permit. In short, the restriction for temporary removal only applies in federal waters or anywhere if the vessel carries a federal HMS angling permit.”

“If you are an HMS permit holder,” affirms Cliff Hutt, a Fisheries Specialist with Atlantic HMS at NOAA Fisheries, “removing Highly Migratory Species from the water before release can result in a fine, but as with many violations first time offenders may also just get a warning or ‘compliance assistance’ as we like to call it.” On the books, the fine for the first infraction of the regulation is $500 and it increases with each infraction.

What Studies Show About Billfish Survival

These regulations intend to ensure the healthiest releases and the best survival chances for all the HMS species they cover. There is good research and evidence to back them up. A landmark study by Dr. John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences in 2016 showed the crucial nature of the release to billfish survivability. Hutt, of NOAA, says, “This study involved white marlin, which are very similar to sailfish. He [Graves] found post-release mortality (PRM) increased substantially for fish that were removed from the water for as little as 3 to 5 minutes. PRM was less than 2% for white marlin that were left in the water before release, while a full third of fish removed from the water died within 30 days.”

Listen to Experienced Captains

Charter captains in Florida know the value of following the regulations, despite a desire among some anglers to hoist that sailfish onto their laps for a picture.

“We obviously always have people who want to pull the fish out of the water for a photo,” says Capt. Scott Fawcett, of Off the Chain Fishing Charters, in Stuart, Florida. “I never allow it. It kills me when I see everybody else doing it. First, because it’s so bad for the fish and secondly, because my charter will want that same photo as well. Thirdly, when you catch a couple hundred or more sails a year, it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt while trying to do that anyway. I’m a huge advocate of no trophy pictures.”

Capt. Ryan Wenzel, of 4Reel Charters in Islamorada, Florida Keys, another sailfish hotspot, agrees with those sentiments. “I’ve started to let my clients know that taking them out of the water increases the chances that the fish won’t survive afterwards,” Wenzel says. “Grabbing the bill or leader and leaning over the side makes for a great picture as well and doesn’t hurt the fish as much. Another good alternative would be tagging a fish instead, as it helps with research and adds another challenge when you’re fighting the sail and makes it feel a bit more rewarding than getting the picture.”

Sailfish Release Tips

For the release, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Beware of the bill every moment.
• Wear gloves and from above, hold the bill securely near the sailfish’s mouth, letting the mouth open as the fish swims upright in the water at the boat’s side.
• Slowly move the boat forward to let the sailfish regain strength.
• When the fish moves strongly under its own power, direct it away from the boat and let it go. If you want, raise a flag or a high-five.

The post Hoist Flags, Not Sailfish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

“There have been a lot of sailfish around Fowey Lighthouse,” reports Capt. Christian Sanchez, of Miami Sailfish Charters. In addition to sailfish, he’s been catching king mackerel, dolphin and blackfin tuna. That’s the exact type of action to expect during winter in South Florida and the Florida Keys.

“We had a great trip two days ago,” Sanchez says. The day’s weather featured a brisk wind that started out of the north and then switched east. “The sailfish were swimming on the surface,” he says. Using heavy spinning gear, the crew cast live baits to breezing sails. Sanchez scored seven sails out of 12 bites and he said the top boat of the day released 13 out of 16. “We were back by noon!” Earlier in the week, he scored a 50-pound mahi.

A Miami Fishing Hotspot

Sanchez has been fishing in 160 to 200 feet of water a few miles north to a few miles south of the famous Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. He is slow-trolling live bait and looking for signs of feeding fish. “Flying fish and feeding birds are a good indicator,” he says. 

Sanchez starts the day catching live bait with sabiki rigs. “There has been a lot of bait at the turning basin in Government Cut, the range marker and farther south at Marker 21.”

Once Sanchez has a livewell full of herring, pilchards and goggle eyes, he heads for the sailfishing grounds. He flies two kites and pulls seven baits. Sanchez runs three live baits off each kite: goggle eye are farthest out, then herring, and finally a pilchard close to the boat. Sanchez says, “The larger bait is easier to keep in the water, so we put it on the longest line.”

Down the center of the spread, he swims a deep bait behind a 2- to 4-ounce inline sinker.

He uses PENN Carnage II 30- to 50-pound boat rods and a PENN Fathom II 40 reel. The reel is filled with 20-pound test monofilament fishing line. “Anything heavier than 20 pound and the wind puts a bow in the line making it hard to run the baits and set the hook.”

The monofilament mainline is attached to 15 feet of 40-pound fluorocarbon line with a Bimini to no-name knot. Sanchez’s live-bait rig consists of 15 inches of No. 4 wire and a 5/0 Mustad inline circle hook.

Sailfish Double Hookups

One of the toughest challenges in sport fishing is taming a multiple hook up of two or more sailfish. According to Sanchez, the secret is predicting the direction the fish will run. “Most of the time they go south into the current,” he says.

However, when the fish run different directions, “I chase the one that went the wrong direction first.” Sanchez explains the fish swimming north or east will eventually turn south and he can intercept it. Then, with one fish released, he can chase the second fish.  

After releasing multiple fish, Sanchez turns the boat and runs south. “If you get a double or triple, I know there are 20 more down there.” He runs past where he scored the bite and sets out the baits for another shot at the school.

Sanchez expects sailfishing to continue throughout the winter. At the end of February he looks forward to smoker king mackerel mixed in with wahoo and dolphin. He anticipates the arrival of big blackfin tuna with the peak season in April.

The post Winter Kite Fishing off Miami appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Sailfish Boats has added its largest dual-console model yet—the 316 DC—bringing to three the number of models in this series for the brand. “Based on the positive response to our other DC models, we wanted to offer a larger option for boaters seeking the all-around versatility and stability of a dual console model,” says Rob Parmentier, company president and CEO.

Offshore Capable

The 316 DC offers an offshore-capable hull featuring the company’s Variable Degree Stepped (VDS) design with three step angles. The deepest of the three steps features a 24-degree angle designed to slice through the water, with a second surface of 23 degrees enabling air to flow efficiently under the hull for less friction and greater fuel economy. The third and outermost step measures 22 degrees to enhance stability at rest. Power choices include twin Yamaha or Mercury outboards up to 700 total horsepower. The Sailtech construction of the 316 DC incorporates materials including Kevlar, quad axial fiberglass mat, spray core and Trevira to ensure reliability, strength and durability in rough conditions.

Angling Amenities

Fishing features include a spacious aft cockpit made possible by a 9-foot 9-inch beam. A 30-gallon livewell is nestled into the port quarter; a transom door resides on the starboard quarter, and there are two in-sole fish boxes with overboard pumpouts, in addition to a pair of insulated fish lockers, in the bow. The 316 DC boasts a total of 14 rod holders, and an inward opening door on the port side aft cockpit lets you haul aboard a big tuna or swordfish.

Coaming pads encircle the cockpit to cushion legs while fishing. The integrated hardtop boasts a full-height windshield, and a unique sliding center panel for the walk-through blocks the wind when closed and eliminates the need to flip over a heavy pane of glass to access the bow. The 316 DC is equipped with an in-stem anchor roller.

Read Next: Sailfish 320 CC Boat Review

Creature Comforts

The dual-console layout enhances family cruising opportunities, as do a trio of fold-out bench seats in the aft cockpit, aft-facing seats abaft the port and starboard deluxe helm chairs with flip-up bolsters and fold-down armrests, and wraparound loungers in the bow. You can also order the 316 DC with an optional wet bar and summer galley that fits behind the captain’s seat and includes a refrigerator, wine rack cooler, countertop and freshwater sink.

The dash on the starboard console is large enough to accommodate a pair of 12-inch Garmin multifunction displays. The port console houses a spacious step-down head compartment with an electronic marine toilet, vanity, freshwater sink and teak-framed mirror.

Specifications

Sailfish Boats – Cairo, Georgia; 229-377-2125

The post Sailfish 316 DC First Glance appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Stiff east winds buffeted the south Florida coast as I stepped aboard the new Sailfish 320 CC at Miami’s Sea Isle Marina. Michael Cohen from Nautical Ventures, the local Sailfish Boats dealership, welcomed me aboard, and the discussion immediately turned to the weather. “Dang wind,” I cursed. “It’ll be rough out there.”

“Yeah, but this gives us an opportunity to put the 320 CC to the test,” Cohen replied, as we cast off the dock. I sighed and nodded in agreement.

Sailfish Boats has a reputation for building wave-taming boats, thanks to an exclusive Variable Degree Stepped (VDS) hull. Now in its sixth generation, VDS features three distinct running surfaces. The transom deadrise, for example, changes in three 1-degree increments from 24 degrees (a true deep-V) at the very bottom to 22 degrees as it ascends to the hull sides.

Occurring along the length of the stepped hull, this multi-angle geometry helps deliver the soft ride of a deep-V in rough offshore waters (which the 320 CC is designed to fish), but also maximizes speed and fuel-efficiency in smooth water. What’s more, triple strakes and hard chines boost lift and toss aside spray to help ensure a dry ride.

Beefy Build

We’ll talk more about ride and handling later, but first let’s look at how Sailfish builds and equips this boat. Construction starts with a hand-laid stringer grid that’s injected with closed-cell foam and reinforced with fiberglass mat for structural integrity and durability. That explains the solid feel of the boat as we traversed the lumpy water.

Sailfish uses Kevlar- and carbon-fiber-reinforced high-load areas, and avoids using wood to eliminate any worries about rot. Sailfish backs it up with a 10-year warranty on the hull. Built-in rigging tubes with pull cords facilitate the addition of accessories that require running wires or hoses from the bilge to the helm. 

This video tour highlights many of the interior elements of the Sailfish 320 CC, including the bow seating, helm area, cockpit, transom design and deck layout. Jim Hendricks

Helm Heaven

Sailfish has enhanced the 40-inch-wide dash with an upholstered brow, which substantially cuts down on reflected glare. A pair of Garmin 16-inch multifunction displays, a Mercury Vessel View display, a Fusion audio source unit (serving Wet Sound speakers), and an accessory switch panel filled the dash of my test boat. A tilt-and-lock steering wheel lies to port.

I relished the convenient storage nooks at the helm, including a shelf and glove box to starboard. At the base of the console, behind the footrest, I discovered another convenient storage locker, and I really appreciated the full-width watertight tackle-organizer storage locker atop the console. There are also two USB charging ports inside.

To complete this offshore center-console fishing machine, nearly all boating anglers will opt for the available Offshore Tournament Pack II hardtop ($18,804), which includes an overhead electronics box, life-jacket stowage and 10 rod holders. Backing plates are integrated into the hardtop for adding antennas and radar.

A modest acrylic windshield wraps around the console, but I highly recommend the optional, three-piece clear-vinyl enclosure ($3,310) to minimize wind blast while underway.

Bait Up!

I liked the 320 CC’s livewell capacity, which includes a 30-gallon tank in the starboard quarter and a 35-gallon well built into the leaning post abaft the twin high-back adjustable helm seats with flip-up bolsters and fold-down arm rests.

While we did not fish on this blustery test day, I found plenty of room to ice a catch inside twin 65-gallon insulated fish boxes in the bow and an 80-gallon insulated fish locker below the aft deck—all discharge overboard with pumps to evacuate ice melt, blood and slime.

I also discovered built-in rod and tackle storage on both inwales of the aft cockpit. Buyers can also order built-in tackle storage in the leaning post, accessible from the aft side, but this negates the leaning-post livewell, so I don’t recommend this option.

Ride It Out

With the Atlantic festooned with white-capping 7- to 8-foot rollers, we diverted to Biscayne Bay where seas ran 2- to 4-feet to put the 320 CC through its paces. The hull sliced through waves at speed, producing a smooth ride without taking on a drop of spray. Handling proved crisp and predictable, and electric-power-assist hydraulic steering made turns fingertip easy.

In the more sedate waters of the Intracoastal Waterway, the twin Mercury 300 hp Verado V-8 outboards propelled my test boat to a top speed of 51 mph. (In previous testing by Mercury in even calmer seas, the boat reached a top speed of 56 mph.) In my test, the lift generated by the VDS design help vault the 31½-foot hull from zero to 30 mph in six seconds flat.

The 320 CC achieved its best cruising efficiency at 26.4 mph (3,500 rpm), where the outboards burned 16 gallons per hour for 1.65 mpg. Offshore anglers will love the cruising range of 423 miles based on 90 percent of the 285-gallon fuel capacity.

All Decked Out

The 320 CC features a level deck, diamond “dot-matrix” nonskid and a center-console layout with plenty of room to follow a hooked fish while moving between the console and gunwales. With the seating pads removed from the elevated forward area, you can easily step up to battle a fish around the bow or man the anchor.

I found that the optional transom bench ($1,844) quickly tucks against the bulkhead to open up the aft cockpit for fishing, and the standard transom door in the port quarter enables the crew to haul aboard a big tuna or swordfish.

For all of its fishing prowess, the 320 CC can offer a softer side for those who order the optional Comfort Package, which adds an inviting sunpad and lounges in the bow area. There’s also a comfy seat on the forward console with a removable cooler underneath.

Read Next: Sailfish Boats 236 CC

Whether miles offshore or just on a harbor cruise, everyone will appreciate the comforts afforded by the console interior. Accessible via a companionway on the port side, the interior features an electric marine head, vanity with sink and freshwater faucet/pull-out shower fitting, mirror, port light and comfortable SeaDek flooring. I also discovered easy access to the backside of the helm rigging.

I like the style of the 320 CC, particularly the subtle sweep of the shearline and bold Carolina flare. Ultimately, Sailfish Boats’ 320 CC merges a wave-taming hull design, state-of-the-art construction, and a versatile offshore fishing layout in a package that offers superb performance, fuel efficiency and comfort.

Performance

Hull

Sailfish Boats – Cairo, Georgia

The post Sailfish 320 CC Boat Review appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Proponents of Florida Keys fishing claim it’s among the best in the world, and two captains working out of Marathon on May 23 proved that’s not just hyperbole when each set amazing records for sailfish releases.

Read Next: Sailfish Secrets Revealed in New Study

“The Florida Keys sailfish-release record was broken twice in one day by two different boats,” Capt. Barry Meyer (Magic Charters) tells Sport Fishing.

The day proved windy, rainy — and “every sailfish enthusiast’s sight-casting dream come true!” Barry says. And Capt. Marty Lewis on the charter Main Attraction took full advantage of that. His anglers — Digger and Samantha Rodamer, Thomas Torres, Jimmy David and Lauren Parker — went to work, and when the dust had settled at day’s end, the boat had 61 release flags flying. That broke the standing Keys record of 57 releases in a single day, Barry says.

At the same time, anglers aboard the 39 SeaVee Silent Hunter with Capt. BJ Meyer (who specializes in sight-fishing blue water) were releasing sails hand-over-fist. Anglers Cody Carbie, Kevin McKeon, Mike Taute, Anthony Mora and James Keane finished the day with 65 sailfish releases, now standing as the new Keys record, according to Barry.

The apparent single-day sailfish-release record statewide is 83 caught on Feb. 3, 1980, off Palm Beach by the boat Elbo 7 according to West Palm Beach Fishing Club archives.

The post Record 65 Sailfish Releases in One Day! appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

High-stakes South Florida tournaments draw some of the best sailfish anglers in the world each winter. Ultra-competitive fishermen work together strategically as teams, hooking, fighting and releasing as many sailfish as possible via methods such as kite-fishing, live-baiting and slow-trolling. Tournament rules also maximize sport by limiting line-class weight, mandating circle-hook use, and minimizing release times at the boat.

The fertile, sometimes hostile testing grounds provide vital feedback to companies that make fishing reels. Manufacturers have implemented specific features in modern sailfish conventional reels — features not present in ordinary lever drags — based on lessons learned on the tourney trail. Here are the latest specifications for today’s light-line, light-drag reels that make them slayers when fishing for sailfish.

Max Capacity

For kite-fishing, or even to allow one sailfish to run from the boat while another is hooked up, robust line capacity is essential. At least 450 to 500 yards of 20-pound mono is necessary for line-pulling sails, though some fishing reels offer 800- or 900-plus yards.

“You’re also going to be handling the setups a lot,” says Mike Rice, brand director for Penn, “moving them around, fighting fish in the cockpit. You want something that doesn’t weigh you down and holds a ton of line.”

One common South Florida sail tactic is kite-fishing, which utilizes considerable line just to reach the kite clip. Then, from the kite clip, the live baitfish must hang down to reach the water’s surface. The monofilament main line makes up two parts of a right triangle, leaving just the adjacent (water) side. The ­hypotenuse is the main mono line that goes from the kite clip to rod tip.

When double or even triple hookups occur after a pack of sailfish maraud the spread, mates focus on catching one sailfish, meanwhile allowing the other hooked sails to run away from the boat on light drag to keep them from tangling other lines. Both situations require major line capacity.

“The Accurate BXL-600 is suited for trolling, live-baiting or kite-fishing,” says Ben Secrest, vice president of marketing at Accurate. “A 6.1 gear ratio, coupled with 550 yards of 20-pound mono built into a lightweight aluminum frame, makes it a reel to fish all day.”

Because sailfishermen rely regularly on mono main line, some savvy manufacturers have tweaked lever-drag spools to account for monofilament’s thick diameter and stretchiness.

“The potential problem comes with the stretch factor of monofilament,” says John Bretza, director of product development at Okuma Fishing. “A sailfish rips out several hundred yards of line, [and] then, under heavy pressure from the fish, your line gets packed back on the spool much tighter. When designing the spools for our Andros SSE models, this consideration was a key factor in optimizing the reel specifically for the 20-pound monofilament line class not to crack the sidewalls of the spool from the extreme pressures.”

A Smooth Drag

Sailfish drags require precise settings that easily let line out or pick line up, especially when adjusting line lengths while kite-fishing. When dropping back baits or casting to tailing fish, free-spool becomes a major consideration. Just as importantly, the reel’s drag curve should be smooth and consistent, with only minor start-up drag pressure.

“The Fin-Nor Marquesa (MA30TP) sailfish model’s drag system is designed to operate in the sweet spot for sailfish,” says Chris Littau, manager of product and technology strategy at Zebco. “When you set the strike roughly between 4 and 10 pounds, it has a perfectly linear curve. Back off to half of the strike, and you will have exactly half the strike setting.

“If you used a reel designed for heavy drag (like a standard Marquesa) and set the strike below 8 pounds, when you backed off the lever, it would go to free-spool before getting to the free-spool position.”

Besides free-spool concerns, the drag settings must be sensitive but also surprisingly light. Shimano’s Talica 20 BFC maxes out at 15 pounds but has a sweet spot near 4 to 5 pounds. Most sailfish-specific conventionals don’t have more than 20 pounds of drag, except for some sailfish/white marlin crossovers like the Penn Fathom Lever Drag 40N High Speed or Accurate BXL-600. The idea behind the increased drag on these types of fishing reels is to give the angler a chance if a bigger marlin or tuna grabs an offering while white marlin fishing.

Sailfish reels simply require lower drag ratings, says Secrest. Anglers are looking for smooth, steady drags without initial start-up inertia that can cost anglers fish during the hook-set.

“The Andros SSE is optimized to fish 3 to 5 pounds of drag pressure at strike with a very gradual increase from free-spool to the strike position,” says Bretza. “This is important because tournament sailfish anglers use circle hooks. With a strong, aggressive drag cam that ramps up quickly (as for tuna), circle hooks can easily pull loose.”

To achieve a lower drag output with a gradual ramp-up, a custom drag cam is required. The Shimano Talica 20 BFC actually comes with two interchangeable cams, one traditional and one specialized for sailfishing, says Capt. Seth Funt, a Shimano pro staffer.

Okuma calls its specialized cam the Tournament drag cam. It adjusts how aggressively the drag engages when moving from free-spool to strike to full position.

Best Pickup Line

A sailfish’s advantage is speed, and if your tackle is not suited to the species, the advantage turns to the billfish. Reels like Shimano’s Talica 20 BFC are built for the sailfish tournament circuit, with specs such as a 6.7-to-1 gear ratio, 60 inches of line retrieved per crank, and only 3 pounds of minimum drag at strike.

“With fast line pickup, anglers can react quickly to a sailfish changing directions or charging the boat,” Rice points out. “For gear ratio, faster is better. Anglers don’t grind sails to the boat, so they don’t need the lower-speed, higher-torque ratios.”

The larger the spool diameter, the more line a fishing reel crank picks up with every turn of the handle. “Most anglers get so caught up in gear ratio that they only look into the speed of the reel,” says Bretza. “In a sailfish reel, both gear ratio and spool diameter need to be considered.”

When a bait gets knocked out of the kite clip, the angler’s goal is to remove the slack line and come tight to the fish quickly. Think of it as the last side of the triangle, the leg adjacent to the hypotenuse mentioned earlier. A quick line retrieve allows your circle hook to catch in the corner of the fish’s mouth.

“Now think about a situation of multiple hookups during a tournament,” says Bretza, “and line retrieve quickly becomes a vital factor in landing all those fish.”

Most of us aren’t regular ­tournament sailfish anglers, but we’ll gladly benefit from those high-stakes environments for which today’s specially designed sailfish lever drags were born.

Alutecnos’ Albacore 20 Veloce Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 48
Ball bearings: 5
Mono-line capacity: 925 yards
Max drag: 18 pounds
Weight: 29.2 ounces
Price: $599

Accurate’s Boss Xtra Light BXL-600 Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 33
Ball bearings: 6
Mono-line capacity: 550 yards
Max drag: 20 pounds
Weight: 26 ounces
Price: $489

Daiwa’s Saltist Hyper Speed STTLD50HSH Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 52.6
Ball bearings: 8
Mono-line capacity: 450 yards
Max drag: 26.4 pounds
Weight: 21.7 ounces
Price: $300

(Photo not available.)

Fin-Nor’s Marquesa MA30TP Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 53.1
Ball bearings: 6
Mono-line capacity: 450 yards
Max drag: 22 pounds
Weight: 27.4 ounces
Price: $360

Okuma’s Andros Special Edition A-16SSE Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 58.5
Ball bearings: 6
Mono-line capacity: 870 yards
Max drag: 10 pounds
Weight: 30.6 ounces
Price: $350

Penn’s Fathom Lever Drag 40N High Speed FTH40NLDHS Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 60
Ball bearings: 5
Mono-line capacity: 500 yards
Max drag: 40 pounds
Weight: 24.7 ounces
Price: $250

Shimano’s Talica 20 BFC TAC20BFC Fishing Reel

Inches per turn: 60
Ball bearings: 6
Mono-line capacity: 640 yards
Max drag: 15 pounds
Weight: 28.1 ounces
Price: $820

The post Best Fishing Reels to Catch Sailfish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The Green Welcome

Scenic Drive

Local Fauna

Morning Start

Into the Blue

Perfectly Prepared

Sail On!

Pacific Pelagic

Tag Time

Cha-Ching!

Write Stuff

Hammer Down

End Game

Catching Dinner

Spreading the Wealth

Body Count

Dock Talk

Billfish Bath

Technical Gear

Slimy Catch

Reef Wrangling

Pacific Red

Denizen of the Deep-ish

Bait String

Needle Work

Popping Gallos

Dream Catch

Productive Plug

Wow Fish

Say Cheese

Perfect Pose

Picture of Paradise

Hasta la Vista

The post Hot Summer Action: Costa Rica appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

jumping sailfish

“Amazing” is a term easily bandied about, but for the Lobito Big Game Tournament**** off southern Angola just ended, it applies both for the number of sailfish and their size.

A total of 51 boats over four days caught 514 sails and seven blue marlin, releasing all but three fish (two of which are pending world records). The top boat (Tudo Fishing Team) released 43 sails.

IGFA representative in Angola Iain Nicolson tells Sport Fishing that this has to be the highest total for sailfish for any west African tournament.

Particularly surprising was the size of these Atlantic sails, he adds, with many of the fish clearly into three digits. Some were far heavier, notably the 142-pound, 6-ounce fish caught my Marco Couto on day three, which if approved, beats by about a pound the current IGFA all-tackle world-record Atlantic sail — also caught off Angola. It would also become the new 30-pound-class record.

The pending new 20-pound record for women involves quite a story, according to Nicolson. Way back in 1974, Luisa Baptista caught a 78-pound, 11-ounce sailfish off Angola that became the women’s 20-pound record. It was later broken by a 106-pound sail. Just before the Lobito tourney began, a lady angler caught a monster 136-pound, 11-ounce sail on 20-pound that, once approved, will give her back the line-class world record. The angler? Luisa Baptista, beating her own record after 40 years. What’s more, she caught it on the very same Everol reel she used in 1974.

“It was an extraordinary week!” Nicolson says.

The post Amazing Sailfish Tournament Ends with Pending All-Tackle Record appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Tred Barta Learns to Find Fish via Cellphone

Recently, while fishing out of Islamorada, Florida, on the 33-foot Sweetwater with Capt. Geoffrey Campbell and mate Charlie Tindall, I encountered a fishing style that blew me out of my wheelchair ­— a style so ­seemingly reckless and foreign to me that for a good portion of the day I considered it a joke, right up to the point we ­started catching fish.

Upon arriving at the transom of the Sweetwater, I gazed at more than 35 rods rigged for various disciplines, including for spinning, light trolling, deep-dropping, Sabikis, daytime swordfish dropping with electric reels, and three blue marlin rods with bent butts.

I split the charter with two brothers, Andrew and Larry Baxter from New Jersey. As we pulled out, both crew appeared to have a brace of cellphones apiece, and both were talking on them while maneuvering out of Sportsman Marina. We then stopped three times on the way to catch bait so both could review text messages, voice mail and something called tweets. At this point, I was getting pissed.

Just as we put the chum bag out to attract bait, the crew again checked their messages, texts and tweets. Then suddenly, the chum bag came out of the water, and we were off to another location.

When we arrived, two boats were bailing the bait, and we moved in extremely close to one of Campbell’s ­buddies. In less than 10 minutes using cast nets, the crew filled three huge baitwells with pilchards, cigar ­minnows, ­ballyhoo, small jacks and pinfish.

We then headed off in pursuit of blackfin tuna, but changed direction four times while the text messages seemed to be burn up the cellphones. Once we arrived, I couldn’t stand it anymore and yelled at the captain, “Who in the hell are you talking to on those cellphones, and when are we gonna fish?”

Just as I said that, Tindall cast a ballyhoo and passed me the rod. Then he cast a second bait, and a sailfish ­engulfed it. I hooked a second fish, and it put on a magnificent show before shaking the hook.

We were in a great spot, and the sailfish were biting full speed.

But as we landed a sailfish, out come the cellphones. The captains told us to reel in — we were leaving. I couldn’t believe it. We were leaving fish to find fish.

Balls to the wall, we ran another six miles north. There we found showering bait everywhere we looked. ­Campbell’s buddy in the center-console had caught and released five sails, and had two hanging. Another buddy’s boat had released six.

Campbell looked at me again with one cellphone to his ear (while texting on another) and said: “The tide is changing on the Islamorada Hump. It’s an 18-mile run. You want to catch sailfish here or blackfin there?” I ­conferenced with Andrew and Larry, and we agreed to go for blackfin.

As we charged farther offshore, the boat changed course by 30 degrees three times. The four phones were ­blowing up with texts. We finally reached the Hump. The captain pulled up-current of the spot, Tindall threw out some live bait to chum, and the blackfin erupted. Over the next two hours, we landed 30 tuna until the sharks put an end to the show.

This style of electronic run-and-gun fishing is incredibly foreign to me. I’m not quite sure I like it. But the ­Sweetwater crew is expert at it. They use the buddy system to put them in the right place at the right time. They are ultraprofessional, and are prepared with live bait, chum, lunch, ice, any kind of rod and reel you might need, and the knowledge to put it together for a successful day of fishing.

Still, whatever happened to finding a frigate bird, throwing five ballyhoo underneath it, and working the area for seven hours? Come to think of it, the Sweetwater‘s style of fishing probably works better. God, that hurts.

Till next tide,

Capt. Tred Barta

For all things Tred, go to tredbarta.com.

The post Finding Fish with Smartphones Impresses Tred Barta appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

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Once upon a time, you never found boats with pilothouse enclosures very far outside the confines of the Northeast and Northwest – colder climates where shelter is appreciated even in summer. Times have changed, however, and you now find house models even in the tropics where air conditioning combines with spray protection in such structures.

The new Sailfish 2660 CC Pilot House adapted the running surface of the 2660 CC to accept the hard-framed doors and gunwale straps that create useful spray wings – an old-timey shield in warmer climes.

Families will particularly appreciate the higher gunwales that keep small kids safe aboard as well as the deep (removable) transom quarter seats and additional forward seating for up to eight people. Fishing features include large fish boxes, a 30-gallon transom livewell, a 35-gallon leaning-post livewell, downrigger ball holders and more rod storage than most boats this size. Additional dry-storage lockers can be found under the forward seating as well as beneath the foredeck. And you’ll find special storage niches for five-gallon pails in which you can stow your messy cast nets.

Sailfish builds boats with a combination of 24- and 36-ounce mat and woven roving bonded with polyester resin. The company carves its Compsys stringer system (stringers and bulkheads) with a five-axis CNC router and then encapsulates those high-density, closed-cell-foam parts with fiberglass. Finally, Sailfish mounts Yamaha outboard power on the composite transom of every 2660.

Sailfish has a quiet reputation for being a solid, well-designed boat for a very fair price. That’s a reputation anyone would like to tout.

LOA…… 28 ft. 2 in.
BEAM…… 9 ft.
DRAFT…… 1 ft. 6 in.
DEADRISE…… 24 deg.
WEIGHT…… 6,700 lb.
FUEL…… 200 gal.
MAX POWER…… Twin 250 hp OB
MSRP…… $103,352 (w/ twin 150 hp OB)

Sailfish Boats / Cairo, Georgia / 229-377-2125 / www.sailfishboats.com

The post Sailfish 2660 Center Console Pilot House First Glance appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.