Packing for a fishing trip to any destination — especially a remote one — can be an exercise in strategy and patience. Airline luggage limits were not designed with anglers in mind, and whittling down our home fishing kits to the basics of what we need when in a new location is not a simple undertaking. I’ve been traveling the globe for 15 years, fishing on six continents as a photographer, writer, and lodge manager, and I’m still changing and adapting my packing lists to each new job and destination.

If you’re traveling with an outfitter or a lodge, they should provide you with a basic packing list suited to the fishery. These lists tend to do a pretty good job of covering the basics: tackle, clothing, and other assorted equipment. I find they don’t cover everything however, including medical supplies and personal care to keep yourself healthy and hydrated during long fishing and travel days.

For every single trip — from the jungles of the Amazon to the Russian tundra — I always pack along a good medical kit including a tourniquet, suture kit, and clean, sterile syringes. Beyond field care, even if I end up in a hospital getting an IV or stitches, I want to know the needles are clean and haven’t been used on someone else. (It’s more common than you might think, especially in certain regions of the world.) I also pack along electrolytes to prevent dehydration, bug protection, and sunscreen for body, face, and lips to protect what’s not covered by clothing. Even in cold climates, long hours in the sun can add up surprisingly quickly.

My packing lists are comprehensive for each trip and job, but I wanted to provide a run-down of a few key categories you should consider when booking your next destination trip. While this is by no means all-inclusive, here are key items you should consider bringing along on your next destination fishing trip, especially if it’s to a remote locale.

A Water-Resistant Duffel

Soft-sided duffel bags are often vastly preferable to hard-sided luggage for remote locations. Small bush planes, helicopters, and even small transfer boats will often not load oversize hard-sided luggage. Duffels can more easily mold to limited space. Yes, there are many models available with wheels if you’re not keen on carrying it over your shoulder. Ideally, look for a duffel made of a water-resistant or even waterproof material from makers such as Simms. You never know when it’s going to get stuck sitting on the tarmac in the rain while waiting to be loaded up.

It’s also worthwhile investing in small “cube”-style packing organizers. Travel enough, and eventually you’ll be emptying your luggage in front of some customs official in a busy airport. Ensuring everything is organized internally will help you stay organized throughout the course of your trip while also limiting theft opportunities when all your necessities are spread out over the conveyer belt.

A Dry Bag or Backpack

By its very nature, fishing is a wet pursuit. We’re either working on or around water, or caught out in the elements when a nasty storm pops up. Do yourself a favor and invest in a waterproof pack, such as those from YETI, so when that squall approaches, you’re not panicking about how to keep your kit dry. There are plenty of options on the marketplace — from backpacks to hip packs to boat bags — so find one that suits your individual needs and preferences, then take the time to set it up how you like. Adjust the straps. Add carabiners and other accessories as needed.

If you already have a bag you love that isn’t waterproof, throw a small, compressible drybag in one of the pockets. You can throw items that really can’t afford to get wet — such as your phone, camera, wallet, and passport — in the waterproof receptacle when the time comes.

A Rod Case

As discussed plenty, organization is key. Especially if you’re in a remote location where you’ll be living out of your duffel and changing camps every night, there’s no time to unpack each day and “set up” home base. Keeping your personal items and your fishing gear organized is key, so consider traveling with a rod case that allows you to pack multiple rods in socks, along with reels and a small selection of flies or lures. Many airlines will allow you to carry a four-piece rod case on the airplane, as long as it fits the set dimensions for carry-on items, which alleviates the stress of checking expensive gear.

If you’re traveling with one- or two-piece rods, you’ll likely have to invest in a hard-sided plastic rod carrier from makes such as Flambeau Outdoors. Most of the iterations of these carriers are well-padded (though don’t be afraid to glue more foam in there) and can be locked with TSA-approved locks. Be aware you’ll likely have to pay an oversize item fee. Plus, check international airline regulations on “sporting goods” and “oversize items” because sometimes the baggage fees can be upward of $500, depending on your airline and route.

Travel Tackle-Storage System

It’s the age-old fisherman’s question: How do I keep all this stuff organized? And if you think that’s a challenging task at home, be prepared for the challenges to multiply when you’re traveling. Each angler has their own system for keeping terminal tackle and lures organized on the road. Some prefer to invest in boxes and organizational systems, understanding that it’s going to eat away at their packing space. Others condense down, preferring gallon-size plastic baggies to group items together. I fall somewhere in the middle. I utilize my fair share of baggies and dry bags, but I also have a box or two readily accessible and organized.

Find a program that works for you, and familiarize yourself with your own system. Jet lag and overall travel exhaustion makes everything seem harder, and the last thing you want when you’re on location is to not be able to find that one key piece of equipment you know is hiding somewhere in the depths of your bag.

Sunglasses

Eye protection is a core piece of gear that’s vital for every angler in every location. I always pack two pairs of sunglasses: one as a daily driver and one as a spare. Things do happen, and sunglasses do break. Whether you’re stalking bonefish on the flats of Belize or chasing grayling in Swedish Lapland, keeping your eyes relaxed and happy is key to success on the water. Especially when fishing with anglers whose skillset of which I’m uncertain, I prefer frames with full wraparound protection to help prevent any hooks landing where they shouldn’t.

Consider your location, the water, and the conditions as you choose which lenses to pack. Quality polarization is key regardless of lens color, helping to cut the glare and see farther into the water column. I prefer green lenses for inshore and flats use, and blue for bluewater and offshore. Every angler will have their preferences; most sunglasses companies offer helpful guides on their website about which lens color is best-suited to specific uses.

Headwear

On and off the water, we all have our personal preferences for things we put on our heads. I tend to favor the good old-fashioned baseball cap when on the water, relying on the brim to help cut glare and protect from spray, flies, and rain. On chilly days, it’s easy to toss a warm beanie over the cap too. Fishermen will often sport full-brim hats on the water as well, opting for the ear and neck protection. Bottom line: Go with what’s comfortable.

I’m also a big fan of face masks. Sometimes they’re called a buff or neck gaiter. I’ll pull a buff up over the back of my cap to protect neck, ears, and face from extreme sun, and always keep a spare or two in my fishing bag for equipment dust protection, wiping hands, and other uses.

Good Fishing Pliers

You’d be surprised at the uses for a solid set of pliers. Most saltwater anglers will keep a set handy to help unhook fish and cut leader, but pliers can also be a handy bottle opener in a pinch, a tool to help solve engine issues, and so much more. I prefer a pair with built-in cutters (saving me from having to carry separate nippers) and a solid belt sheath that I can either wear or clip to my backpack. Just like all your other gear, be sure to wash pliers well with fresh water at the end of every day in the salt.

Solid Footwear

Footwear is going to be dictated by your location, the conditions, and the trip itself, but this is one area you should not skimp on. A good pair of shoes can make or break your day, especially when you’re exhausted and sore from long travel. For cold-weather trips where I’ll be in waders and hiking a lot, I prefer a supportive wading boot with plenty of ankle support. I always bring along a pair of flats wading shoes on saltwater trips; it took just one trip with cheap wading boots and the resulting infected coral cuts to remind me of the importance of good footwear.

If you’ll be in boats, ensure that your footwear is nonmarking—one of the fastest ways to get on a captain’s naughty list is to mark up his deck.

And be sure you pack along a comfy pair of flip-flops, sneakers, or whatever lounge footwear you favor for hanging at the camp or lodge after the fishing day is done. There are few feelings as good as setting aside sweaty, damp fishing gear and slipping into something dry and comfy at the end of the day.

A Fishing Sun Shirt

Anyone who has spent time in tropical climates needs no reminding of the importance of a solid sun shirt. I always look for tops made with lightweight, quick-drying fabric that will help wick moisture while also providing mechanical sun coverage.

Key sun shirt features on my list? A good, deep hood that will fully cover my ears and can be caped out over the brim of my ballcap, ideally with some sort of cinch so that I can snug it down when we’re making runs in the boat. I also look for sleeves that are long enough to provide good coverage on the back of my hand, and thumb holes that are practical.

Rain Gear

As we discussed above when talking about waterproof bags in the boat, it’s a universally acknowledged truth that, somewhere along the way on almost every fishing trip, you’re going to get wet. Whether it’s an afternoon shower in the Caribbean or a daylong deluge, when the time comes, you’re going to be glad you spent the money for the better-quality rainwear.

I run a few different rain jackets depending on the job (thicker for cold weather, lighter for the tropics), but they all have snug cuffs to help limit water running up my warms, a well-fitting hood, and are long enough to help drain water down over my hips, not just into a pool at the small of my back. Pit zips are also a solid feature for warm climates. Just like everything else on this list, rain gear is a personal-preference call, but know that it is worth investing in gear that will keep you dry through the nastiest weather.

Travel Rod

 Some destinations—especially remote locations—might not have the quality of fishing gear that you’re used to at home. Consider bringing along a travel stick, particularly a light-tackle rod that’s easy to carry and doesn’t take up much space during travel.

One good option is from Shimano, although most rod-makers these days have travel options. Shimano designed its Convergence series of casting and spinning rods to cater to the diverse needs of multispecies anglers. These rods boast quality components and versatile actions, making them suitable for various travel fishing scenarios. The redesigned series features lightweight carbon blanks for sensitivity and power, matched with Fuji reel seats for comfort and improved bite detection.

Two- and four-piece rods are available. The four-piece travel rods come with a travel tube, providing additional protection. Too many anglers have been blindsided when hopping on an unfamiliar charter boat and realizing that the tackle might not be up to snuff. It never hurts to bring a travel rod as insurance.

Satellite Communicator

Although it’s hard to believe in this digital age, some locations around the world are still fairly removed from cell service and Wi-Fi connectivity. Heading into remote destinations, it’s a good idea to be able to reach the outside world should the worst happen. If medical evac is needed or a security situation changes, being able work logistics is critical.

And very little can be accomplished without some communications tether to the outside world. Satellite communicators have become more common and certainly affordable in the past decade. Models such as the Garmin InReach allow users to reach friends and family using two-way messaging. They can be used to help set up an evacuation if necessary. Or use them for something as simple as staying in touch with those at home.  

This list should give you a starting point as you consider your next destination fishing trip. I often recommend people keep a packing list and physically check off items as they are packed into your bag. I have two packing lists open on my computer as I write this for two upcoming jobs in very different fisheries: Iceland and Bolivia. And while the two lists have some overlap there are considerable differences. Having the lists and checking off items as they go into my duffels gives me peace of mind that I’m not forgetting something small but crucial, such as foreign plug adapters.

Whatever you choose to bring along on your trip, make sure it suits your individual needs and preferences. Your list might look very different from mine, and that’s okay—bring what you need, pack for eventualities (within reason), and then go forth knowing you’re prepared. Fishing travel is supposed to be fun.

The post The Essentials of Fishing Travel appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Chub Cay differs from most Bahamas fishing destinations in several notable respects. For one, the extent and accessibility of its bonefish flats is hard to beat. For those who fly in, “When you land at the runway and clear customs, walk back behind the customs house for about 50 feet and you’ll be at the edge of 25 miles of bonefish flats,” says Capt. Rick Murphy.

Murphy, a Florida fishing guide, professional tournament angler and host of the popular Sportsman’s Adventures TV show, has a special and uniquely personal familiarity with Chub Cay fishing. He’s been spending time and fishing there every year since he was a youngster, in the 1960s, when his grandfather built a home on the east side of the island. The Murphy family still owns a renovated house there and keeps several boats on hand to fish flats, reefs and blue water.

Chub Cay, one of the Berry Island group northeast of Andros Island and northwest of Nassau, is also different from many popular Bahamas destinations since it remains private — the island is owned by wealthy Texan George Bishop — and in no way crowded with tourists. While there is a runway that serves several Florida- and Bahamas-based air charters, there are no regularly scheduled commercial flights. Other than via chartered or private aircraft, private boats are the only way to the island.

For sport fishermen, the most significant distinction Chub offers is location, location, location. Immediately around most of the island are flats inhabited by extraordinary schools of bonefish — and not all little guys, either. Just to the south of the island, a mere stone’s toss from the Chub Cay Marina, the bottom drops away in deep azure ocean waters.

“A lot of guys will pull out of the marina, and 500 yards off the beach will put out their lines,” Murphy says. The list of game fish includes pretty much everything the warm Atlantic has to offer, including yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi, white marlin, blue marlin and sailfish. From Chub, one can troll the 15 or so miles west to The Pocket, the magical spot where the abyssal Tongue of the Ocean abuts the coral shallows of Bahama Bank.

Baitfish naturally collect here along the wall that rises abruptly from hundreds of feet to a few fathoms, and predators naturally follow, making it one of the most productive trolling alleys in the Bahamas and Caribbean.

When to Go

While anglers can find some bluewater pelagics here most of the year, the very best time to on hand is February, March and into April, particularly when a southeast breeze pushes bait right against the bank, Murphy says. He recalls that his grandfather, who built here, “loved Chub so much because no matter what the direction of the wind, some place will always be fishable.”

For bonefish, Murphy says the best time starts in early October as temperatures cool and goes through mid-June. It’s not unusual for bonefish hotspots in the Caribbean to boast great numbers of small fish, but at Chub, flats anglers can have the best of worlds.

“That’s the thing that’s so cool here,” says Murphy. “Our average bonefish probably runs 5 pounds. I’ve caught ‘em to 13 on the fly.” He attributes the large size of Chub bones to so much fertile deeper water around the island.

Murphy also cites the reef action he calls “spectacular” here. “Any area where there are drop-offs, you can catch snapper — muttons, yellowtail, cubera, lanes and others — and several types of groupers, plus African pompano, almacos, amberjack and more.” And barracudas, he adds, love to clobber topwater lures. Murphy says drift-jigging is a great way to catch everything. He favors leadheads of ½ to 1½ ounces tipped with Fishbites soft tails.

Planning a Trip

Where to Go and How to Get There: Private boaters make the 150 or so miles to Chub from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale (or a little under 170 from West Palm Beach), but Murphy points out that only about 50 miles is open-water crossing (including the Gulf Stream). Otherwise, most of the run is over the relatively shallow water of the Great Bahama Bank. The full-service marina’s floating docks can accommodate boats from center consoles to 175-foot yachts.

Private aircraft and chartered flights find arrival at Chub’s 5,000-foot airstrip easy, thanks to a small, regular customs office open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Several charter operations provide service to Chub, including Tropic Air Charters, Makers Air and Island Air Charters (all based in Ft. Lauderdale), plus Bahamas Air Tours.

However one arrives at Chub, he or she will find a variety of accommodations offered by Chub Cay Resort. The clubhouse serves as a boutique hotel with 11 rooms. The cabanas feature eight, single, stand-alone units on Sunset Beach. Villas range from two to five bedrooms with varying layouts and views. In addition, some privately owned homes are available to rent.

What to Expect: While fishing-charter services are limited, three well-known longtime bonefish guides — Razor, David and Joe — can put anglers into countless shots at bones. Bonefish are abundant enough that some anglers rent a golf cart to take them along the shore to points from which they can wade out into good action.

In addition to world-class fishing, Chub offers diving of the same caliber. Murphy cites the amazing wall diving in the clear waters, teeming with fish. But he points out that those who would take advantage of it can only get to it on a private boat with their own gear (rental gear is not available). Murphy says anyone wanting more information on fishing Chub is welcome to contact him via murphyslawsportfishing.com.

The post Chub Cay Bahamas: The Big Bonefish Factory appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Colombia’s northern coast can justifiably be called one of the best destinations anywhere on the Pacific coast of South and Central America for serious anglers. Not simply hype, that’s based on a number of elements. For one thing, there just seems to be so many fish around offshore and inshore. One contributing factor has to be the Zona Exclusiva de Pesca Artisanal. Nearly 15 years ago, Colombia designated more than 240 square miles of northern coastline (out to 22.5 miles) exclusively for local artisanal — versus large-scale industrial — fishing. Bahia Solano, where Darien Lodge sits, is situated in the midst of this zone. The lack of pressure from nets and longlines has really paid off.

“It seems like there are always yellowfin and mahi around,” says Beto Mejia, with Fish Colombia of Darien Lodge and other fishing resorts. Unlike fishing resorts in many other South and Central American countries, which must make runs of 15 or 20 miles, pelagics are a very short run off the beach. Meija says lodge captains are removing otoliths (ear bones) of yellowfin, recording sex and otherwise gathering data to help scientists track the tunas’ movements.

While black marlin prowl well offshore, sailfish form huge pods in the spring, feeding on shoals of sardines. But again, not the usual 20-mile run that sailfish enthusiasts widely face; these are often within a half-mile of the beach, where anglers sight-cast lures, flies and live baits to them.
    
The pristine, sandy and rock-strewn coast here offers a wealth of opportunities for nearshore game fish including roosterfish and cubera snapper, as well as African pompano, jacks, mullet snapper, bluefin trevally and Sierra mackerel. Along the shore and in the many estuaries, anglers connect with some impressive snook and orangemouth corvina as well as tarpon — the latter not as an oddity as it once was. Mejia reports seeing baby tarpon in estuaries and assumes the species is indeed breeding here.

Darien Lodge boats have also been targeting grouper and other deep dwellers, dropping baits and jigs into 200 to 800 feet of water just two or three miles out from the lodge, with an abundance of productive spots to fish.

Yet another appealing aspect of fishing this stretch of the Colombian coastline is the lack of competition. Unlike many productive South and Central American areas where dozens of boats head out each morning, Darien Lodge boats have the waters largely to themselves.

The headlines out of Colombia in 2022 seemed to spell doom for the country’s sportfishing industry — ”Colombia bans sport fishing,” and so on. Meija is adamant that the law — driven by urban “fish huggers” — will not stand for long, but more importantly, it has not been a problem. On the coast (versus in the city), people are well aware of the tremendous economic importance of sport fishing, so there’s little effort to enforce such a “backwards” law and no problem finding ways around it. One example is the gathering of scientific data, as Darien Lodge captains are doing, making fishing a research-oriented activity.

Getting to Darien Lodge is straightforward enough, starting with a flight into Medellin’s international airport. From there, airport pickup is provided and takes anglers to the Diez Hotel to overnight. Next morning: A short flight from Medellin to Bahia Solano. For more information, visit fishcolombia.com/darien-lodge.

About that sport fishing ban: Council officers continue to collaborate on addressing the disturbing news from Colombia, whereas previously reported, recreational fishing was declared unconstitutional by the nation’s Constitutional Court on May 2, 2022. Conservation Committee Chairman, Pedro Rodriguez, reports that the law is officially under effect; however, due to pressure from recreational angling groups the Colombian National Aquaculture and Fishing Authority (AUNAP) is working toward a new ruling to make recreational fishing possible. The concept is to turn recreational anglers and industry related businesses into scientific aides assisting on fisheries monitoring. Anglers would then be able to fish and upload information on each catch (fish size, weight, location, etc.) onto a central database to help assist fisheries management agencies. For additional information, including how to get involved, and to get in touch with the Council regarding this matter please contact IGFA Marketing Manager Andy Saldana at asaldana@igfa.org.

The post Unreal Fishing off Colombia’s Northern Pacific Coast appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

It’s every anglers dream: a trip to Alaska. Just the thought of bouts with salmon and halibut near breaching whales and soaring bald eagles stirs the soul. Alaska’s phenomenal bounties of wildlife and sea life beckon; here are six options to turn that dream into a reality. Although you could, in theory, explore 6,640 miles of Alaska coastline — more than all the other 49 states combined — the best fishing experiences happen along the state’s southeast and southwest coasts from May to mid-September. North of the Arctic Circle, you’ll find a dearth of fishing lodges and elements more severe; most traveling anglers find it far more satisfying to base fish fights out of lodges where a cozy bed, good eats and experienced guides can tip a trip into the unforgettable zone. Another coastal benefit is that salmon migrate up rivers to spawn, allowing bountiful inshore fishing for them as well. To help with the challenge of selecting a premier Alaska fishing experience, the following lodges (listed alphabetically) offer a mix of locations that aim to please. (Note: Always check before booking for current rates and seasonal specials; unless otherwise noted, all meals are included. Keep in mind that posted rates are often negotiable.)

#1 Alaska’s Boardwalk Lodge

800-764-3918

At the southernmost entrance to the Inside Passage is Ketchikan, with Alaska’s Boardwalk Lodge 35 miles to the southwest, in the lush rainforest on Prince of Wales Island.

• Access: Most flights reach Ketchikan from Seattle, and from there, a scheduled floatplane or ferry gets you to the lodge.
• Accommodations: Eleven rooms, up to 22 guests.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: Five 28-foot cabin cruisers, each with twin 150 Mercury outboards.
• Tackle and Baits: Shimano 700 reels with Shakespeare Ugly Stik rods. For salmon, double-hooked sets with herring, two downriggers for kings, two flat lines for silvers and a fifth line with a flasher.

• Distance to Fish: Halibut 8 to 10 miles; salmon 10 to 15 miles; all usually within a 20-minute run.
• Season: Kings early May to early July; silvers early July to mid-August and scattered through September; pinks and chum July to late August; halibut, lingcod and rockfish June through September.
• Rates: $5,000 per person, double occupancy preferred but not required for two days fishing and three nights; $8,200 for four days fishing and five nights; cost of floatplane or ferry from Ketchikan included.
• Comments: The calm, protected waters of the Inside Passage make for typically comfortable fishing conditions. The lodge features three culinary-school-trained chefs.

#2 Elfin Cove Resort

907-239-2209

Elfin Cove, with a picturesque protected harbor, provides direct access to the Gulf of Alaska and is also close to the fishy waters of Icy Strait and Glacier Bay.

• Access: From Juneau, Elfin Cove is about 100 miles to the west and -reachable only by floatplane or boat.
• Accommodations: Sixteen rooms hold up to 32 guests; Fishmaster’s Inn next door is also owned by Mike Legowski.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: Six boats (five are -catamarans) from 30 to 36 feet, with the 34- and 36-footers powered by Yanmar diesel engines.

• Tackle and Baits: Shakespeare Ugly Stik rods, Shimano TR200 and Tekota 500 reels for salmon, and Shimano Tekota 700 reels for halibut. Mainly fishing cut herring for halibut, lingcod and rockfish; for silvers, a flasher in front of a hoochie lure; and for kings, yellow spoons with pink polka dots.
• Primary Fishing Grounds: It’s usually a run of 10 minutes for silver salmon, a max of 35 minutes for kings, and varies from 10 to 40 minutes for halibut, rockfish and lingcod.
• Targeted Species: Salmon, halibut, lingcod and yelloweye rockfish.

• Season: Kings best May to June; silvers mid July to September; lingcod and yelloweye rockfish midsummer.
• Rates: Three days, two nights with one day of fishing, $1,695; four days, three nights for $3,695 provides two and a half days of fishing; five days, four nights with three fishing days for $4,095; six days, five nights and four days of fishing for $4,695; all rates per person, double occupancy, and includes floatplane from Juneau.
• Comments: Elfin Cove, on the northern section of Chichagof Island, possesses the largest population of bears per square mile in the world. The view from the lodge of Brady Glacier and the Fairweather Range is captivating.

#3 Goodnews River Lodge

907-967-2006

This off-the-beaten-path destination on the southwest coast of the mainland serves up privacy and plenty of shots at trophy-size king salmon.

• Access: A two-hour flight from Anchorage goes directly to the lodge.
• Accommodations: Fifteen cabins cater to a max of 24 anglers, with choices of single or double occupancy.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: Thirteen guides utilize 15 jet boats and three drift boats from 17 to 19 feet equipped with 115- to 150 hp outboards.
• Tackle and Baits: Spin gear matched to quarry sizes and a full complement of fly rods and reels. Preferred spin lures include Jr. ThunderSticks, Brad’s Wigglers and Razors; fly patterns include a variety of streamers and surface poppers.

• Primary Fishing Grounds: Goodnews Bay, where the Bering Sea meets the Goodnews River, and upriver within three minutes of the lodge.
• Targeted Species: All five salmon species plus grayling. King salmon frequently run more than 40 inches.
• Season: Kings, reds (sockeye) and chums end of June to mid-July; pinks third and fourth week of July; silvers fourth week of July through mid September; trout and grayling year-round.
• Rates: $5,250 to $6,950 per person per week, which includes the DC-3 flight from Anchorage.
• Comments: Due to its remote location, these waters are seldom fished by anglers other than lodge guests, and there’s no commercial fishing in the area. Lodge owner Mike Gorton says, “We get huge numbers of kings — as many as 40 to 50 a day, even on fly — and they tend to run large due to the absence of commercial-fishing pressure.”

#4 Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge

907-235-8910

Luxurious cabins, remote splendor and excellent fishing are hallmarks of this upscale resort near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula.

• Access: If not directly to the lodge by helicopter or floatplane, typical arrivals involve a flight or car trip from Anchorage to Homer. Guests are picked up at Homer Boat Harbor for the 30-minute run across Kachemak Bay.
• Accommodations: Five cabins take 10 to 14 guests. The lodge can accommodate up to 16 if the group’s together.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: A 17-foot Boston Whaler with a Honda 90, two 21-foot Boston Whalers with Honda 135s, and two 22-foot aluminum Hewescraft boats with a 150 Yamaha or 200 Suzuki.
• Tackle and Baits: Various brands of 10- to 20-pound spin gear, all provided, though fly–fishermen must bring their own tackle. Artificial baits only, for all species, particularly Vibrax Blue Fox spinners, and spoons including the Pixee, Krocodile and Swedish Pimple.

• Primary Fishing Grounds: Fishing from shore or by boat near the lodge and Kachemak Bay. Trips on separate charter boats can be arranged for fishing Cook Inlet.
• Targeted Species: King and silver salmon, flounder, halibut and various rockfishes.
• Season: Early summer for kings; August to early September for silvers; halibut, flounder and rockfish all summer.
• Rates: Two nights, $2,100 per person; three nights, $2,900 per person; five nights, $4,500 per person; included is the lodge’s boat for pickup in Homer; scheduled floatplane or helicopter additional.
• Comments: It’s been family-owned for three generations and features beautiful ocean and mountain views from every cabin. The lodge is popular with celebrities; Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg recently visited.

#5 Kodiak Raspberry Island Remote Lodge

701-526-1677

Kodiak is well-known for excellent king salmon and halibut fishing on an island also famed for massive brown bears. Lodge owners Tiffany and Birch Robbins serve as hosts.

• Access: Most guests fly from Anchorage to Kodiak, and a launch transports guests to Raspberry Island and the lodge.
• Accommodations: Five cabins with queen and twin beds, with an average of 12 guests per week.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: Custom-built 30- and 37-foot aluminum catamarans equipped with 500- and 600 hp engines, respectively.
• Tackle and Baits: Bottom jigging for halibut and lingcod with Accurate reels and TFO Voo-Doo Daddy rods; trolling for salmon with Accurate reels and Edge rods; fly-fishing for salmon in rivers with Scott and Sage rods and Ross reels; mooching bait or deep jigging with TFO Voo-Doo Daddy rods and Penn reels. Common baits include herring and octopus.

• Primary Fishing Grounds: Forty-five minutes to one hour from lodge.
• Targeted Species: Halibut, rockfish, lingcod and all five salmon species, particularly reds, kings and silvers.
• Season: Reds late May to early June; kings late May through early August; silvers mid-July to mid-August in salt water and late August to mid-September in rivers; halibut late May through mid-September; lingcod July; rockfish late May to mid-September.
• Rate: $3,134 per person for four nights; $4,658 per person for six nights. Transportation to the lodge (mostly by boat, sometimes by floatplane) from Kodiak City included.
• Comments: Non-fishing activities are available, including sea kayaking, hiking and fly-out bear viewing.

#6 Port Ashton Lodge

907-715-7117

The lodge is on a remote island on the outer fringes of Prince William Sound in Sawmill Bay, close to excellent fishing in waters bordering the Gulf of Alaska.

• Access: There are no roads to the lodge; the village of Chenega, with a state-maintained airstrip and ferry service, is 2½miles away. Guests often arrive by floatplane or can be picked up by boat at Chenega Bay to make the short run to the lodge.
• Accommodations: Five cabins total, four of which can handle up to six guests.
• Sport-Fishing Fleet: The lodge does not have its own fleet and instead arranges fishing excursions with charter-boat operators.

• Tackle and Baits: For kings, Capt. Andy Mezirow, of Crackerjack Charters, favors Seeker downrigger rods with Accurate Valiant BV2-500N reels for trolling and 11-foot TFO rods with Islander reels for mooching. For king and silver salmon lures, Mezirow prefers Pesca spoons or Arctic Fox trolling flies. He also trolls with cut-plug herring behind 11-inch flashers.
• Primary Fishing Grounds: Passages near the lodge in Prince William Sound, or a 30-minute run to Montague Island.

• Targeted Species: King salmon, silver salmon, halibut, lingcod and many species of rockfish.
• Season: June is prime for kings; silvers and schools of lingcod show up in increasing numbers then as well; halibut and rockfish all summer.
• Rates: One or two guests in one of the cabins for $312 per night, and up to seven in three larger cabins at $156 per person. Catered meals are extra, as are charter fees for fishing.
• Comments: Dockside fish-cleaning station, limited Wi-Fi, saltwater hot tub.

More fishing from Prince William Sound here:

To contact these lodges:

• Alaska’s Boardwalk Lodge
• Elfin Cove Resort
• Goodnews River Lodge
• Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge
• Kodiak Raspberry Island Remote Lodge
• Port Ashton Lodge

The post Fishing Alaska: 6 Dream Trip Options appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The coastal village of Samara lies within the Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica.

A long, horseshoe-shaped beach rims the Pacific ocean. Large, aggressive roosterfish patrol just outside the surf break, while schools of dorado (mahimahi) cruise nearshore weed lines scavenging for their next meal. The village of Samara is home to a productive nearshore fishery allowing for a variety of sport fish to be targeted. In this galley, SF contributor Dave Lewis shares via photos an idea of what fishing can be like here with Samara Fishing charters, guided by local captain Adrien Martinez.

Strong, beautiful, and tasty. Mahi mahi may be the perfect game fish.

Launching the boat to start the day.

Mahi often school to feed on the small baits that take shelter under floating debris. A cast worked past this tree will smoke out any takers.

At times, dozens of mahi surrounded the boat.

Classic roosterfish fishing — casting lures into the back of heavy Pacific swells as they roll onto the beach.

Want to see more topwater action? Check out 17 great tips in 17 images to help you catch more fish on poppers by Dave Lewis

Roosterfish clearly preferred pink poppers and lures over all the others.

The average-sized roosterfish was 10 to 20 pounds, but anglers caught fish up to 40 pounds and had follows from much larger fish.

A large whale shark that “hung around us for ages so I stripped off and dived in for a swim with him. He was totally unbothered by my presence: priceless!” says the photographer.

One of several small but deadly sea snakes we spotted swimming among the trash and debris of a weed line.

It’s recommended that anglers fit even small casting jigs with decent assist hooks – as the saying goes; elephants eat peanuts.

Many anglers consider Pacific bonito great for sushi.

Hang on tight when a fish with a mouthful of teeth gets out of hand, in this case a Sierra.

After coming across a longline, the guide makes a point to remove it from the water since, in the photographer’s words, “The only good longline, is a dead one.”

“Why?” wonders the photographer. “Wherever I travel in the world always I find trash. Why do people find it so difficult to dispose of their trash responsibly?”

A breathtaking leap from a lit-up mahi.

A turkey vulture basks in the sun on the Samara beach.

• Make sure to check out Dave Lewis’s web page for photos and reports of more great fishing destinations.

The post Fishing Northern Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

A part of French Polynesia, Anaa Atoll sits in the south Pacific Ocean between Mexico and New Zealand.

Sure, “Tahiti” may conjure visions of an island paradise where nubile island maidens cavort ala Mutiny on the Bounty, but for angling enthusiasts, this part of French Polynesia offers visions of a very different sort of paradise — stunning, white-sand flats and rugged reefs teeming with game fish. Anaa Atoll, just over 200 miles east of Tahiti, offers the best of this idyllic fishery. Gavin Hodgson of flatsbag.com has provided SF with 19 images that offer a compelling visual tableau.

Bohar snapper — aka “red bass” in Australia — are a common catch of anglers fishing the reef. These toothy Indo-Pacific snapper are one of the most aggressive game fishes among all species of snapper.

Paradise: Crystal-clear sand flats, pristine islands and, beyond, a stunning reef system.

Most flyrodders here wade the white-sand flats for bonefish like this one.

Nothing lights up an angler’s face like seeing a bluefin trevally crush a fly just below the surface.

Tidal fluctuation is very slight. Sandbars appear and disappear each day.

The weekly flight from Tahiti flies into the small community Airport of Anaa.

The Napoleon wrasse, also known as a humphead wrasse, can grow upward of a few hundred pounds. Even relative babies like this one are known for breaking anglers off in the reef.

Fly fishing the reefs at Anaa Atoll will allow you to catch a mixed bag of fish, like this colorful Napoleon wrasse.

Distinct markings and vibrant colors help the wrasse blend in with the reef.

On occasion, Anaa flyfishers take some time to venture outside the reef for some vertical jigging , a productive tactic for targeting large reef predators, such as this hard-fighting dogtooth tuna.

Bohar snapper of trophy proportions wait on the reef for skiff anglers.

Anglers wander exposed reef, searching for big fish and covering the likely cuts where they might work.

A stunning coral trout, an impressive catch from Anna’s northern tip.

Waiting for the sun to emerge through the clouds, these anglers wade slowly looking for any signs of fish.

A blind cast produces a surprise flounder, this one striking a large streamer as it passed a deep spot on the reef.

Bonefish can be taken off the flats with a stealthy approach and a small fly.

Large Bluefin trevally lurk around the reefs here in Anaa and may quickly snatch up a fast-moving fly.

Anaa Atoll accommodations are simple, clean, and most importantly, idyllic.

Gavin Hodgson of flatsbag.com, getting up-close and personal with the business end of a large snapper.

The post Tahiti, An Indo-Pacific Fishing Paradise appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Anglers traveling to Bimini, Bahamas, should have high fishing expectations. I had the chance to visit North and South Bimini in June 2017. My plans were for an exciting trolling bite, with marlin, sailfish, dolphin, yellowfin tuna and mackerel providing the entertainment. Inshore, I wanted to chase bonefish and permit on crystal clear flats surrounded by untouched mangroves.

But June weather in the tropics is always a gamble, and on this trip, I lost. Thunderstorms rolled across South Florida, the Gulf Stream and pummeled Bimini for a week straight. Bimini definitely gets storms in summer months, but not often for the sustained days we experienced, said Michelle Malcolm, director of public affairs at Hilton at Resorts World Bimini.

There’s nothing Bahamas Tourism or the Hilton could have done to prevent the crushing rain, obnoxious winds and threatening lightning. Chances are you’ve experienced your own bad-weather fishing trip.

Even with fishing trip cancellations and constant threats of thunderstorms, we tried to make the best of foul-weather-gear-worthy conditions. The gallery below might provide some ideas for anglers to help pass time while waiting for the weather window to open.

Our initial flight to the Bahamas was delayed a couple hours because of weather. Maybe I should have treated that as a sign of things to come?

Sport Fishing photographer Zach Stovall and I eventually flew on Silver Airways, a comfy 30-minute flight from the Fort Lauderdale to Bimini airports.

Pictured is another available transportation option to the island: seaplane. The seaplanes land right out in front of the Fisherman’s Village Marina at the resort.

Many offshore anglers cross the Gulf Stream in their personal boats to reach the island. Private vessel owners must check-in with Bahamas customs and immigration, plus have a stamped passport and valid Bahamian fishing permits.

Our first full day of fishing was completely canceled due to dangerous weather and wave conditions. This allowed us to really explore the Resorts World Bimini grounds, which includes different restaurants, shops, bars, full casino, massive marina complex that handles boats up to 180 feet, and a lazy river pool (pictured).

Completely flustered by the weather, we set out to find somewhere to fish on the island. Luckily, a scuba shop at the marina provided rod rentals, and frozen squid was available at a nearby bait shop. They must have thought we were crazy to fish between squalls. I started fishing around the different boat slips, eyeing different colorful snappers and groupers.

This pint-size mangrove snapper was just one of a couple different species we caught, including grunts, blue runners, yellowtail snapper, lane snapper and mutton snapper. At one point, we found an unused pontoon boat with hard top and canvas sides that served as a shelter between fronts. An open window provided great access to fish while it rained.

Probably the best evidence of foul weather and rough seas is large center consoles like this HydraSports Custom docked for the day. This vessel featured four spotless Seven Marine 627 outboard engines.

Coral and fan growth on the floating docks attracted these two hungry angelfish. Turned sideways in the water, they pecked on different corals and sponges for a meal. The twins let us get surprisingly close before darting into the shadows.

Finally, an afternoon weather window opened, allowing us to head offshore. The first place I wanted to explore was the massive drop just outside the inlet. Within swimming distance to shore, ocean depths change from 50 to 700 feet. Nearby, a Yellownfin center console kept pace with us as we trolled skirts and plugs.

Our captain, Chris Munnings, explained anglers can expect to catch marlin, sailfish, mackerel and other species in June. Wahoo show from October to March, and dolphin are a common catch in the late summer months. We trolled skirts and Rapala deep-diving lipped baits along the drop. When yellowtailing, I dropped down a Williamson metal jig, left, in 100 feet to see if anyone was home.

With the trolling bite not happening, we headed to a wind-protected yellowtail snapper spot. Munnings said the trick was to get the yellowtails to show in the chum line. He was not referring to our photographer, Zach, who also made his own chum in the rough conditions.

Fishing above rock and reef, we tried our best to attract fish away from their lairs with healthy doses of chum. But on this day, only chub came to the surface. Live bait is hard to buy around Bimini, so live baitfish must be caught by net or hook-and-line. We dropped back squid chunks, hoping a yellowtail would find our hook.

If the snapper didn’t show, the next best option was to drop down squid chunks as bait to catch baitfish like grunts. The grunts are perfect offerings for large grouper and amberjack.

A couple different times, we were able to get a whole live grunt or chunk of other baitfish to the bottom. Each time, some mysterious monster would slam our bait and take it into the rocks. Munnings mentioned it could be any number of grouper species, including goliath grouper, or giant amberjack.

We spent more time than I care to admit re-rigging after losing fish battles. On one hand, tightening the drag and horsing the fish from the rocks can pull them away from structure. But you risk snapping the line or pulling the hook. Working a fish methodically meant you had no chance at pulling fish away from the structure. We even tried to wait out a couple fish, but they never left their holes after being hooked.

Capt. “Eagle Eyes” Fred Rolle took us fishing one final morning. We made our way out to the Bimini flats, home to massive schools of bonefish and cruising permit. On the way out, we dodged storms while running through lush mangrove tunnels.

But then the rain and lightning reached us, along with winds that topped 18 knots. With the flats white-capping, we were forced to run for cover. Rolle finally anchored us in 4 feet of water inside a bay. Nearby, scientists checked on sharks inside fenced areas as part of Bimini Sharklab research. We tossed fresh dead shrimp behind the boat to see if any bonefish were around.

Fishing from an anchored boat, we had to soak fresh dead shrimp to attract bonefish. Capt. Rolle much rather his boat do the searching, with him on the poling platform, scouting skinny flats. He rigs his shrimp tail first, with the hook buried inside the shrimp.

Capt. Rolle knows bonefish movement patterns better than anyone on the island, and soon one of our rods bent over like a whip snapping in the air. I grabbed the rod and fought a bonefish to the boat that had no business pulling as hard as it did. The bonefish was just a couple pounds, but the whole boat felt relieved and justified after catching a fish in such conditions.

The next hookup wasn’t a bonefish. This fish had more weight and stayed close to the bottom. Capt. Rolle thought it might be a stubborn stingray hunkered down in the grass. Soon the fish took off, and Rolle had to chase after it with the outboard. Eventually, the fish tired and stubbornly circled the boat.

Was it a permit that bit our shrimp? Nope, the mysterious fish turned out to be a fun-size jack crevalle of about 15 pounds. The jack completed our day of fishing, and we soon returned back to the docks at the Hilton.

The day we left the resort it was beautiful outside, with enough sun to light up the waters in dark and light blue hues. Boats emptied the marina behind the casino at the Hilton resort. Pictured, yachts and a number of straggler World Cats remained at their slips before heading offshore. A World Cat boat owners event occurred the same days we stayed, and some of the stories they told crossing the Gulf Stream were harrowing.

I can’t wait to get back to Bimini soon to truly experience the world-class fishing the island has to offer.

The post Saltwater Fishing in Bad Weather appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The remarkable story of Southern California’s 2015 and ’16 bluefin tuna seasons unfolds in chapters, each revealing new twists in tackle and techniques — methods that constantly evolved as schools of large, powerful Pacific bluefin roamed off the coast, adopting new feeding habits, becoming increasingly wary and growing to nearly 300 pounds.

From run‑and‑gun‑style fishing to trolling with kites, from casting poppers and jigs to live-baiting with mackerel and squid, tactics and gear changed rapidly.

Perhaps most important, this story might not be over, as reports at press time indicate the schools of big tuna are still around, having wintered far offshore. Lessons learned over the past two years could pay dividends as anglers get another chance to target the fish of a lifetime if and when these tuna move closer to the coast. To set the facts straight, neither 2015 nor 2016 was the best year on record when it came to numbers of Pacific bluefin tuna caught by California recreational anglers. In 2013, for example, passenger boats reported landing 63,702 fish, according to records maintained by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. However, keep in mind that most of the fish in 2013 were less than 50 pounds and fairly easy to land, and there was a 10-fish daily bag limit. In addition, the CDFW records do not include private‑boat catches.

In 2015, the first year of the state’s two-fish daily per person limit for bluefin tuna, a reported 21,345 bluefin were caught, and in 2016 it was down to 9,306 fish. Yet the 2016 season set the benchmark for size. “The bluefin tuna fishery was off the charts for quality,” says Steve Crooke, a retired marine biologist with the CDFW. “The size of the fish definitely affects the numbers of fish that are landed.”

The loss rate was high. Many anglers were undergunned and ill-prepared for the size of these tuna. Crooke himself went zero for four on big bluefin one day last September while fishing aboard the party boat Cortez at Desperation Reef off the east end of San Clemente Island.

Private-boat anglers have an advantage over the passenger-boat fleet when it comes to landing big tuna. With a private boat, you can chase the fish and use boat-handling techniques to land it more quickly versus a stationary boat full of other anglers.

Great Bluefin Tuna Fishing Started in 2015

The big-bluefin bonanza began in May 2015, with schools found between the coast and San Clemente Island. Good fishing carried through December for anglers who ventured out to distant banks — Cortez (about 110 miles from Point Loma) and Tanner (about 120 miles from Point Loma). Rough weather in late winter and early spring eventually kept anglers away from the fish, so effectively tracking the schools became nearly impossible.

Anglers rediscovered the fish in June 2016 around the offshore banks just below the Mexican border. But they soon swung up the coast. By late July, the bluefin were within easy reach of ports such as San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, Oceanside Harbor, Dana Point Harbor, Long Beach Harbor and even Marina del Rey.

In June, 50- to 80-pounders were the norm. But by July, many fish broke the century mark. Later in the summer, 200-pound-plus fish began to show. By fall, anglers were landing fish nearing 300 pounds.

On many days, the waters were literally bursting with bluefin. Huge schools churned the water into an acre or more of roaring foam, annihilating densely packed baitballs, then sinking away, leaving the surface water a milky turquoise and glittering with scales of the departed prey.

“When you see those ‘foamers,’ it’s one of the most exciting forms of fishing you can experience,” says Ben Secrest, vice president of marketing for Accurate Fishing Products. Secrest and Accurate owner David Nilsen joined me aboard my boat in late July, and we found those rampaging schools. We landed a 100-pounder, but lost a bigger tuna when the fish chewed through the 60-pound fluorocarbon leader. That was just the start last year for Team Accurate, which scored several big bluefin, including a season-best 274-pounder.

To the delight of anglers, these schools of Pacific bluefin tuna stayed fairly close to the Southern California coast from midsummer into early winter. This is the story of last year and what experts forecast for the season ahead.

High Numbers of Bluefin Tuna

Although the number of fish anglers have been able to land is down from previous years, the sheer volume of Pacific bluefin tuna off the coast of Southern California seems to defy science. Conservation organizations warn of dwindling stocks, and the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned to declare the Pacific bluefin tuna an endangered species, but Southern California anglers have seen more of these fish than anyone can recall.

“We saw quite a few schools of bluefin tuna, many more than we have observed in the past,” says Chugey Sepulveda, Ph.D., director and senior scientist for the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research in Oceanside, California.

Sepulveda is careful to qualify his statement. “From our perspective, it’s difficult to know how many were here as we only observe surface fish and several schools are observed more than once,” he adds. “Thankfully, the schools stuck around and gave everyone a great season.”

Indeed, many anglers who had never previously caught bluefin were bringing in a big fish or two. Perennial high-liners, such as Greg Stotesbury, national sales manager for AFTCO, enjoyed immense success. In 2015, Stotesbury and crew caught 30 bluefin up to 131 pounds, and in 2016, that number grew to 40 fish up to 205 pounds.

More Red Crabs Equals More Bluefin Tuna

Conventional scientific thinking held that this population of bluefin tuna typically migrated in a counterclockwise rotational pattern around the North Pacific, moving up the West Coast of North America and across to Japan, eventually circling back to North America.

Yet, these fish seem to have taken up residence off the southern coast of the Golden State. What’s holding them here? Two words: red crabs.

The bluefin schools seem to aggregate in areas that have moderate to heavy red crab density, according to Sepulveda. A super abundance of these pelagic crustaceans (also known as tuna crabs) appears to have provided a steady food supply.

What brings the red crabs to this coast is anyone’s guess, but these mini-lobsterlike creatures form massive schools that can stretch for miles, marking so distinctly on fish finders that the shoals of biomass look like the ocean floor.

Sometimes the crabs wash ashore, blanketing beaches and clogging harbors. More often you find them offshore, hovering anywhere from the surface down to the thermocline, and there’s no doubt that bluefin feed heavily upon them.

“We’ve cut open the stomachs of bluefin we’ve caught and found them jammed with half-digested red crabs,” says Dave Pfeiffer, president and CEO at Shimano America.

That’s not to say that bluefin feed exclusively on red crabs. To the contrary, anglers have hooked them on a wide range of baits and lures — and virtually none on red crabs — but the crabs seem to be providing the staple diet that keeps the tuna from leaving.

How to Find Bluefin Tuna

Much of the June and July action consisted of scouting for signs of surface fish, including fluttering and dipping terns, all-out foamers and so-called “breezers” — schools of bluefin pushing wakes and flashing their silvery flanks while cruising near the surface. The goal is to intercept a school and cast lures to the fish.

It was in this scenario that Nilsen, Secrest and I found ourselves last July. By 9 a.m. we had found several schools of crashing tuna about 30 miles off Dana Point. We had tied on poppers such as the Shimano Pop Orca, Williamson Popper Pro and Yo-Zuri Big Game Bull Popper as many fish had been caught on these surface baits in the days and weeks earlier. But this day, the tuna seemed to ignore them.

These tuna were feeding on schools of 3-inch-long anchovies, so Secrest suggested we switch to small metal jigs such as Ahi Deception, Megabait, Magic Metals and the Shimano Colt Sniper. Soon after the switch, we intercepted a crashing school of tuna and Nilsen hooked up on his first cast across the foaming fish.

Long casts are critical in this style of fishing. Although serious Southern California saltwater anglers have long resisted spinning gear, many now see the virtue of spinning reels with matching rods for casting small, light jigs and poppers to groups of tuna.

“It’s important to cast the lure past the school and then work it back through them,” Pfeiffer says. “That requires a long, accurate cast. An optimized spinning outfit is the best tool for throwing a relatively light lure a long distance.”

One such combination is a Shimano Stella 14000 or 18000 saltwater spinning reel with a rod such as a Shimano Terez 78XH, says Pfeiffer, who loads the reel with 65- to 80-pound PowerPro braided line and 80- to 100-pound fluorocarbon leader. Stella reels possess powerful drags, and the 7-foot-8-inch Terez offers plenty of lifting power for battling a 200-plus-pound bluefin. Adding an AFTCO Spin Strap lets you use a harness for added leverage when battling such powerful fish with spinning gear.

How to Approach a School of Bluefin Tuna

One lesson learned by savvy anglers during the run-and-gun phase of this fishery is that stealth and patience are critical factors to success. Although fast boats offer an advantage in chasing schools of fish, too many throttle jockeys charge in hot and put down the fish before they even have a chance to cast, says Secrest. “Rather than charging at the school, try to circle around well upwind of the fish and shut down the motor, then wait for them to come to you,” says Secrest. “It doesn’t always work, but often you become part of the environment and, if you’re lucky, the feeding bluefin will come right to the boat.”

Pfeiffer echoes that advice, but adds: “Whatever you, do not put a wake across the fish; that will put them down for sure.”

Pfeiffer prefers a slow, patient approach to the fish. “Sometime we just follow the school at a distance and try to figure out where they are going,” he explains. That gives Pfeiffer a better idea where to intercept the school for casting poppers or metal jigs to the fish.

Also, it doesn’t always pay to cast directly into rampaging fish, says Stotesbury. “Look out ahead of the school for terns, as these birds are often hovering over the leading edge of the fish.” Casting to the lead fish will often buy a strike when the foaming fish ignore your lure, Stotesbury says.

Slow presentations can be effective, especially with poppers, says Pfeiffer. “Many anglers work the popper too fast,” he says. “We work them slow.” If the school sinks away in the middle of the retrieve, stop altogether, Pfeiffer advises, as the tuna might still be circling below, picking off morsels. “Sometimes they will roll up and suck down the stationary popper, thinking it is a wounded bait,” he says.

Slow-Trolling Live Bait for Bluefin Tuna

When bluefin are in breezer mode or the foamers prove skittish, slow-trolling a live bait, such as a Pacific mackerel, well behind the boat can pay off, says Stotesbury. “Put the bait way back — 200 feet or more behind the boat — then bump the engine in and out of gear as you try to pull the bait through the school,” he explains. “If you can slow-troll through a group of breezing fish, they will often bite.” Stotesbury says that slow-trolling with outriggers helps keep the baits out of the prop wash.

Although other types of bait worked last year, live opalescent squid became especially effective later in the season when the tuna took up residence off San Clemente Island, particularly around Desperation Reef. Schools of squid had moved into Pyramid Cove at the east end of the island, so the bluefin keyed in on these.

One trick that proved ­effective: Chum with squid once you spot fish on the surface or mark a school on the fish finder, says Stotesbury. “We would toss out a dipper (netful) of live squid and then put our baits (live squid) out and drift fish with no weight,” he says. The key is to keep the hooked bait out with chum baits and then wait for the fish to circle back or rise from the depths to feed, he says.

When the bluefin seemed to be feeding deep in the water column, fishing live squid on dropper loops set five to 10 cranks off the bottom also scored a number of big bluefin. While several of the passenger fishing boats anchored to fish around San Clemente, drift-fishing with squid was a go-to method for many private boaters, giving them the freedom to give chase once they hooked a big fish.

Kite-Fishing Results in Big Bluefin Tuna Catches

Few anglers realize that kite-fishing — indeed big-game fishing — was born in Southern California ocean waters, pioneered by members of the 119-year-old Tuna Club of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island.

The technique made a big comeback in 2015 and ’16 as many Southern California boating anglers purchased kites from brands such as AFTCO and Boston Big Game Fishing Club to troll a flying-fish imitation known as a Yummy Flyer. This also resulted in some of the biggest bluefin tuna catches last season, as it allowed anglers to fish heavier trolling tackle using reels such as an Accurate ATD Platinum 50W or 80 with a matching rod.

“You need to fly a single kite way back, about 150 yards behind the boat, while trolling 9 to 11 knots, depending on conditions,” Secrest says. “You want to troll with the wind on your beam to help keep the kite out to one side and away from the prop wash.”

As with most forms of kite-fishing, you must constantly watch the lure and make adjustments to keep the Yummy Flyer skipping on the surface, as would an actual flying fish. Once a bluefin strikes, it is important to get tight on the fish immediately to trigger the release clip and ensure a good hook-set.

California’s Bluefin Tuna Season in 2017

As of this writing, the 2017 Pacific bluefin tuna season already seems to be taking shape. “Commercial spotter planes are seeing schools of fish between the west end of San Clemente Island and the Tanner Bank,” says Crooke. “These are larger models. I wouldn’t be surprised if these fish are 40 to 50 pounds heavier than they were last year.”

Such reports have turned anglers antsy with anticipation of foaming tuna. It seems that more chapters have yet to be added to this remarkable story of Southern California’s big bluefin bonanza.

For more travel stories from Sport Fishing, check out the one below on the incredible fishing of a remote island northern Vancouver.

The post Bluefin Tuna Bonanza in Southern California appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

As fishermen, we all occasionally have those “aha” moments that completely change the way we look at a particular fishery. As monumental as these can be, such moments rarely come in the form of a dramatic revelation. Instead, they’re usually subtle enough to go unnoticed for days, sometimes weeks. Like most, I’ve experienced my share of them over the years, but for me, the most memorable occurred a few years ago while fishing for rockfish off the coast of Long Beach, California.

The reds (vermilion rockfish) were biting for a few weeks on the South East Bank, a hard-bottom shelf in 250 feet of water a few miles outside Long Beach Harbor. I had enjoyed a successful trip there the previous weekend. Using frozen squid for bait on a dropper loop, we made long drifts over the hard bottom. The fishing wasn’t wide open, but there were enough reds scattered around the bank that a friend and I were able to catch our 10-fish limits within several hours.

I returned to the area where the reds had been biting to find lots of boat pressure and zero signs of my desired quarry. There were still plenty of rockfish to be caught on the bank, but the 3- to 5-pound reds we’d caught the week before were replaced by fish that averaged less than 6 inches long. After a few drifts and multiple tiny rockfish, I was pretty sure I needed to look somewhere else — the problem was I had no idea where.

With minimal private-boat rockfishing experience to fall back on at the time, I headed to one of the few other areas I knew. In 150 feet of water, the hard-bottom area was much more shallow than the areas I fished earlier, but the small rockfish were there in force as well. During my second drift over the bank, I metered a small rock, and moments later my friend’s rod bent double. The fish was big, and after a hard fight on bass gear, he brought a 15-pound lingcod to gaff.

I quickly repositioned the boat for another drift over the rock and we hooked two more lingcod, one making it into the boat and the other winning its freedom in the rocks. Rather than continue making short drifts over the small spot, I used the SpotLock feature on my Minn Kota trolling motor to keep us positioned over the spot. For the next few hours we caught several more lingcod, as well as California sheephead, huge 5- to 6-pound reds and a 7-pound brown rockfish, the biggest I have ever seen. On the way home, my friends and I discussed how that magic rock produced the best local shallow-water rockfish trip any of us had ever experienced.

Our magic rock never produced as well again, but I finally realized my aha moment the following weekend. I spent some time metering around the hard bottom near the same area and found even more small rocks. One of those rocks kicked out some big fish that day, and a different rock produced on the following trip. Once I mapped the area, I expanded my search to include new waters and began to build a network of small spots from the Santa Monica Bay to San Diego. While my collection of rockfish spots and my angling techniques will forever be a work in progress, I can share some tips that provide great insight to any angler who fishes these popular bottomfish.

Do Your Homework

Blind luck — like that I experienced drifting over the right rock at the right time — can make for some memorable fishing trips. But it does not ensure your future fishing success every trip, even if it produces at times. If you want to become a better fisherman, you need to dissect your lucky days and figure out how to replicate them. For example, I’ve learned that in heavily fished areas, smaller spots are more likely to hold big fish because they receive less fishing pressure.

Small spots are not always as easy to find as they are to fish because they don’t show up on charts. This is where your homework comes into play. Google Earth is a good place to start when looking for potential rockfish spots because it shows bottom topography and approximate water depth. When targeting shallow-water rockfish, you’re specifically looking for hard-bottom areas and canyon edges. On Google Earth, such hard-bottom areas will usually show up as lumps and ridges. Just make sure to check the depth; that perfect-looking high spot might not be so perfect if it’s sitting in 1,600 feet of water.

Once I’ve located an area that looks like it has some potential, I’ll take a closer look at it using the sonar-charts function on my Navionics Plus phone app. The map’s precise detail allows me to get a feel for the area long before I get out on the water in the boat.

While every rockfish zone along our coast looks different on the chart, there are some features they all have in common. Rockfish are structure oriented, and in most cases, that structure comes in the form of hard or rocky bottom. While it’s difficult to judge the hardness of the bottom by looking at a chart, there are indicators that will allow you to make an educated guess. Sharp changes in water depth usually signal hard bottom. It might be a pinnacle or canyon edge that stands out on the map, but the hard bottom around those features likely holds rockfish. When it comes to canyon edges, the steeper the incline, the harder the bottom. So, if a canyon edge looks pretty gradual on the chart but gets steep around a point or corner, there is likely hard bottom associated with the steep part. When fishing a new area for the first time, I’ll always start at one of those steep edges and follow the hard bottom away, looking for rocks or schools of fish.

Gearing Up

Put simply, if you’re using tackle or electronics that are more than 10 years old, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. The term “game changer” is so overused, but there’s really no other way to describe the advancements available to anglers today. Take, for example, the app I mentioned earlier. I also run the Navionics Plus Regions card on my boat. This card allows me to view records of what my fish finder reads, upload that information to the Navionics website, and days later receive updated charts of the area I fished.

If you’ve spent any time fishing rockfish, I’m sure you’ve noticed that most charts show only vague topography data. With this new technology, you can drive around an area and chart it out with 1-foot depth lines. So instead of looking at a chart page with random waypoints for your spots, you’ll instead see a detailed chart of the area. Having the ability to visualize the layout of the structure allows you to fish it more effectively by planning your drift direction.

Speaking of drift direction, adding a trolling motor with a spot-lock function (both Minn Kota and Motor Guide offer this) is a sound fishing investment. Even on calm days, the current can be strong enough to blow you past a spot in seconds. I’ve fished days where the current was strong enough to resemble a river coming off the back of my boat. Yet the trolling motor held me in position. I sat 200 feet above a rock pile that wasn’t much bigger than my boat, and loaded up on fish.

The most frequently overlooked aspect of gearing up is getting the right fish finder. I recently upgraded to a Raymarine es98 with a through-hull chirp transducer and a side-vision module. Most brands offer similar features these days, albeit called by different names.

The advantage of this fish finder is twofold. First, its through-hull transducer allows me to get a clear picture at a higher speed than I would with a transom mount. This, coupled with the clear chirp readings, allows me to cover water quickly when I’m prospecting for rockfish spots. The side vision allows me to see what’s off the sides of the boat, which makes it easy to get a visual of the extended area. I have to warn you, it takes a while to be able to interpret what you’re seeing off the sides of the boat, but once you do, you’ll never want to fish without it again.

Tackle Up

Picking out fishing tackle is probably the easiest part of pre-trip planning. Just about any rod-and-reel combo will work for rockfish, but for deeper water, I recommend a small levelwind reel, like a Penn Squall 15, matched with a medium-heavy 8-foot graphite rod. This combo will give you plenty of pulling power, and the levelwind reel takes a lot of the work out of winding up from the bottom. Whichever reel you choose, make sure it will hold at least 200 yards of braided line so your reel won’t be empty if you’re fishing the 360-foot max depth that is legal for rockfish off California. The Squall, for example, holds 300 yards of 50-pound line.

While fishing in deeper areas can be good, I prefer to target waters less than 250 feet. That allows me to use bass gear, like an Abu Garcia Toro Beast 60 with an 8-foot heavy-action bass rod. When filled with 50-pound braid, the reel holds plenty of line to land rockfish. In both cases, I’ll add 10 feet of 30- or 40-pound fluorocarbon leader before tying on hooks or lures.

Stocking up on terminal tackle is simple. All you’ll need are some hooks in varying sizes and torpedo sinkers weighing 8, 12 and 16 ounces. If you like to fish jigs, I’ve found that the Ahi Assault jigs in 8 and 12 ounces work great in deeper water, while the Savage Gear Squish Jig in 80 to 130 grams gets the job done in the shallower spots. Rockfish will also readily bite swimbaits in a variety of colors. I’ll usually fish a 5-inch MC Swimbait on a 3- to 4-ounce ­lead-head, but if I’m targeting lingcod, I’ll upsize to a 9-inch MC Viejos Series Swimbait. Both jigs and swimbaits are designed to draw reaction strikes, so drop them to the bottom and bounce your rod tip until you get a bite.

When fishing bait, my rigging configuration varies depending on my bait and depth fished. Live squid is by far the best rockfish bait, but properly cared for, fresh frozen is a close second. I tend to stay away from sardines because they attract salmon grouper (bocaccio), which aren’t the best table fare. As a rule, if I’m fishing less than 200 feet of water, I’ll fish a single dropper loop. Any deeper and I’ll add a second loop and hook. If using squid for bait in less than 200 feet of water, I’ll pin it on a 1/0 treble hook. The larger hook keeps the smaller fish away because they have trouble getting it into their mouths. This sometimes results in missed bites, but it does cut down on small-fish bycatch ratio. When fishing deeper or using two hooks, I’ll trade out the treble for a bait-appropriate light-wire circle hook; these set themselves, so you don’t need to swing on the fish when you get bit and risk tearing off your second bait in the process.

About the Author: Erik Landesfeind is a freelance fishing writer and the Southern California editor at BD Outdoors, a popular online fishing forum. He has more than 30 years of experience fishing California’s inshore and offshore waters for a variety of species.

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Netting bait is often an exercise in futility, but this past October the Trossets had it easy. Capt. Chris Trosset, son of R.T. Trosset, throws a pancake on a shallow flat. His 32-foot Contender is surrounded by a cloud of grey pilchards, oblivious to the hull and net above. R.T. relies on pilchards to kick-start the bite at some of his favorite bottom-fishing spots.

He’s after sand-key and razor-edge pilchards, preferring the two different types of baits in different scenarios. “The razor-edge are smaller and perfect for chumming to pelagics,” he says, “while the sand-key are larger, but much more fragile, so I’ll use them for bottom fish.”

After a speedy 40-minute run west, and a necessary anchor drop to position up-current of the bottom structure, Trosset started chumming the waters behind the boat. We were posted along a drop from 70 to 160 feet that looked like a nub on the bottom machine. Trosset tossed out pilchards with the current while we free-lined baits on yellowtail jigheads ( a small J-hook with the weight attached to the hook shank).

Although the Fin-Nor Bait Teaser was not a new reel this year, it’s still a prime option for yellowtail fishing. The reel can disengage from its primary drag to allow a pilchard to free-line and drift back with the current naturally. Yellowtails require a natural presentation, especially larger fish, sometimes 30 yards or more behind the boat. When a yellowtail hits, start reeling — the angler never has to flip the bail on his spinning reel.

Soon, the big yellowtails started to cooperate. Angler Mark MacKenzie, Bonnier’s content strategy director for the fishing group, landed this full-size specimen on Fin-Nor’s Mega Lite reel.

Next up, angler Alan McGuckin landed this ‘tail. He used the Mega Lite spinner, but kept the bail open to allow the pilchard to drift back with the current. Once line raced off the reel signaling a fish, he flipped the bail and cranked the reel handle. There’s an obvious correlation between how deep we fished and the size of the yellowtails caught—go deep for bigger snapper.

Another common technique while anchored over hard-bottom and reef structure is to free-line live baits for mackerel. Regular Keys mackerel catches include kings and ceros, and we caught both on this trip. Pictured, this cero mackerel fights for freedom near the boat.

This lever-drag from Fin-Nor won’t be available until 2018. Called the Primal, Fin-Nor’s Chris Littau says the reel will be introduced at next year’s ICAST show. I can’t go into details, but this reel is the definition of a workhorse.

MacKenzie used the Primal reel to live-bait this hefty mangrove snapper. He was a little too slow during the fight and a shark clipped the snapper’s tail. (No problem, we still ate the tasty snapper for dinner that night!)

Moving around to different spots throughout the day, Capt. Chris Trosset anchored us over live bottom in about 50 feet of water that afternoon. Dropping down live-bait rigs that mimic a bass angler’s dropshot rig, we caught the attention of plenty of mutton snapper. Most of the snapper were shorts, but a couple were long enough to ice in the cooler. Besides muttons, our boatful of anglers caught porgies, false albacore, jacks, grouper and snapper from the sea-fan bottom. Reef fishing off Key West offers mixed-bag catches that all can enjoy.

With the sun waning in the west, Trosset anchored us in 200 feet of water off Key West. Below us sat a massive rubble pile while we live-chummed pilchards at the surface in hopes of igniting a blackfin tuna bite. The goal was to throw topwaters into the melee when the tuna showed, but that scenario never played out. At one point, tuna surfaced far behind the boat. Thankfully, we had live baits set at the surface that far back in the spread. Alan McGuckin (center), Mark MacKenzie (right), and Chris Littau (left) all hooked up at the same moment.

Only MacKenzie’s fish turned out to be a blackfin tuna.

McGuckin (who goes by “Guck”) had the feistiest fish of the three. Using 20-pound braid and a short fluorocarbon leader, he managed to bring to boat side a 5-foot shark that weighed 75 pounds. He was fishing with Fin-Nor’s newly redesigned Offshore spinner model, introduced at this year’s ICAST show. Lighter in weight and just as durable, I’m not surprised Guck made short work of the shark.

After a full 12 hours of fishing, we finally made it back to Hurricane Hole Marina in Key West. All of us were concerned with Hurricane Matthew, expected to hit the state of Florida later in the week. Chris, pictured, and R.T. headed straight to the cleaning tables to fillet our catches. Between the two boats fishing all day, we had plenty of fish to feed our 10 anglers. Hurricane Hole Marina Restaurant prepped all of our fish for dinner and provided enough sides to constitute a feast.

The second day of fishing, I joined Capt. R.T. Trosset aboard his 34-foot Yellowfin center console. With Hurricane Matthew looming, the weather held out and we headed out to the Marquesas for a half-day fishing. Because there were at least 10 anglers in our party, we fished in two separate boats, but generally hung close enough together share the fishing action.

When mate Patrick Cline wasn’t helping set baits and re-rig aboard Capt. R.T.’s boat, he was fishing too. Pictured, he landed this black grouper on a live pilchard bounced along the bottom.

After a couple different goliath grouper nabbed our hooked snapper at the boat, Cline decided he wanted to hook one. He rigged up a Fin-Nor Marquesa 30 — fitting, since we were in sight of the Marquesas keys— and rigged a live blue runner to 150-pound leader. Soon he was hooked up.

But that goliath grouper turned out to be a massive sawfish. Measuring longer and larger than any angler on the boat, the sawfish took Cline all over the place, sometimes pinning him to the gunwale. Capt. R.T. estimated the fish was at least 12 feet long. We took a couple photos of the camera-shy fish before the leader parted on the fish’s toothy nose.

When the sawfish came to the surface, so did this cobia. Luckily, we had a jig rigged and ready to cast. Capt. R.T. Trosset dropped the lure in front of the cobia with frightening accuracy. Game on!

Catching grouper on pilchards is fun. Landing them on soft plastics is even better. This red grouper attacked a Z-Man soft-plastic jigged along the bottom. Red grouper were the most common catch on the jigs, though I suspect some bigger jacks broke us off before we could identify them.

Every Key West reef seems to have a resident barracuda, and we caught a couple. Like mackerel, cudas will jump clear out of the water after a baitfish. We had two instances when barracuda rocketed on our baits, with one almost landing inside the boat. But just to experience that kind of excitement is worthwhile. Between the many different species caught over the two days of fishing, Fin-Nor tackle passed our torture tests with flying colors.

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