From the Water Magazine

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Hook — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Azores Blue Marlin

Hook — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:47:17 +0000

[caption id="attachment_932" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A Nice Blue Marlin Being Revived"][/caption] Azores – Well the season is winding down for most of the boats in the Azores. We follow to boats primarily, the Xacara and the Habitat. Both of these boats had really good years, with almost all of their fish over the 500 lbs mark. Capt. Ian Carter heads up the Xacara and has been fishing on the Azores for for more than 10-Years. He has been credited as one of the first guys to start fishing Ascension Island as well. Highlights included a four fish day with a 225, 550, 650 and 700 lbs. Capt. Filipe Goulart runs the Habitat. He is a native of Fail and has been fishing these waters since 1999. Highlights included a three fish day with a 600, 800 and 950 lbs.

Kona Blues

Hook — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:52:58 +0000

[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Blue Marlin on the Wire"][/caption] Kona, HI – The blue marlin season never really ends in Kona, but the summer bite has started to slow. The captains say the fish are still there, just not the people. This was a summer to remember. Although, only one Grander Blue was caught (by Capt. Chip Van Mols – monkey Biz II) the numbers were incredible. I am not sure there is a harbor in the World with this much fishing talent. Take a look at this list of names and boats…. Chip Van Mols – Monkey Biz II McGrew Rice – Ihu Nui Marlin Parker – Marlin Magic (I & II) Gene Vander Hoek – Sea Genie II Kevin Nakamura – Northern Lights Peter Hoogs – Kila Kila While the season started out slowly, the end of July through the end of August has to be one of the best periods of fishing ever seen. Boats were seeing on average three blue marlin a trip with plenty exceeded that average. Two days stand out however. On July 25th a new Harbor record of SEVEN Blue Marlin was set by the “Five Star” Captained by Carlton Taniyama. A record you would not expect to be broken for years, right? Well, how about 5 Days. On July 30th, Kevin Nakamura on the “Northern Lights” caught NINE Blue Marlin. We may never see fishing like 2009, but we can sure try in 2010.

St. Thomas Summer Moon

Hook — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:21:52 +0000

St Thomas, USVI – Everyone in the marlin fishing world know about St. Thomas and the famous North Drop. This is fishery has to be one of the best chances in the world if you want to catch a blue marlin. But the guys fishing St. Thomas don’t want to catch one, they want to catch TEN.

: The "Revenge" with a 10 Fish Day (www.abmt.vi)

No blue marlin fishery is more dependent on the moon than St Thomas. Most boats fish only about two weeks a month as the moon is building to a full moon. There are a lot of theories on why this is true from better current to better bait concentrations. Whatever the reason, the results are impressive.

The American Boy Scout Marlin Tournament, called the Boy Scout brings some of the best boats in the Eastern U.S. every year during the August Moon. This years results continued to boost the reputation of this fishery. With 34 boats participating, the fleet released 159 Blue Marlin with the Top Angler with 7 released and the top boat with 12 released. That is almost 5 fish per boat.

While this was nothing short of impressive, this fishing was NOT the best of the season. The September Moon brought some of the best fishing this great fishery has ever seen. There were ANY number of boats catching 4-5 blue marlin a day. These are for JUST Blue Marlin. A second set of numbers is another impressive day for that boat.

Therapy 5 -7

Prime Time 5-6 / 7-15

Chach 5-11

Rude Awakening 6-10

Revenge – 10-10 / 7-7

The “Revenge” was the top boat of the September Moon with 54 Blue Marlin in 12-Days of fishing, just awesome!

Thanks to www.abmt.vi for keeping us all up to date.

Virginia Beach EPIC White Marlin

Hook — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:27:16 +0000

[caption id="attachment_954" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A White Marlin Release"][/caption] Virginia Beach, Va – There is great fishing and there is EPIC fishing and the boats off of Virginia Beach have been seeing just that. We reported that there were 140 White Marlin released between 9 boats about 10 days ago and we said, that can’t be beat. Man, were we wrong. Last week, the fleet of 16 boats caught 326 White Marlin, which is over 20 fish per boat. The top boat caught 41 White Marlin and 1 Blue Marlin in ONE DAY! We have NEVER heard of these kind of numbers on White Marlin. Usually the best numbers come out of the Dominican and Venezuela, where they will see double digit days, but not 40 White Marlin. While we hope we see conditions this good again next year, a 20 AVERAGE fish count is about as good as it gets.

Great Barrier Reef Bite Heating Up!

Hook — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:33:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_959" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Black marlin on the reef, from this weekend. - Courtesy Bill Billson"][/caption] Boats are generally reporting a couple of shots a day at black marlin – but the heavy tackle season is yet to see the grander show up yet. Some notable fish being caught in the last week… - 650-pound black marlin by Capt Billy Billson, on Ribbon Reef #10 - the Kekoa going 3-3 on Sunday, all small males to 300 pounds - Cool Runnings picked up a 750-pounder last week - Shaka released a 900-pounder last week - the Reel Ripe tagged and released a 600-pound black marlin last week - Kekoa also got an 800 about a week ago Trends are very much in favor of some larger girls being seen soon – but the fishing is going good thus far, with the big girls being spotted if not being caught quite yet. Keep it tuned in to here as we’ll keep our eyes on everything going on at the Reef!

Aussie Black Marlin

Hook — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:42:44 +0000

[caption id="attachment_964" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Black Marlin Behind the Boat"][/caption] Cairns, Australia – It is early in the season, but you are already seeing good size black marlin show up on the reef. Every year is different, but 2009 so far has thrown in an additional twist. The normal flood of smaller males in late August and September, never really appeared. Instead the big girls decided to show up to the party without dates. The first week of October has shown what will hopefully prove to be a great season. While no fish have broken the “Grander” mark, you should expect to see one any day. Here are some highlights from the past week. Kekoa – 700 – 800 – 800 Shaka – 650 – 950 Allure – 900 Cool Runnings – 750 Valhalla – 700 Looks like a good season to get out there and get them. Just make sure you let us know what you caught via Twitter (@Billfshreport) Thanks VERY much to our friends at blackmarlinblog.com for always keeping us up to date during the season.

"Grand" Madeira

Hook — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:49:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_969" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Grander Blue for Katherine B?"][/caption]

Madeira, Portugal – The summer time bite has gone, but what a great season it was for Madeira. There were at least 10 fish pushing GRANDER status caught by the boats this season. This is VERY much a no kill fishery and they take great pride in that. Make not doubt about it, when these guys call a fish over the mark, it is well over the mark. The fish picture above caught by famed Capt. Pete Bristow was called 950 lbs. Biggest 950 we have EVER seen.

The two main boats we follow are the Katherine B, Captained by Peter Bristow and Grander Captained by both Jonboy Kelmer and Tracy Epstein.

The fishing may have been as good as they have seen since the 1996 year, but given the economic times, it it tough to fully understand how great it could have been. By our count, Grander has no less than 20 fish over 500 lbs with at least two approaching Grander status. Katherine B, not wanting to be out done released at least 20 fish over the 700 lbs mark with about three fish of Grander status.

If you are looking to catch a Grander Blue Marlin in the Atlantic, there is no better place than Madeira.

Katherine “B” – www.fishmadeira.com – Photo courtesy of Peter Bristow

Grander – www.meltontackle.com/blog/

Cape Verde Blue Marlin

Hook — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:56:24 +0000

[caption id="attachment_977" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Flags Flying! - Courtesy of Cabo Verde Billfish Club"][/caption] Cape Verde Islands – Always hailed as one of the finest blue marlin fisheries in the world, 2009 did not disappoint. Perhaps nowhere in the world, can you catch such great numbers of blue marlin as well as PLENTY of 500 lbs + fish. We follow one of the top Captains in the area, Zak Conde. Capt. Zak primarily captains “Amelia” a 36′ Bertram. Joining the Amelia this past season was the Beast’n a 40′ Cabo, that some of you may have heard about up in the Azores as well, where she spends part of the season. Amelia finished the season with 131 Blue Marlin and Beast’n finished with 141 Blue Marlin. That is just about as good as it gets, especially given that they primarily fish April-July, but there are fish there year round. Both boats saw way too many 2-3 fish days to list. We wanted to point out a couple highlights of the season. On a three day run in May, Amelia went 15-34, with one fish pushing 600 lbs. Probably the best day of the year however was in the middle of May, when Amelia went 8-15 in one day of fishing. If you want a good shot at good numbers and size (there was one confirmed Grander) on Blue Marlin, there is probably no better fishery than the Cape Verde Islands. Check out www.marlincapeverde.com to hook up with these guys for a great trip.

Best Day of Billfishing This Year?

Hook — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:00:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_982" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="A nice celebratory dinner on the Viking II this week...two granders on the same day!"][/caption] So there are any number of contenders for the best day of billfishing this year…amongst them… - 41 (!) white marlin caught on one boat in one day off Virginia Beach http://billfishreport.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/virginia-beach-epic-white-marlin/ - A doubleheader on blue marlin in Madeira on Capt Peter Bristow’s Katherine B…a 700-pounder and a grander at the same time - A super slam off the Texas Gulf Coast (video link…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngNj1-flDw) …but one day this week may top them all. First of all, on Wednesday, #10 Ribbon Reef saw FIVE granders…all on the same reef. And Capt Bill Billson’s Viking II caught TWO granders, same boat, same day. Epic day on the water, never to be forgotten! What billfishing days this year would challenge these? Let us know your thoughts.

Countdown Soon to Come!

Hook — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:05:05 +0000

Starting in December we’ll be counting down the Top Billfisheries in the world from this year. Clearly several fisheries – Australia, Panama, to name just two – are either still going strong or are just about to heat up and can move up or down given their results over the next month or so. But let us know your thoughts on which fisheries have posted the best results – # of fish, size of fish, unique catches/extraordinary feats – this year!

Bisbee's Boat Sinks at Start of Tournament

Hook — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:08:29 +0000

[caption id="attachment_990" align="alignleft" width="250" caption=""Bottom Line" - Bisbees Day 1"][/caption] Just a reminder that safety always comes first on the water – boat The Bottom Line sank minutes after the shotgun flare to start the tournament. Thankfully all seven members aboard were rescued by another tournament boat, the Sneak Attack. More information…http://www.bisbees.com/Local/news/2009/articles/2009-10-22_BBB_bottomline.htm

The "Grandest" Tournament Ever?

Hook — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:47:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1199" align="aligncenter" width="486" caption="Photo Courtesy of Billy Billson from the Viking II"][/caption] Lizard Island, Australia - An incredible week of fishing at the prestigious and 23rd annual Lizard Island Gamefish Club Black Marlin Classic. 125 Black Marlin caught over seven days on 26 boats - simply incredible results. What's more - TEN GRANDERS caught in the tournament, with Capt. Barry Cross, on the Joe Joe, picking up TWO. We think unless otherwise proven wrong, that this HAS to be the most large marlin Black or Blue ever caught in the WORLD. Madeira has produced some great results, but we are not sure how you beat this. The top 5: 1. Mauna Kea - 11 (notables 950, 800) 2. Spartacus - 9 (notables 850, 800) 3. Joe Joe - 8 (notables 1100, 1100) 4. Viking II - 8 (notables 1000, 600) 5. Hart Throb - 8 (notables 950, 800) And here's some iPhone video of the tournament's largest fish, a 1200-pounder on the Kekoa... Incredible!

Mozambique Grander

Hook — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:09:48 +0000

Mozambique, Africa - Capt. Duarte fishing with a first time angler, weighed a 1,170 lbs. Black Marlin that has been "sharked". Before the unfortunate visit from our toothy friend, they thought the fish looked to be 1,300. Thanks to our friends at Big Game Board for letting us know about this fish.

"Sharked" Grander Blue Marlin for Capt. Jeff Rogers

Hook — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:01:07 +0000

When Sharks attack Marlin.

Hook — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:08:03 +0000

Marlin Shark Attacks - Imagine you finally hook that marlin of a lifetime, the one that would finally push you over the "mark". You fight the fish for hours, you have sweated out every last drop of water, your back is going to give, your arms are spent and then in an instant, your dream fish becomes shark bait. [caption id="attachment_1361" align="aligncenter" width="248" caption=""Sharked" Grander Blue Marlin for Capt. Jeff Rogers"][/caption] We touched on this a little this morning with Capt. Marlin Scott (floridakeysradio.com). The Mozambique Grander (we reported on in an earlier blog) that had at least a 100+ lbs "taken" from it, but still passed the 1,000 lbs mark (it weighed 1,170 lbs). Sharks attacking hooked marlin is nothingh new. If you fish enough, you will lose one to a shark at some point. It seems to be more prevalent on black marlin than any other species though. The main reason blacks are attacked more than blue marlin is most likely due to a larger abundance of sharks in the same waters as black marlin and the amount of large black marlin caught every year. The Great Barrier Reef probably sees more "sharked" marlin than any other fishery. First is the abundance of big black marlin being caught. No fishery comes close in terms of size of fish. These larger fish tend to have longer fight times, hence more of a chance for the sharks to hear the "dinner bell". The second factor that can't be over-looked is just the pure abundance of sharks along the reef (any reef). Reefs draw sharks, so if you have the largest reef in the world, you are going to have a lot of sharks (Blue marlin tend to hang out in deeper waters). We have attached a video of "sharked" marlin on the Great Barrier Reef below: We are not THE authority on "sharked" marlin, so comments are welcomed.

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:08:42 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:10:07 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:11:04 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:16:27 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:16:41 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:25:32 +0000

Big Florida Swordfish

Hook — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:29:48 +0000

Florida Keys - If you have not figured it out by now, we like Big Fish. Numbers are fun, but size to us takes it to another level. There have been two 500+ Swordfish caught this year in Florida (both in southern part). The latest fish was a 504 lbs. Sword caught on a boat out of Key Colony Beach by Capt. Ty Price on the "Lazy Daze". The second was another really nice fish caught out of Sailfish Marina earlier this year that went 588 lbs. Not many can dispute the fishery in South Florida and the Florida Keys as probably the best place in the World to catch a swordfish. However, when it comes to size, Florida has not always been the spot. There are plenty of 200 lbs swords, no doubt a great catch, but the 500 lbs + beasts are not that common. We hope that this latest trend of larger fish will continue and bring back this great fishery to where it once was. [caption id="attachment_1501" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="588 lbs. Swordfish - Palm Beach, FL"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1502" align="alignright" width="200" caption="504 lbs. Swordfish - Florida Keys"][/caption] While both of these are GREAT catches, will we ever see the World Record of 1,182 lbs. in Chile ever beaten? Has commercial over fishing depleted our large fish. I would like to believe that even if that fish is not out there right now, one of these 500 lbers will one day grow to a Grander Class Fish! [caption id="attachment_1503" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Picture Courtesy of the IGFA"][/caption]

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Hook — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:12:08 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:20:40 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:30:00 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:36:59 +0000

A Change of Season...

Hook — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:42:25 +0000

The Great thing about Billfishing is there is always a hot spot in any given month. If you follow us a lot, you know that we are obsessed with the Black Marlin bite off of Cairns and this season did not disappoint. But now, the billfishing world is moving their attention to our winter time fisheries. Expect to see a lot more reports coming out of these destinations. South Florida - December is the month you will really start to see good Sailfishing numbers out of South Florida and the Florida Keys. The cold fronts start pushing south, which brings with it our skinny billed friends. [caption id="attachment_1557" align="aligncenter" width="117" caption="Capt. Dean Panos releasing a S. Florida Sailfish"][/caption] Guatemala - No fishery in the world can claim the same numbers of Pacific Sailfish you will see out of Guatemala. 30+ fish days are common with plenty over 50. Just incredible. [caption id="attachment_1558" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Double Header - Buena Vista Lodge Guatemala"][/caption] Costa Rica - While they may not see as many sails as Guatemala, double digit days are seen often. What makes this fishery more unique is the variety. The man in the blue suit (blue marlin) and his more formal friend in the tuxedo (black marlin) are both seen with the sails. Add in a decent striped marlin bite and you have a good chance at a Billfish Grand Slam. Venezuela- Speaking of Grand Slams, if you need one, Venezuela may just provide it for you. Blue Marlin, White Marlin and Sailfish are all caught here in great numbers. Look for an occasional spearfish and then go deep drop for a sword and you could have a Billfish Fantasy Slam. Panama - Since we are on the subject, Panama would be another great choice if you are looking for a Grand Slam. Black Marlin are the kings, but great numbers of sailfish and good blue marlin, you have a good shot at it. [caption id="attachment_1559" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Black Marlin - Panama Sportfishing Lodge"][/caption] Brazil - Big Blue Marlin and great numbers of White Marlin are the main target. Blue Marlin of 500 lbs. are common off Cabo Frio and double digit white marlin are seen off of Vitoria. [caption id="attachment_1562" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Capt. Thiago Felzen releases a Brazil Blue Marlin"][/caption]

albino sailfish 022 (2)

Hook — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:19:52 +0000

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Hook — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:20:59 +0000

Rare Albino Sailfish

Hook — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:21:52 +0000

Cabo San Lucas, MX - Our good friends at Pisces Sportfishing have provided some pretty cool shots of a albino sailfish. Take a look. [caption id="attachment_1567" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Albino Sailfish -1 "][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1568" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Albino Sailfish - 2"][/caption]

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Hook — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:32:45 +0000

865 Blue Marlin for Bill Collector

Hook — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:34:29 +0000

Cabo San Lucas, MX - Although they had not intention of killing this fish, the boat Bill Collector boated this nice 865 lbs. Blue Marlin after it came up dead. Angler was Martha Chisholm from Singer Island, FL and Pisces Capt. Julio Gonzalez was at the helm. Bill Collector is part of Pisces Sportfishing Fleet in Cabo that we follow very closely. (www.piscessportfishing.com) [caption id="attachment_1572" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Capt. Julio with 865 lbs. Blue Marlin"][/caption]

flags

Hook — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:03:40 +0000

Billfisheries of the Year – #7....U.S. East Coast

Hook — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:07:09 +0000

The Billfish Report is counting down the top billfisheries of 2009 – and coming in at #7 is the US East Coast. [caption id="attachment_1640" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Flags Flying for Capt. Jeff Ross on the Obsession"][/caption] We define the US East Coast as far north as the Canyons off New Jersey and as far south as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Given that the migration patterns of so many of the billfish seen on the East Coast are similar – and that evidence has it that many of these fish are the same fish caught up and down the coast off similar structure – this fishery tends to have good variety of fish, often coming in waves, with a season that runs almost half the year for billfish. And 2009 was one incredible year for the East Coast – be it the record white marlin run off Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks in September, or the consistent swordfish bite off New Jersey, or the waves of sailfish seen up and down the coast. This variety of billfish, the intermittent size of fish, along with some incredible runs of huge numbers of billfish has proven the reputation of the US East Coast as one of the best billfisheries on the planet. 2009 certainly saw proof of that. Just a few reasons why: - The white marlin run. Almost unprecedented, what Virginia Beach saw in September was truly out of this world. For example…on September 24, the fleet caught over 400 white marlin – with some blues mixed in. The next days saw boats catching as many as 41 white marlin a day – double-digit days abounded…and the fish were kind enough to move down to NC shortly thereafter. - A very long season this year. Billfish were seen – starting with a spearfish off NC in April, ending with a December blue marlin off Oregon Inlet – in nine of this year’s 12 months. Remarkable! - Some good size on the blue marlin this year, highlighted by the White Marlin Open’s largest ever fish – a grander blue, 1,062 pounds, on the “No Problem.” - Incredible variety of fish yet again this year, with every Atlantic billfish species – spearfish, white marlin, blue marlin, Atlantic sailfish, and swordfish – all being caught here. Only Venezuela can match the consistent variety of fish this billfishery sees. So the US East Coast is the Billfish Report’s #7 Billfishery of the Year. Stay tuned for #6, coming next week!

A large Madeiran Blue taking to flight on the "Katherine B".

Hook — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:35:28 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:38:26 +0000

Billfisheries of the Year – #4…Madeira

Hook — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:42:37 +0000

The Billfish Report is counting down the Top Billfisheries of 2009 – and coming in at #4 is Madeira. [caption id="attachment_1671" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A large Madeiran Blue Marlin on "Katherine B""][/caption] Madeira is a blue marlin fishery known for extremes. It can have extraordinary fishing with obscene numbers of large blue marlin, and it can have seasons that leave a lot of captains empty handed. As one of the northernmost blue marlin fisheries in the Eastern Atantic, its waters lend themselves to the larger females, with few fish under 400 lbs. Capt. Jonboy Kelmer on the "Grander" says the most asked question every year is "Is Madeira, Dead or Alive". Well, in 2009 it was very much alive. The 2009 season was a very good one, even my Madeira's lofty standards. While they did not replicate the epic fishing of the mid 90's, they had a bite that started as early as April, that went into September. Just how good of a season this really was though, may not have been measured as well as they boys would have liked. The down economy caused many boats to stay at port rather than spending the time dragging around lures. Even with that factor, Madeira still stepped it up this year. Capt. Peter Bristow on the "Katherine B" said his average size fish was an astounding 773 lbs. Capt. Jonboy Kelmer had similar success, saying that he did not see a fish under 600 lbs. Here are a few highlights from 2009..... - The most challenging blue marlin double-header in the world this year, when Capt. Bristow hooked up with a 700 lber and a 1,000 lber, releasing them both! - Capt. Kelmer showed us just how easy the fishing can be there. Leaving the port at 12:00 (while fishing with his wife Jess), Jonboy released a 700 lber at 12:30, followed up with an 800 lber at 1:45 and was back at the port by 3:00. - A release of a potential IGFA Junior Angler World Record, after Katherine Bristow decided to release her estimated 600 lbs. Blue Marlin. - Typical great variety, with the traditional blue marlin being joined by white marlin, long-billed spearfish as well as a couple hatchet marlin. [caption id="attachment_1672" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Katherine Bristow releases a potential Junior World Record"][/caption] All in all a GREAT season for Madeira, making it the Billfish Report's #4 Billfihery of 2009. Stay tuned for #3 coming up later this week. Capt. Peter Bristow - www.fishmadeira.com Capy. Jon Kelmer - www.meltontackle.com/blog/

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Hook — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:56:47 +0000

Panama Marlin!

Hook — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:58:37 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1690" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jumping Panama Black Marlin"][/caption] Panama - Tropic Star Lodge - The late December bite and thus far the early January bite has seen some great number of Blue and Black Marlin. The Black Marlin have been big, with most fish over 500 lbs, with a couple going over 700. The Blue Marlin have been in the 300-400 lbs range.

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Hook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:33:13 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:51:20 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:52:29 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:11:50 +0000

Cold Weather= Hot Sailfishing

Hook — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:17:41 +0000

South Florida & Florida Keys - The wind picks up, the air temperature drops and the sailfish head south. The same cold fronts that most people hate, start to push the sailfish farther into southern Florida, which means the bite is on....And man, is it ever ON. There have been plenty of reports of 4-5 fish days, but a few Tournaments really showed us what is to come this season. Palm Beach Sailfish Classic - There were 153 Sailfish released on 11 boats on two days of fishing. That is just under 14 Fish average per boat for the tournament. TOP BOATS

Wrenegade - Capt. Jimmy Garner - 27 Sailfish Released
Bone Shaker - Capt. Scott Fawcett - 23 Sailfish Released

[caption id="attachment_1781" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ft. Pierce Inlet - Courtesy of Pelican Yacht Harbor"][/caption] Pelican Yacht Club Billfish Invitational - There were 408 Sailfish released on 29 boats on three days of fishing. That is just over a 14 Fish average per boat for the tournament. TOP BOATS

Lo Que Se - Capt. Kevin Paul - 38 Sailfish Released
Floridian - Capt. Glenn Cameraon - 28 Sailfish Released

[caption id="attachment_1782" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Vitamin Sea Too Accepts Their Check"][/caption] Sailfish Open- There were 132 Sailfish released on 29 boats on two days of fishing. TOP BOATS

Vitamin Sea Too - Capt. Tim Maddock - 11 Sailfish Released
The Natural - Capt. Reese Lewis - 9 Sailfish Released

"Mad" Panamanian Black Marlin

Hook — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:04:40 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1794" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Black behind the Boat - Tropic Star Lodge"][/caption] Panama - Good Black Marlin fishing continues both on Zane Grey and Hannibal Bank (www.tropicstar.com) This is not from a Tropic Star boat, but what a GREAT VIDEO. I don't think this fish is happy he was hooked.

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Hook — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:09:53 +0000

Capt. Dean Sword

Hook — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:48:27 +0000

Don't forget the Swords!

Hook — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:51:35 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1853" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="300 lbs Sword for Capt. Dean Panos"][/caption] South Florida and The Keys - This is typically the time to focus on all the great sailfishing. While those 10+ fish days make most mouths salivate, don't forget about the other "bill". Swordfish are still patrolling the waters, with plenty of boats getting 2-3 shots a night. Capt. Dean Panos of the Double D finds time to catch swordfish between sailfish trips.

Pamama Sail

Hook — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:08:20 +0000

Coiba Black Marlin

Hook — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:17:26 +0000

Panama Mix

Hook — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:37:29 +0000

[caption id="attachment_1865" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Panama Sail - Panama Sport Fishing Lodge"][/caption]

Panama - We cover a lot of fisheries, probably too many if you stop to think about it, but we love it. Most destinations have one predominant billfish, with the chance of catching another species. While this may be true for Panama's great Black Marlin fishing, Panama offers some of the greatest variety around. Black, Blue, Striped and Sail all call Panama home. They are not occasional visitors, but rather year round residents.

We follow a few operations down there. The most well known has to be Tropic Star (www.tropicstar.com). Tropic Star's sits in the middle of the jungle, in a remote location. This is exactly how they like it though as they are only a short boat ride out to the Zane Grey Reef. Possibly one the most productive fishing grounds in the world.

Panama Sport Fishing Lodge (www.panamasportfishinglodge.com) is one we really like. They not only give you good variety on billfish, expect to catch dolphin, wahoo, snapper, roosterfish, etc. They too have a great location that allows you to fish a number of banks and reefs in no time.

[caption id="attachment_1866" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Coiba Black Marlin - Coiba Adventure"][/caption] While not a "lodge" Coiba Adventure (www.coibadventure.com) will get you as close to the fishing as you can get. Coiba Island is about 80 miles from the mainland, which is a good thing. You can fish for days without seeing another boat. This also happens to be home to the Famous Hannibal Bank. Capt. Tom Yust has been doing this since 1991, so he knows these waters as well as anyone. If you are looking to tangle with multiple species, you can't do much better than Panama. And, if you can't make it, don't worry, your friends at the Billfish Report will always keep you informed.

Dolphin Running

Hook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:00:17 +0000

Sails Balling Baits

Hook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:00:34 +0000

Birds and Bait

Hook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:00:42 +0000

Something Fishy!

Hook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:05:27 +0000

We monitor a lot of different sites and talk to a lot of people. One of our friends Ricky Jaen (who lived in Puerto Rico) sent us some "Fishy" looking pictures that really got us worked up for some Billfishing. [gallery]

700 lbs Blue Hits Boat!

Hook — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:10:20 +0000

Kona, HI - Well know for big blues, Kevin Nakamura on Northern Lights has a VERY active big girl next to the boat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dboadITs_s&feature

Obsession Sail

Hook — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:38:24 +0000

Isla Mujeres Sails

Hook — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:47:03 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2088" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Quick Picture on Obsession"][/caption] Isla Mujeres, Mexico - It may be a small island off of Mexico's mainland, but it boasts BIG numbers on sailfish. We follow two boats primarily. Capt. Jeff Ross on the Obsession and Keen M Sportfishing. Both have posted impressive numbers lately. Obsession- Raised 38 - Caught 28 / Raised 25 - Caught 13 / Raised 46 - Caught 26 Keen M - Raised 31 - Caught 21 / Raised 24 - Caught 18 These numbers should continue through February and into March. Stay around long enough and you may see a blue or white marlin.

africa_map

Hook — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:20:24 +0000

Black Marlin

Hook — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:42:52 +0000

Kenya Slam!

Hook — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:02:07 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2237" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="KENYA"][/caption] Kenya - In a land perhaps more well known for its lands predators, lie some of the most fertile Billfish waters anywhere. Still relatively unexplored, Kenya can offer you the chance to see more Billfish species perhaps, than any other location in the world. Black, Blue and Striped Marlin all feed in these waters. Sailfish can be found in great abundance at times and they even have a good Swordfish bite. Add Spearfish too, if you can believe it. If you are lucky enough to fish here for some time, you start hearing about Billfish Slams. But not just a Grand Slam (3) or a Super Slam (4) but also the Fantasy Slam, which is 5 Billfish Species in one day. Like any destination, you will hear about certain spots that aggregate the fish. In Kenya, you will hear names like Pemba Channel and North Kenya Banks. If you follow our reporting, you will hear towns like Watamu, Shimoni and Malindi, which are coastal areas that have a fishing fleet. We follow two operators primarily. Sea Adventures with Capt. Simon Hemphill at the command of Kamara II (www.bigame.com) and Hemingway's Resort which has a fleet of top notch boats (www.hemingways.co.ke) [caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kenyan Black Marlin"][/caption] Here are some of the outstanding BILLFISH SLAMS that we have heard about thus far this season. Neptune - Super Grand Slam - Blue, Black, Striped, Sail B's Nest - Super Grand Slam - Blue, Black, Striped, Sail Instedda - Super Grand Slam - Black, Blue, Striped, Sail Kipapa - Grand Slam - Blue, Black, Sail Kamara II - Grand Slam - Black, Striped, Sail Alleycat - Grand Slam - Black, Striped, Sail Black Widow- Grand Slam - Blue, Black, Sail

Ascension Blue

Hook — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:57:48 +0000

Ascension Blues

Hook — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:58:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2279" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="900 lbs Blue Marlin for Harmattan"][/caption] Ascension Island - The little known island in the middle of the South Atlantic has produced some big blue marlin with a 1,200 caught a few years back. This is one of the places where if you are looking for the All Tackle record, you might want to stop by. The boys that are going to do it are on the Harmattan. They caught a nice 600 lber yesterday and then went 3-4 on Blue Marlin today and scored a nice 900 LBER! Don't be surprised is we see our first Grander of the Season from here (www.atlanticfishingcharter.com)

Shawn Wallace Blue

Hook — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:34:21 +0000

Shawn Wallace Blue Marlin

Hook — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:36:36 +0000

Brazil's Blue Marlin

Hook — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:39:01 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2290" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Brazilian Blue about to air it out"][/caption] Canavieiras, Brazil - Fishing this season on the Royal Charlotte Bank did not measure up to years past. For a famed area and for that matter, country, Brazil's fertile waters have not measured up. Cabo Frio, which brought us the current All-Tackle world record blue marlin produced so few fish this year, we barely covered the tournaments. The water temp oddly enough was blamed mostly, with very little bait. But, in these water you keep fishing and eventually you'll find them. Capt. Shawn Wallace on the Camargue is proving that the fish are there, but just a little farther north. While he will admit that this has not been classic Brazilian fishing thus far, he is finally starting to see numbers worth bragging about. Over the last couple of week, he has been averaging 3-4 raises a day and these are not small fish. Biggest he has seen recently went around 800 lbs. In the last two weeks he hasreleased some nice fish including 5 over 500 lbs and 2 over 600 lbs. Mix those in with the smaller 200 lbers blues and some sailfish a that is some really good fishing. [caption id="attachment_2291" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Nice Blue about to be released"][/caption] If you are looking for big blue marlin this time of year, your best bet is the Southern Atlantic and Brazil has to be on you list. Go to www.majesticmarlin.com.br to get more information on this fishery and Capt. Shawn Wallace.

Ascension Grander

Hook — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:44:00 +0000

First Grander of 2010?

Hook — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:45:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2437" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Potential Grander Blue Released"][/caption] Ascension Island - We do not want to say, we told you so, but we did. It appears we may have had the first Grander Blue Marlin of 2010, caught by the Harmattan with Capt. Matthias Henningsen. She ate a Fox Lure that is apparently a home made lure. I guess it worked! They released her boat side after she straightened the hook.

Blue Marlin Catching Air

Hook — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:08:05 +0000

Brazil Blue II

Hook — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:10:52 +0000

IMG_0553.JPG-2

Hook — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:12:19 +0000

Brazil Blue Marlin Part II

Hook — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:13:53 +0000

Canavieiras, Brazil - Capt. Shawn Wallace said fishing was picking up and he was right. After picking up a couple nice 600+ plus fish last week, Shawn has produced again. While fishing on Carmague, they Raised 7, hag 6 Bites and released a 500 and a 700 lber. The other fish they saw were all big, going anywhere from 300 to 500 lbs. Looks like the bite is starting to heat up. (www.majesticmarlin.com.br) [caption id="attachment_2461" align="aligncenter" width="589" caption="Brazilian Blue on the Run"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2462" align="aligncenter" width="589" caption="Greyhounding Blue Marlin"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2463" align="aligncenter" width="261" caption="Big Blue About to be Released"][/caption]

joosteGS_broadbill

Hook — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:01:36 +0000

joosteGS_sail.JPG

Hook — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:03:32 +0000

joosteGS_sail.JPG

Hook — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:05:24 +0000

joosteGS_stripey

Hook — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:07:36 +0000

Billfish Grand Slam on Fly!

Hook — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:09:36 +0000

Malindi, Kenya - It should come as no surprise that a Billfish Grand Slam was accomplished in Keyna, but this time on fly! As if it was not challenging enough to get three species in one day, angler Con Jooste added the element of doing it with a fly rod. What made this even more impressive is that one of the three was a swordfish (Sailfish, Striped Marlin, Swordfish). The boat was the Eclare which is part of the Kingfisher Fleet. [caption id="attachment_2483" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sword on Fly"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2485" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sailfish on Fly"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2486" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Striped Marlin on Fly"][/caption] We are not sure a Grand Slam on fly has ever been done with a swordfish as one of the species. Please email me at hook@billfishreport.com if you know of another person that has accomplished this.

Warren Sellers Striped Marlin

Hook — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:15:10 +0000

Galapagos Striped Marlin

Hook — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:23:06 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2558" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Striped Marlin Boatside - Capt. Warren Seller Art Marina"][/caption] Galapagos - There has been a great bite going on for some time off the Galapagos. The islands that everyone knows for eco-tourism also happen to produce some of the best striped marlin fishing around. While striped marlin are the main attraction, they see a good number of blues and even a black marlin from time to time. There are only a limited number of permits issued and there is no commercial fishing, so the pressure is very light. Even though marlin are pelagic fish, this helps tremendously on this fishery. We follow two shops primarily in the Galapagos. Art Marina, which is Tim Choate's operation (www.artmarina.com) and Peter Santini (www.sportfishgalapagos.com). We have also started to get reports from a local named Franklin Vilema on the Samysol. Here are some recent reports- Captain Peter Santini went 9 on 21 bites and raised 35 including 2 blues. Captain Franklin Zavala went 18-50 striped marlin on two days fishing on Samysol. Captain Warren Sellers (Art Marina) went 14-43 on striped marlin on three days fishing. If you are looking for incredible striped marlin fishing you can't look past the Galapagos.

500XRobBlackMarlin.JPG

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:01:28 +0000

honda aquatrax marlin

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:02:41 +0000

honda aquatrax marlin

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:04:53 +0000

matt-marlin-jumping

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:06:34 +0000

matt-marlin-jumping

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:09:06 +0000

honda aquatrax marlin

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:11:29 +0000

How did you catch that?

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:12:31 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2600" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spearfishing Black Marlin"][/caption] While most would consider catching a Billfish from a more traditional sportsfishing boat, an accomplishment, there are always the thrill seekers out there. Some will call them crazy, we just call them "brave". While we are not promoting ANY killing of any Billfish, you still have to be impressed with some of these catches. From a Kayak a Jet Ski or just some open water Spearfishing, these guys are wearing "parachute pants" when back on land. Probably the most common offshore place we know of is off of Baja in Mexico. These guys routinely catch tuna, dorado and wahoo and of course Striped Marlin. [caption id="attachment_2604" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Baja Striped Marlin from Kayak"][/caption] We know this is not the only Jet Ski caught Blue Marlin, but this Kona caught fish was over 400 lbs. This is not the first Blue Marlin for this Hawaii native either. [caption id="attachment_2605" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Kona Blue Marlin from Jet Ski"][/caption] Still, despite all of the other ways we have seen guys fishing marlin, our favorite comes out of New Zealand. This is one of the few places in the world where marlin can be caught from shore. They routinely catch both black and striped marlin on live bait. [caption id="attachment_2611" align="aligncenter" width="523" caption="New Zealand shore caught Black Marlin"][/caption] Got something better than these? We want to know. Leave a Comment or Email me at hook@billfishreport.com

020006Marlin1

Hook — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:56:35 +0000

big mouth blue

Hook — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:58:57 +0000

electricblue

Hook — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:00:27 +0000

A Different Angle

Hook — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:01:43 +0000

Coiba Island, Panama - We have seen a lot of cool shots before and quite frankly don't post them unless we think they are spectacular. The boat Karma, who is based out of San Diego, but spends a lot of time in Mexico and Central America, posted a couple really unique shots on a blue marlin. Check these out and let us know what you think (hook@billfishreport.com) [caption id="attachment_2643" align="aligncenter" width="539" caption="Panamanian Blue for Team Karma"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2644" align="aligncenter" width="700" caption="Blue Marlin for Team Karma"][/caption]

Cape Verde Blues

Hook — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:03:46 +0000

The Cape Verde Islands in April means Blue Marlin and lots of them. It is not uncommon to have 10 Shots a Day! 2010 has already started out well, but we thought we would show some action from 2009 to get the blood pumping. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAXH3p6KACQ

Atlantic Blue Marlin

Hook — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:24:36 +0000

Spring in the Air

Hook — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:25:50 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2674" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Atlantic Blue Marlin"][/caption] It is Spring time in the Atlantic, which means the Marlin bite is about to turn on. Both the East and West Atlantic are starting to show signs of the Spring Billfish Migration. Eastern Atlantic Cape Verdes - Already starting with a Hot Bite, with boats seeing as many as 10 Blues a day. Canary Islands - Both whites and blues are being seen, but not steady bite yet. Western Atlantic Puerto Rico - A decent white marlin and sail bite with a few blues mixed in. Bahamas - Both white marlin and blue marlin in the spread, with a few sails. Carolinas- White Marlin are being caught with a few blue marlin being raised. It is still early, but they are coming!

Marlin Magic 1.104 Blue

Hook — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:57:03 +0000

First Grander of 2010!

Hook — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:58:08 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2765" align="aligncenter" width="359" caption="Marlin Magic Grander Blue"][/caption] Kona, HI - We have been saying all year that the first Grander was going to come from Kona. Sure enough, Kona proved again that is produces BIG FISH. Congratulation to Capt. Jason Holtz on the Marlin Magic for catching this impressive 1.104 lbs. Pacific Blue Marlin. This is Jason's first Pacific Grander, but his third in total. Fish hit a medium size Marlin Magic bullet with an estimated fight time of 2 Hours. Congratulations again to Captain and Crew for an impressive catch. 2010 GRANDER REPORT 1. Kona, HI - 1,104 lbs. Blue Marlin - Capt. Jason Holtz - Marlin Magic

Flamingo Black

Hook — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:16:49 +0000

Flamingo Marlin

Hook — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:23:54 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2786" align="aligncenter" width="514" caption=" Flamingo Black Marlin behind Mr Trigger"][/caption] Flamingo, Costa Rica - We sometimes forget about the great variety of fishing in Costa Rica because we get so many great reports about the sailfish bite. We have no problem reporting on it, but I think people get used to seeing 5-7 sailfish a day and just assume everyone gets to experience that. Well, we are here to tell you that while the fishing can be great, it is fishing. We got a great report from Capt Jason Coffrin on the Mr Trigger who fishes down in Flamingo mostly. In the last 7 trips he has raised 12 marlin and released 7. A marlin a day keeps the doctor away in our book! What we like about it though, was the good variety. He had one Black Marlin of about 200lbs, three Blue Marlin in the 200-250lbs range and then three Striped Marlin as well. Add a few sailfish and you have some good fishing! We talk to Jason a lot and he almost exclusively fishes bait and switch. While we have all done that on Blue Marlin and even some Striped Marlin, he does that also on the Black Marlin. Not a first for sure, but we love a guy with guts. Capt. Jason indicated that there have been a bunch of fry bait and bonita in the area and yellowfin tuna are moving in as well, so he expects some larger Marlin to pop up soon. If you are looking for some good variety, go check out Capt. Jason Coffrin on the Mr. Trigger at (www.flamingo-fishing.com) or if you are a Facebooker add "MrTrigger Flamigocr" to touch base with him.

http://http://flamingo-fishing.com

864301

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:00:45 +0000

250500

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:05:27 +0000

446001

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:11:14 +0000

879306

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:19:39 +0000

536189

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:19:51 +0000

5361891

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:21:04 +0000

250500

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:25:45 +0000

8793061

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:25:56 +0000

Best Marlin Lures

Hook — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:32:43 +0000

Everyone has their favorite marlin lure. It could be its color, swim pattern, bubble trail or just plain luck. While we are not here to judge which is the best, we thought we would highlight the ones we like the best and or have seen hanging out of more billfish mouths. It should come as no surprise, that the birthplace of the skirted lure (Hawaii) is also home to some of the best lure makers as well. That is not to say there are not a lot of good East Coast lure makers as well, but you will see a lot of dead baits behind many boats there. With that being said, the Marlin Trolling Season is about to commence, so boys get those lures ready.

MOLD CRAFT WIDE RANGE

Perhaps the most well known marlin lure ever, with a number of world records to its credit and great flexibility in the spread.

JOE YEE SUPER PLUNGER

Credited with more Grander Marlin than any other lure in the world.

BLACK BART GRANDER CANDY

Made famous by the legendary Kona Skipper Bart Miller, this lure is known to produce BIG Blue Marlin

ILAND ILANDER

The most famous U.S. East Coast lure, that produces on Blues, Whites and Sails

PAKULA SPROCKET

Known to many captains as their "trusty" lure, you will most often see it on the long rigger

There are some other VERY good lures and lure makers out there, but the FIVE above in our minds are LEGENDARY. This last may change though going forward. We have been very impressed with the production our of Legend Lures (Roddy Hays') "Piper" and have seen some promising catches from MarlinStar and Makaira Pulling Lures.

You can pick up ANY of the above lures at www.meltontackle.com, which is our favorite place to buy lures.

Hatteras Blue Marlin

Hook — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:16:14 +0000

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Hook — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:16:23 +0000

28280_1393909242229_1067118653_1189277_4529211_n

Hook — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:16:33 +0000

North Carolina Blue Marlin

Hook — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:22:06 +0000

Hatteras, NC - We have heard of few Blue Marlin being caught off the East Coast, but this is the first multiple Blue Marlin day we know of this year and what a day. The report came from Capt. Jonboy Kelmer fishing on the boat Islander. The boys caught three Blue Marlin. Two were 300+ and one was 400+. That is a helluva start to the season. He caught one on a ballyhoo, one on a pitch bait and the last on a lure. Way to go boys! Jonboy is just warming up before he heads out to Madeira here in mid-May where he will take the wheel on the Grander. [caption id="attachment_2857" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Hatteras Blue Marlin for Islander"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2858" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hatteras Blue Marlin"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2859" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Three Blue Marlin Day!"][/caption]

Lauderdale Sword

Hook — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:43:12 +0000

Big South Florida Sword!

Hook — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:44:49 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2877" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Slob of a Sword for the "Booby Trap""][/caption] Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Some visiting Texans from the boat Booby Trap had some great luck catching this 500+ daytime sword. After gutting the fish, the "meat" weighed 527 lbs. We are not experts at estimating swordfish weights, but this one has to be closer to 600. She had a 64'' Girth and a 98'' Length. Congratulations to the boys on the Booby Trap for a fish of a Lifetime!

Roffs Oil Spill Image

Hook — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:18:02 +0000

Oil Close to Loop Current

Hook — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:19:56 +0000

Gulf of Mexico - We like everyone are concerned for our friends in the Gulf. We are far from experts on the situation, but we are hoping the media has made this out to be worse than it is. Many of you are aware of Roffs fishing service (www.roffs.com) where many offshore guys get their water temp and current info from. Well, as usual those guys are on top of the oil spill as well. For Floridians and for East Coast guys as well, we should all be watching as the oil nears the Gulfstream's Loop Current as this will affect us all. Here is an image that Roffs put out to the fishing public.

Dream Catcher II Sword

Hook — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:39:39 +0000

Dream Catcher Sword

Hook — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:40:47 +0000

Big Sword, Small Boat

Hook — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:42:29 +0000

South Florida - We like a good fishing story as much as the next guy. You have seen us report on blue marlin from jet skis, striped marlin from kayaks and black marlin from the shore. Well, add these guys to your list. While drift fishing at night, these boys on the Dream Catcher II landed a 334 lbs Swordfish from a 14' Aluminum Boat. Fish took just over an hour, but apparently dragged the guys for every bit of it. These guys proved you don't need a big boat to catch a big fish. Congratulations on a fine catch in any boat. [caption id="attachment_3204" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="334 lbs. Swordfish for Dream Catcher II"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3205" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Big Fish for Dream Catcher II"][/caption]

NE Florida - 640 Lbs. Blue Marlin

Hook — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:08:11 +0000

Florida - Not known for a great marlin bite, the state of Florida has had a great May. We have heard a number of Blue and White Marlin in the Keys, off Cape Canaveral and now off of Northeast Florida. "Ledge Lady" reported a 150 lbs Blue Marlin and there was at least two more released this weekend. We love to hear of all of the marlin around, but nothing gets our hearts pumping like large Blue Marlin. A very impressive 640 lbs Blue Marlin (who unfortunately died in the fight) was weighed by the boat "C-Fan" a 48' Viking out of St. Augustine, FL. It was a four and a half hour fight for angler Rick Thompson. This is a rare catch to say the least in Northeast Florida and is a new Club Record for the Northeast Marlin Fishing Association. Congrats to angler and crew!

Ivory Coast Grander

Hook — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:31:21 +0000

Ivory Coast - 2nd Grander of 2010

Hook — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:33:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3302" align="aligncenter" width="275" caption="May 4th - Ivory Coast Grander"][/caption] Ivory Coast - We don't know all the details, but there was a 1,098 Blue Marlin landed off the Ivory Coast on May 4, 2010. This is the 2nd Grander of 2010. More details to come. Picture courtesy of Marlin Magazine.

29476_1477300855247_1315513789_1280275_5955712_n

Hook — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:17:30 +0000

Mako Attacks Sail?

Hook — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:19:14 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3336" align="aligncenter" width="720" caption="Sail being attacked by Shark. "][/caption] We are told this came from Isla Mujeres, Mexico. While that is an Atlantic Sail and that is certainly a shark (most likely a mako) we can not confirm it is 100% real. Even if it is not real, that is one helluva picture and we know that Mako's are known to attack other pelagic species. We'll just pretend it is one of the most spectacular shots we have even seen until proven wrong.

Madeira "Grander"

Hook — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:29:56 +0000

Madeira's On!

Hook — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:33:16 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3392" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Nice Madeira Blue released on the "Grander""][/caption] Madeira - Last week we started hearing about the fish being seen and we knew the year was going to start out good, but not this good. This fishery has one of the largest blue marlin averages in the world, with very few fish under 500 lbs. Well, this BIG FISH fishery is keeping its title for now. Check out few of the catches thus far. Xareu - 650 lbs Blue Marlin, 700 lbs Blue Marlin Our Mary - 550 lbs Blue Marlin, 850 lbs Blue Marlin, 650 lbs Blue Marlin (See Video Link) Katherine B - 850 lbs Blue Marlin Audaz - 700 lbs Blue Marlin (Doubleheader) - Many thanks to Capt. Jonboy Kelmer at the helm of "Grander" (http://www.meltontackle.com/blog/grander-madeira-fishing-news/). They have just finished up in the boatyard, so expect to see good numbers from them. - If you can't be there, then check out the video link below provided to us by Paul Watson at Marlin World.

http://www.marlinworld.tv/page3/page3.html

Texas Blue Marlin

Hook — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:27:04 +0000

Port Aransas, Texas - We don't talk much about Gulf of Mexico Blue Marlin fishing, but in the summertime (here in the states) Texas can get a really good bite. Ironically the same oil rigs that we all now despise are the same rigs that have produced some of the best fishing, from Texas to the Florida Panhandle. The below video is of a WILD Blue Marlin caught off of Port Aransas, Texas. It was the first blue of 2010 for the boys out of Port A and was caught on a boat called the "Ambush". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLWW4xDBSp8

billfishing-38

Hook — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:31:01 +0000

image-1

Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:41:10 +0000

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Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:41:30 +0000

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Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:43:21 +0000

image-1

Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:45:36 +0000

image

Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:52:54 +0000

Costa Grand Slam ...PLUS

Hook — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:58:46 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3466" align="alignleft" width="468" caption="Costa Rica Black Marlin "][/caption]

Flamingo, Costa Rica - You have no doubt heard us talk about Capt. Jason Coffin on the Mr. Trigger. Hell, we may talk too much about him, but let me tell you, there is a reason. Capt. Jason has re-discovered a black marlin fishery that most people thought had gone away. While everyone else trolls around for blues, Capt. Jason is pitching baits to black marlin. Yes, you read that correctly, he is bait and switching on black marlin almost exclusively. When we think Black Marlin, Panama and Australia come to mind, but Jason is making us think differently about or beloved Costa Rica. While we could go on about his targeting of black marlin, Jason proved again that there is simply some World Class fishing going on in Flamingo. While fishing Four Days Capt. Jason put up some numbers that would make any captain proud and the rest of the fleet envious. He caught 6 Black Marlin, 2 Blue Marlin and 25 Sailfish. To top it off, his second day he got a Billfish Grand Slam with a Black, Blue and a Sail. Best part is, he lost a striped marlin or he would have had a Super Grand Slam. These are just catch numbers, forget about the numbers of marlin that came up behind his boat as you would not believe me if i told you. [caption id="attachment_3467" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Costa Rica Sail Charging the Bait"][/caption] Here is how he caught them: 2 Black Marlin - Pitch Baits 2 Black Marlin - Bonita with Skirt 2 Black Marlin - Ballyhoo 2 Blue Marlin - Pitch Bait 25 Sailfish - Ballyhoo If you want your shot, go over to our "Who to Fish With" and click on Flamingo, Costa Rica. Capt. Jason would be happy to show you this incredible fishery.

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Hook — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:16:55 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:19:31 +0000

Wet-N-Wild

Hook — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:20:57 +0000

Citations fish holds on at The Big Rock

Hook — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:26:30 +0000

Morehead City, NC - It should be no surprise that Citation's 883 lbs Blue Marlin, a tournament record, held on to win 1st Place in this years Big Rock tournament. Three fish weighed in this year with Carnivore weighing a 528 and Wet-N-Wild weighing a 460. [caption id="attachment_3717" align="aligncenter" width="260" caption="Citation's Winning 883 lbs Blue Marlin"][/caption] Fishing was slow all things considered though. There were 156 boats entered into the tournament with a estimated pay-out of $1.7 Million. The top three release boats, all scored 2 Blue Marlin for the tournament, but many boats did not release a billfish at all. Still, this is The Big Rock, one of our favorite tournaments as it involves some of the finest captain the U.S. has to offer. The tradition is one of the richest in the sport and were are not talking about the purse. [caption id="attachment_3718" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Carnivore's 2nd Place Fish"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_3719" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Wet-N-Wild's 3rd Place Fish"][/caption]

FINAL STANDINGS

1st - Citation - 883 lbs - $912,000

2nd - Carnivore - 528 lbs - $217,000

3rd - Wet-N-Wild - 460 lbs - $144,000

Release Division

Miss Judy - 2 Blue Marlin

Sweet Deal - 2 Blue Marlin

Galot 3 - 2 Blue Marlin

Citation's Fish Still Under Review

Hook — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:34:40 +0000

Big Rock Tournament "Control" - We waited for the final results today on Citation' s winning 883 lbs Blue Marlin, worth $950,000, but they are taking their time. Well, why not? This is BIG money and it can really hurt one of the finest East Coast Tournaments. Lets hope they make the right decision and treat all participants fairly....

Mozambique Underwater Blacks

Hook — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:36:09 +0000

Bazaruto, Mozambique - We got a really cool video from our friend Capt. Duarte Rato on the Vamizi who fishes down in Mozambique (dudas7mares@gmail.com). There are more than just billfish in this video, but the underwater shots on the black marlin are really impressive. Some of you may remember the Grander Black Marlin that Duarte caught that unfortunately got sharked, but still weighed an impressive 1,107 lbs. Would have been the African Record. Check out the video and let us know what you think, or go fish with Duarte and get the live version. [caption id="attachment_3779" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Mozambique Black Marlin - Is that land?"][/caption] Watch the whole thing, but if you are a billfish snob, fast forward to 2:00 and that is when the black marlin action heats up.

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Hook — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:44:32 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:29:43 +0000

The Big Rock Sunk!

Hook — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:13:49 +0000

Morehead City, NC - Citation's fish is disqualified!!!!!! Mate did not have a license and tried to get one on the way back in, so they knew it. Very sad for a great fish for the guys on the Citation. Carnivore takes 1st and $1,000,000! Must have been a tough call for the Tournament. Nobody won this one!!!!

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Hook — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:10:56 +0000

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Hook — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:12:21 +0000

Mexico - 3rd Grander of the Year

Hook — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:13:04 +0000

Veracruz, Mexico (6/19/10) - We finally have our Third Grander Marlin of the year and like all of them, this one has a story. [caption id="attachment_3794" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Mexico Grander"][/caption] While marlin fishing for his first time, in the 9th Annual El Pescador Marlin Tournament, angler Paco Iniguez Aguilar aboard the La Valiente (a 21 ft trophy center console) caught a very impressive a very large blue marlin, tipping the scales at 1,038 lbs. In fact, she was so large, she could not fit into his boat and thus had to ask for assistance from another tournament participant in order to bring her in. The lure was of course a Black Bart RPP in yellowfin tuna color. The short length was 147.2", girth 75.6" and tail girth was 20.5". Approximate fight time was a little over one and a half hours. Thanks very much to Jack at Black Bart lures (www.blackbartlures.com) for sending over the details. I think we have lost count on how many large fish their lures have caught.

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Hook — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:42:29 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:51:03 +0000

Blue Marlin World Cup

Hook — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:54:37 +0000

Blue Marlin World Cup Tournament (www.bluemarlinworldcup.com) - While there is a much larger World Cup going on right now, on July 4th the International Billfish community will have their own version of crowning the best in the World for Blue Marlin. For us, this tournament reminds us of all of the great places we have in the world to catch these beautiful creatures. [caption id="attachment_3902" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="2009 Winner Bermuda - Wound Up - Capt. James Robinson"][/caption] For those not familiar with the tournament, let me give you the basics. This is a winner take all, largest blue marlin caught (over 500 lbs) anywhere in the world. This is a 24-hour tournament with all participants starting in their respective time zones. One team is literally finishing their day as the next team starts in time zones that are far apart. Here are some of the reasons we love this tournament. 1. Big Fish - Only 500+ lbs fish can be captured, thus only a few fish are killed. There have been Two Grander Marlin caught in this tournament. 2. Worldwide Destinations - The ONLY truly international fishing tournament in the world. It allows anglers from all over the world, the ability to compete against each other. Here is just a sample of the locations/countries being represented. Angola Hawaii, USA Texas, USA Azores Madeira Vanuatu Bermuda North Carolina, USA Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Papua, New Guinea Cameroon Portugal Canary Islands St Thomas, USVI 3. Big Purse - Generally $300,000 + is up for grabs 4. Bragging Rights - A lot of fisheries think they are the best in the World and at least for one day, one fishery can lay claim. 5. Rivalry - Don't tell the other participating countries, but there is a real rivalry between Kona, Hawaii and Bermuda. Kona has won it Six (6) times and Bermuda Six (6) times. The next closest is Madeira with Three (3) wins. [caption id="attachment_3906" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="2008 Winner Kona - Ihu Nui - Capt. McGrew Rice"][/caption] It is not too late to enter, so if you want to be a part of what we consider one of the best tournaments in the business, go to www.bluemarlinworldcup.com to sign up.

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Hook — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:55:04 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:05:10 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:06:29 +0000

900+ Madeira Blue Marlin

Hook — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:07:58 +0000

Madeira - We absolutely love Madeira for a lot of reasons, but the number one reason is Large Blue Marlin. There have been at least two 900+ blues caught over the last three days. Peter Bristow on the Katherine B caught one they called 950+ and then the below fish caught on the "Cabo" with Capt. Joe Bennie that they called 900+. What a beautiful fish, especially boatside about to be released. [caption id="attachment_3978" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="900+ Blue Marlin for Capt. Joe Bennie in Madeira"][/caption]

Cape Verde Islands - 4th Grander of the Year

Hook — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:17:06 +0000

San Nicoloa, Cape Verde Islands - We have now confirmed a 1,000 Blue Marlin released on June 30th. While fishing off of San Nicoloa, Capt. Ferdi Worst on the Bebiche released a Blue Marlin that was right at the mark. Her tail girth was right at the magical 20'' mark, which is good enough for us. What is perhaps more impressive was that Capt. Ferdi lost and estimated 1,200 lbs blue marlin, that broke off under the boat. He released an estimated 700 lbs blue marlin the following day. That is some tremendous fishing! More information as it comes in. As if the Cape Verdes were not isolated enough, San Nicoloa is more remote.... UPDATE - From Capt. Ferdi Worst

The name of the anglers are Jon Albisu and Rafael Modrego from Spain. One of them with the Lure Big Grander and the other with a Soft Lures 31 cm Mold Craft. The LIne 130 lbs and the fighting time of the first one (1050 lbs ) was 55 minutes The second one ( 1200 lbs ) about nearly 1 and a half hour

World Cup Update

Hook — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:36:24 +0000

WORLD CUP NEWS

Cape Verde Islands - Capt. Berno Niebuhr is headed to the scales with an estimated 800 lbs. Blue Marlin Madeira - Audaz has been hooked up for over an hour. Bermuda - Bree released one just under 500 lbs.

Cape Verde Islands - 5th Grander of the Year

Hook — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:57:16 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4040" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="2010 World Cup Winner - Happy Hooker"][/caption] Cape Verde Islands - It did not take long between our 4th and 5th Grander of 2010 and what a day to do it on. While fishing in the Blue Marlin World Cup, Capt. Berno Neibuhr on the Happy Hooker caught a 1,097 Blue Marlin. If this fish holds, Capt. Berno would be the first time repeat Champion. This is the 3rd GRANDER caught in this international tournament in its history. Congratulations to the Happy Hooker on the impressive fish.

World Cup Update #2

Hook — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:04:00 +0000

Blue Marlin World Cup - Pacific anglers woke up to a helluva challenge this morning. The Happy Hooker has taken control of 1st Place with a 1,097 Blue Marlin (5th Grander of the Year). If this holds, Happy Hooker would be the First Team to EVER win this tournament twice. Kona, HI boats have just put lines in with 41 Boats participating . If there is a location that can beat Happy Hooker's fish, this is it. Stay Tuned.....

Cape Verde Islands - 6th Grander of the Year

Hook — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:33:14 +0000

San Nicoloa, Cape Verde Islands - We have now confirmed a 1,200 lbs. Blue Marlin released on June 30th. While fishing off of Sao Nicolau, Capt. Ferdi Worst on the Bebiche released a Blue Marlin that was right at the 1,000 mark as well as this monster 1,200 lber. This means that Bebiche had a Double Grander day. This is the first that we know of since the Canary Islands in 2009. More information as it comes in. As if the Cape Verdes were not isolated enough, San Nicoloa is more remote.... UPDATE - From Capt. Ferdi Worst
The name of the anglers are Jon Albisu and Rafael Modrego from Spain. One of them with the Lure Big Grander and the other with a Soft Lures 31 cm Mold Craft. The LIne 130 lbs and the fighting time of the first one (1050 lbs ) was 55 minutes The second one ( 1200 lbs ) about nearly 1 and a half hour

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Hook — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:22:28 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:08:36 +0000

Costa Rica Day 4

Hook — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:12:36 +0000

Flamingo, CR - Day 4 with Mr. Trigger Sportfishing (www.flamingo-fishing.com) The bite was on today, but we could not get the hooks to stick. 0-2 on Black Marlin, 0-1 on Sails and 0-1 on Striped Marlin. In case you are wondering, that would have been a Grand Slam. The Blacks came up on a double header.

Playmate grander

Hook — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:31:05 +0000

Bermuda - 7th Grander of the Year

Hook — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:32:19 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4115" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="1,012 lbs. Bermuda Grander on Playmate"][/caption] Bermuda - We just got word that Capt. Kevin Winter on the Playmate weighed in a 1,012 Blue Marlin. The fish unfortunately died in the battle. Fish came up dead after 2 1/2 hours. Measurements came in at 132.5 on the short - a fat fish! More to come on this fish - which came on the heels of a 750+ released on Saturday on this same boat! Well done guys!

CIMG3534

Hook — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:36:36 +0000

Bermuda Grander - Additional Pictures

Hook — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:38:34 +0000

Bermuda - Here are some additional pictures sent to us by the angler John Andryszewski. Fight time was just over 2 Hours. We should have some video by the end of the week.

Bristow 950 III

Hook — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:52:54 +0000

Madeira 950+ Blue

Hook — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:54:31 +0000

Madeira- There have been a few nice fish around lately, with Grander releasing a 750 lbs blue marlin and Katherine B just releasing a 850 lbs yesterday. Two more fish were caught yesterday and the bait is around. Should be a nice run for the boys on the rock. We mentioned a really nice fish a couple weeks ago that Capt. Peter Bristow on the Karherine B called 950+. Well, we finally got a picture of it. What a beautiful fish and an even better release. [caption id="attachment_4223" align="aligncenter" width="547" caption="950 lbs Madeira Blue"][/caption]

Bermuda Playmate Grander

Hook — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:07:23 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:00:35 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:11:56 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:23:22 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:49:39 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:57:06 +0000

Costa Rica Trip Report 2010

Hook — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:59:15 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4263" align="alignleft" width="300" caption=""Downtown" Flamingo, Costa Rica"][/caption] Flamingo, Costa Rica - With all the great fishing destinations out there, I feel like Costa Rica has been forgotten sometimes. It is almost as if people have taken a "been there, done that" approach. Well, time to remember again.

If you like, Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Striped Marlin and Sailfish (did I miss any?) why are you NOT fishing in Flamingo,Costa Rica? The species variety is second to none and Capt. Jason Coffrin on the Mr Trigger (www.flamingo-fishing.com) put us on ALL of them.

While we went down to specifically target Black marlin on pitch baits, sometimes you have to change plans when those pesky Blue Marlin show up. In this trip we raised three blue marlin to be exact, one of which would have made any destination proud (400+ lbs) [caption id="attachment_4264" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Black Marlin "][/caption] We did get our shot at the man in the tux though. In fact, we got two shots when the double header "mafiaso" like hit men showed up like our teaser owed them money. When those blacks decide to eat something, they don't let go and Capt. Coffrin has the war wounds to prove it. While trying to rip the teaser out of one of the mobster's mouths, Capt. Jason felt the strength of the black marlin rip through his hand that left a mark. [caption id="attachment_4265" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Costa Rica Sailfish"][/caption] We got our shots at Sailfish as well . Everyone just assumes you will catch one when in Central America. We tend to look down at our little buddy the sailfish, but she has feelings too, so we don't want to upset her. Fact is, we loved every minute of our fights with the sails and quite frankly wish we saw more. Capt. Jason Coffrin does not like to marlin fish, he is obsessed with it. Don't tell him I told you this, but this guy will take you for free if you ask him nicely. Every fish was like it was his first and the excitement from the bridge was felt throughout the boat. This guy is a hunter and will not stop working his spots until the sun comes down. He wants every fish and probably spends too much time thinking about the one that got away. That is marlin fishing Jason, you don't get every single one. In addition to Flamingo, Capt. Coffrin will be down in Carillo starting in the first part of 2011, where he will be targeting his "marlin buffet". You can get in touch with Capt. Jason any number of ways. Visit his website at www.flamingo-fishing.com or reach out to him on Facebook @ (mrtrigger flamingocr). A special thanks to our friends at Lehi Baits (www.lehibaits.com) and Legend Lures (www.legendlures.com). We used our custom Billfish Report lure from Lehi on our right short and a Krakatoa from Legend as a teaser. Both lure and teaser raised fish and had great action for billfish. [caption id="attachment_4266" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Custom Lehi Baits Lure"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4267" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Legend Lures"][/caption]

Bermuda - 9th Grander of the Year

Hook — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:12:07 +0000

Bermuda - 1,005 lbs Blue Marlin weighed by the crew of the C-Ya with Capt. Rene Bonneval(Formerly the Madam and the Hooker). This is the 2nd Grander Blue Marlin caught in Bermuda this year. Lure: Black Moldcraft Wide Range (How many Granders for Moldcraft now?) Angler : Don't have his name yet, but he was a local Customs Agent Fight Time: 1-Hour [caption id="attachment_4386" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="C-Ya in Bermuda"][/caption]

C-Ya

Hook — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:00:35 +0000

GetImage

Hook — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:54:41 +0000

Bermuda - 10th Grander of the Year

Hook — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:55:53 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4450" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="1,005 lbs. Blue Marlin for Que Mas"][/caption] Bermuda - Yes, you are reading this correctly. No, we are not drunk....yet. The Atlantic Ocean has decided to produce some Big Blue Marlin this year and it seems like they moved from Cape Verdes to Bermuda. We have our 10th GRANDER this year and the THIRD for Bermuda courtesy of the now famous Que Mas. Fish weighed, 1,005 lbs, which is the EXACT same weight as our 9th Grander. Capt. Travis Butters was the angler this time. BIG Congratulations to the boys in Bermuda. Many thanks to Capt. Rene Bonneval on the C-Ya, Capt. James Robinson on the Wound Up (www.woundupbermuda.com) and Brent Slade for letting us know. We are still in shock! Fish was caught on a Black and Pink Moldcraft Wide Range. C-Ya's Grander was also caught on a Black Moldcraft Wide Range.

Costa Rica Black Marlin Video

Hook — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:43:48 +0000

Flamingo, CR- We got some great video of a small black marlin caught on the Mr. Trigger. Capt. Jason is making a real effort to start tagging his fish. This is his first tagged black marlin. Congratulations Jason! (www.flamingo-fishing.com)

que mas-1

Hook — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:24:03 +0000

White Marlin

Hook — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:45:41 +0000

Maryland White Marlin

Hook — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:47:34 +0000

Ocean City, MD - With the upcoming White Marlin Open we felt it only appropriate that we post some recent video of what has been a good season thus far. Our friends at the Florida Outdoor Network have 100% exclusive video content and this was just filmed over the last few days. The fact that they mentioned GranderWatch.com does not hurt either! Check out the video below and let us know what you think. If you are fishing the Tournament, good luck!

Ocean City, MD White Marlin

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Hook — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:51:10 +0000

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Hook — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:17:56 +0000

Bisbees East Cape Day 2 Results

Hook — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:19:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4554" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="581 lbs. Black Marlin - Dreamweaver"][/caption] Cabo San Lucas - Bisbees East Cape Tournament - Good numbers of billfish being caught and some nice fish. Good to see this great fishery back on its feet. 68 Billfish Released: 2 black, 17 blue, 41 striped marlin, 8 sailfish TOP MARLIN Dreamweaver - Tom Lansing - 581 lb. black marlin Cowboy VII - Vic Lattimore - 377 lb. blue marlin La Negra - Ricardo Bernal - 366 lb. blue marlin TOP RELEASE TEAMS Sea Fevers - 1200 points Cabo Magic - 1000 points Don Valerio - 800 points

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Hook — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:24:09 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:40:10 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:41:02 +0000

Big Puerto Rico Blues

Hook — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:43:03 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4599" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="500+ Blue Marlin released on the Marlin Magic"][/caption] San Juan, PR - There has been some really good action over the last week on blue marlin, just 5 miles off of San Juan. There have been 7 fish over 400 lbs caught over the last few days. At least four 400+ fish and at least three 500+ fish (like the one above). There have been a bunch of smaller fish around as well, with most boats getting 2-3 shots a day. [caption id="attachment_4600" align="aligncenter" width="263" caption="A 400+ Blue released for the boat Kimi"][/caption]

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Hook — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:06:40 +0000

2010 TIFT Billfish Results

Hook — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:15:02 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4604" align="aligncenter" width="261" caption="670 lbs. Blue Marlin for Bessie Bell"][/caption] Port Isabel, TX - The 71st Annual Texas International Fishing Tournament is the largest in Texas and includes both inshore and offshore species over two days of fishing. Here are the Billfish Numbers - 41 Billfish Caught. 9- Blue Marlin, 22 -White Marlin, 10 - Sailfish. Largest fish was a 670 lbs. Blue Marlin caught aboard the 37' Bessie Belle. Largest Sailfish - Phila Kindla on the Ollie Dora - 50 lbs. Largest White Marlin - Jason Miskovsky on the Puro Cabron - 71 lbs. Largest Blue Marlin - Francis Knapp Jr. on the Bessie Bell - 670 lbs.

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Hook — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:15:31 +0000

White Marlin Open - Day 1- 7:45 EST

Hook — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:43:11 +0000

Ocean City, MD - There are still some fish to be weighed, but it looks like the the fishing was good. As of 7:45 EST, Reel Passion was holding on to 1st and 2nd Place. Here are the standings.... 1. Reel Passion - Thomas Garmany of Mt. Pleasant, SC - 74.0 lbs. 2. Reel Passion - Hector Torres of Brawt Beach, NJ - 66.5 lbs. 3. Canyon Express - Jack Seidman of Doylestown, PA - 66.0 lbs. Top Release Boats 1. Mollie K - 6 White Marlin 2. Backlash - 2 White Marlin, 1 Blue Marlin 3. Let It Ride - 3 White Marlin

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Hook — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:40:31 +0000

White Marlin Open - Day 1 Results

Hook — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:50:49 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4667" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="790 lbs. Blue Marlin for Scandalous"][/caption] Ocean City, MD - One of the biggest tournaments on the East Coast, lived up to is reputation today. Not all of the 255 entries caught fish today, but this has to be one of the best Day Ones we have seen in a the last few years. There were 184 White Marlin caught, 13 Blue Marlin, 3 Sailfish and 4 Spearfish . Even though this is the White Marlin Open, for the 2nd year in a row, it may be a large Blue Marlin that steals the show. Scandalous weighed an impressive 790 lbs Blue Marlin.

Day One Results

White Marlin

Trouble Maker 78.5 lbs.
Reel Passion 74 lbs.
Sea Note 74 lbs.

Blue Marlin

Scandalous 790 lbs

RELEASED

Mollie K - 6 White Marlin
Lil-Man - 3 White Marlin, 1 Blue Marlin
Singularis - 5 White Marlin

Grander WMO 1010 Let It Ride

Hook — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:32:09 +0000

Ocean City, MD - 11th Grander of the Year

Hook — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:33:16 +0000

Grander Blue at the WMO

Ocean City, MD - Apparently lightning can strike twice. For the 2nd Year in a Row, a Grander Blue Marlin has been weighed in the White Marlin Open. We are starting to think they may need to re-name the tournament to the "Blue and White Open". Fish was caught by Jame Kontos of Colorado on the boat Let It Ride. Fish weighed in a 1,010 lbs. This after an impressive 790 lbs Blue was weighed in yesterday. We actually said this morning on From the Water Radio that we did not expect any more blue marlin to be weighed!! Man were we wrong. Fish was caught on a Moldcraft, Blue/Clear Super Chugger on the short rigger. Fish took 62 minutes to boat. 127/78 inches. Congratulations to Let It Ride on a impressive catch! Looks like the boys are in the money.

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Hook — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:24:11 +0000

White Marlin Open - Day 2 (Updated)

Hook — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:25:16 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4696" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Let It Ride about to weigh their Grander Blue"][/caption] Ocean City, MD - Day 2 will most likely go down as one of the finest days in the White Marlin Open history. We saw the 2nd Largest White Marlin in tournament history and the 2nd Largest Blue Marlin in tournament history and it was a Grander. To produce a Grander in any tournament is impressive, but two do it back to back just shows how good the fishing can get. But, this is the White Marlin Open and the teams reminded us of how strong the competition is after Day 2, with NO Day 1 weigh-ins lasting. Day 2 Species totals were 276 White Marlin, 5 Blue Marlin, 3 Spearfish and 2 Sailfish .

Day Two Results

White Marlin

Shelly II 97.5 lbs.
Sea Toy 92.0 lbs.
Kingfisher 80.5 lbs.

Blue Marlin 1. Let It Ride 1,010 lbs 2. Scandalous 790 lbs RELEASED

Finesse - 16 White Marlin
Miss Annie - 14 White Marlin
Trophy Huner - 12 White Marlin, 1 Sailfish
Last Call - 11 White Marlin, 1 Spearfish

Legend Stewart Campbell Dies

Hook — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:17:38 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4747" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Big Game Club of Portugal Honoring Stewart"][/caption] We were very saddened to hear that one of the legends in our sport has passed away. Probably most known in recent years for chasing big blue marlin line records in Madeira, Stewart was always looking for the next fishery. His boat Chunda with Capt. Bark Garnsey were always chasing records. Here are some of the highlights of his career in fishing.

First Angler to catch Two Grander Blue Marlin - 1,141-pounder and 1,038-pounder in Madeira
IGFA Hall of Fame
IGFA Trustee
6 lb Atlantic Blue Marlin record at 336 lbs
8 lb Atlantic Blue Marlin Record at 562 lbs
16 lb Atlantic Blue Marlin record at 820 lbs
20 lb record at 714 lbs
30 lb record at 872 lbs.

Our thoughts and prayers are with hid family and friends.

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Hook — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:46:37 +0000

White Marlin Open - Day 3 (Update)

Hook — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:47:51 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4728" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Release Leader Fin Ness backing into the weigh station"][/caption] Ocean City, MD - A little slower fishing today for the whole fleet. No weighed fish moved, but who would expect them to with a 97.5 lbs. White Marlin and a 1,010 Blue Marlin to beat. Still.. there are two more days of fishing left, so you never know. Day 3 Species totals were 88 White Marlin, 1 Blue Marlin, 2 Spearfish. **

Day 3 Results

White Marlin

Shelly II 97.5 lbs.
Sea Toy 92.0 lbs.
Kingfisher 80.5 lbs.

Blue Marlin 1. Let It Ride 1,010 lbs 2. Scandalous 790 lbs RELEASED

Fin-Ness - 17 White Marlin
Trophy Huner - 15 White Marlin, 1 Sailfish & 1 Spearfish
Miss Annie - 14 White Marlin

** Species counts will be official tomorrow morning.

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Hook — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:15:14 +0000

White Marlin Open - Day 4

Hook — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:50:32 +0000

Ocean City, MD - A little slower fishing today for the whole fleet. No weighed fish moved, but who would expect them to with a 97.5 lbs. White Marlin and a 1,010 Blue Marlin to beat. Still.. there is one more day of fishing left, so you never know. Day 4 Species totals were 92 White Marlin, 1 Blue Marlin, 2 Spearfish. **

Day 4 Results

White Marlin

Shelly II 97.5 lbs.
Sea Toy 92.0 lbs.
Kingfisher 80.5 lbs.

Blue Marlin 1. Let It Ride 1,010 lbs 2. Scandalous 790 lbs RELEASED

Fin-Ness - 17 White Marlin
Trophy Huner - 15 White Marlin, 1 Sailfish & 1 Spearfish
Miss Annie - 14 White Marlin

** Species counts will be official tomorrow morning.

img_5367

Hook — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:52:33 +0000

Tradition Grander

Hook — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:38:48 +0000

Screen shot 2009-11-04 at 10.13

Hook — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:40:26 +0000

Australia The Great

Hook — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:48:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4804" align="aligncenter" width="334" caption=""Shoulders" any woman would be proud of behind the Tradition"][/caption] Cairns, Australia (Great Barrier Reef) - If you like Grander Marlin, there is no place in the world that comes close to Australia. You will see that we have 11 Grander Marlin caught this year thus far. Bermuda has 3 Grander Marlin for the season and may add one more, but when the boys get on the reef, you are going to see double digits. [caption id="attachment_4806" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Tower Cam Shot on the Tradition"][/caption] It is a short three-month season, but man is it exciting. In Mid to Late September, you can expect GranderWatch.com to be going off. We saw the Viking II catch two Granders in one day last season and Capt. Barry Cross (formerly on the Joe Joe) catch two Granders in the Lizard Island Tournament last season. These are just a few examples. We got these incredible pictures from Capt. Tim Richardson on the Tradition (www.traditioncharters.com). While he can not guarantee you a Grander, he will put you on the fish.

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Hook — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:31:59 +0000

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Hook — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:34:33 +0000

Bermuda Still Alive

Hook — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:37:41 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4815" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Bermuda Blue Marlin about to be released by the Chaos"][/caption] Bermuda - After a good mid-summer bite that included 3 Grander Blue Marlin, Bermuda has been quiet. Today however, we got two reports that reminded us that Bermuda is still ALIVE in August. [caption id="attachment_4816" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Another Blue Marlin released by Chaos"][/caption] Brent Slade fishing on the Chaos was 2-4 on Blue Marlin and saw a HUGE fish, that will doubt haunt him. Capt. Alan Card on the Challenger was 1-2 on blues as well. Brent sent us the boat side shots.

779

Hook — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:13:39 +0000

HIBT - Final Results

Hook — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:14:48 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4843" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Out of the Blue's 779 lbs Blue Marlin"][/caption] Kona, HI - It was not a year of records, but rather some steady fishing for this year's HIBT. Kona Game Fishing Club held on, despite a 779 lbs Blue Marlin weighed the last day by ironically enough "Out of the Blue" Fishing Club. Capt. Boyd DeCoito was the Top Captain. HIBT FIVE-DAY WEEK TOTAL 38 Blue Marlin T&R 8 Blue Marlin Weighed 3 Striped Marlin T&R 13 Spearfish T&R 1 Sailfish T&R FINAL TEAM STANDINGS 1. Kona Game Fishing Club - 2,129 pts 2. Out of the Blue Fishing Club - 1,479 pts 3. Laguna Niguel Billfish Club #2 - 1.300 pts HENRY CHEE TOP CAPTAIN Boyd DeCoito - Foxy Lady

marinabig

Hook — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:54:08 +0000

Ocean City Billfish Slam

Hook — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:55:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4852" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Sunset Marina - Ocean City, MD"][/caption] Ocean City, MD - White Marlin Open may be over, but nobody told the fish. There was some great Billfishing today, with Reel Chaos getting a Billfish Grand Slam (Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish). Here his how the rest of the boys did. Reel Chaos - Grand Slam + 2 White Marlin Osprey - 3 Blue Marlin & 3 White Marlin Tides - 7 White Marlin Espadon - 4 White Marlin Trust Fun - 5 White Marlin Fin Ness - 1 White Marlin Thanks to Bill Pino for giving us the numbers.

Lutz Blue

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:17:17 +0000

Mama Lutz

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:18:37 +0000

Lutz Brothers Sword

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:19:52 +0000

phpaGmOX9AM

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:34:01 +0000

phpenBTbAAM

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:36:57 +0000

phpLdQNV0AM

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:40:26 +0000

Florida Keys to Freeport...not that one

Hook — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:42:09 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4864" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Texas Blue Marlin about to be released"][/caption] Freeport, Texas - For a state with as much coastline as Texas, you would think we would hear more from the Lone Star state when it comes to Billfish. We have all heard about the Oil Rig fishing, maybe the Poco Bueno Tournament or the TIFT, but other than that, Texans don't seem to talk about about their fishery. We reported a few days ago about a new boat (at least to us) named the Justified that fishes out of that "other" Freeport...Texas. The report probably got lost to most of you, even though they went 3-3 on Swords. What we didn't know at the time, was this was not your normal 20+ Year experienced old salt having a good day on the water. Rather, it was two young men, that clearly have a unique passion for fishing, Billfishing that is. You all know that "Marlin Billfish" and "Bill Fish" are probably on that Facebook thing a little too much. But, once again, that Facebook internet thing has paid off. Brothers Grant and Mark Lutz, age 22 and 16 may live in a land-locked city, but they make their way down to the Texas coast every chance they get in the summer. So, now you are catching on. Two young brothers go fishing together and catch some swordfish. Good story, right? Keep reading... [caption id="attachment_4865" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Grant and Mark Lutz with a Daytime Sword"][/caption] If you have ever fished off of Texas, you know it is a run to deep water. Typical runs to bluewater can be 100+ miles. (Before you start questioning safety, the boys always travel with a Sat Phone, 2 Epirbs, Raft etc). So, these guys like to fish so much, they travel every weekend they can 250+ miles by car and then another 100+ miles offshore. As if that is not exhaustive enough, they decide that day-time deep dropping for swordfish on conventional tackle, in 1,000' of water sounds like fun. Tired Yet? Their chariot is a nice 33' Contender, that probably gets them out there pretty fast. Don't worry about two boys being reckless 100+ miles out though, because Mom likes to tag along. How cool is that! So, in their free-time, the Lutz Family likes to run offshore in search of Billfish for some Mother-Son bonding. This story does not get sad here though, Papa Lutz likes to fish as well, but apparently not as much as Mom (sorry Dad!). [caption id="attachment_4866" align="alignright" width="234" caption="Mom likes to get into the Action as well"][/caption] So, now you are wondering about the Florida Keys connection. While we mentioned the Lutz family being newbies to the sport, the man that got them started is an old pro. Capt. Randy Towe out of Islamorada on the Quit Yer Bitchin' has been in this fishing game for 30-Years (www.quityerbitchin.com). After only a couple charters fishing with Capt. Randy, they boys apparently learned enough to have a go at it themselves. According to his website, Capt. Randy enjoys sharing his knowledge more than anything else. I guess he must be a helluva good teacher. The Lutz Brothers + Mom, like to search out the other billfish species as well. They have been successful trolling for blue marlin and sailfish. I would say that is some pretty good summertime fishing. Hold on......Did I mention this is their FIRST SUMMER FISHING? These guys (and gal) liked fishing so much, they started fishing off Texas after only a few charters and while fishing without professional help, managed Daytime Swordfish, Blue Marlin and Sailfish. Capt. Randy, I think you may have started something!

Monkey-Biz-II

Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:31:20 +0000

Kona Big Island Marlin Tournament

Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:33:02 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4891" align="aligncenter" width="374" caption="Monkey Biz II"][/caption] Kona, HI - There have been some big blue marlin around, so going into the the last day, this is anybody's Tournament. Capt. Chip Van Mols on the Monkey Biz II holds on to a narrow lead with 765 points (565 Weighed and 1 Tagged Fish). Topshape is holding on to 2nd Place with 600 points (3 Tagged Fish). There have been some big fish around however, so this can be anyone's tournament. In Non-Tournament Action - Linda Sue 3 landed a 690 lbs Blue Marlin and Miss Mojo landed a 687. Good luck to all teams going into the final day.

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Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:08:01 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:09:10 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:10:58 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:12:36 +0000

Big Portugal Blue Marlin

Hook — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:13:41 +0000

Vilamoura, Portugal - We got some absolutely beautiful shots of a nice 600 lbs Blue Marlin for Capt. Tiago Palma on the Blue Shark. Fish was one of FOUR they saw, but this was the only one that stuck. Fish was caught on a Gerhard Drescher Lure. [caption id="attachment_4897" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Portugal Blue Marlin"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4898" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Blue Marlin next to the Blue Shark"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4899" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Blue Marlin on the leader"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_4900" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Marlin about to be released"][/caption]

head-logo

Hook — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:44:42 +0000

Mid-Atlantic $500K - Day 1

Hook — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:46:49 +0000

Cape May, NJ & Ocean City, MD - 63 of the 134 Boats fished today and the White Marlin bite was very good. No other Billfish species were reported however, which was odd for this tournament. Here are the highlights from Day 1.

White Marlin Standings

1. Billfisher - 88 lbs.

2. Cracker - 82 lbs.

3. Three Way Tie - Singularis, Lil'Man and Topless - 69 lbs

White Marlin Releases

1. Shark Byte - 15 White Marlin

2. Miss Annie - 5 White Marlin

3. Topless - 4 White Marlin

Krazy Salts - 4 White Marlin

Judge - 4 White Marlin

Pumpin' Hard - 4 White Marlin

Mid-Atlantic $500K – Day 2

Hook — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:14:44 +0000

Cape May, NJ & Ocean City, MD - 79 of the 134 Boats fished today. No changes on the scales, but 3 Blue Marlin were caught and released.

White Marlin Standings

1. Billfisher - 88 lbs.

2. Cracker - 82 lbs.

3. Three Way Tie - Singularis, Lil'Man and Topless - 69 lbs

Billfish Counts

White Marlin - 182 Fish Caught

Blue Marlin - 3 Fish Caught

Mid-Atlantic $500K – Day 3

Hook — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:32:23 +0000

Cape May, NJ & Ocean City, MD - 76 of the 134 Boats fished today. Still no weighed Blue Marlin. Topless, who was in a three wat tie for 3rd with a 69 lbs fish, has taken the 3rd Place with an 80 lbs White Marlin.

White Marlin Standings

1. Billfisher - 88 lbs.

2. Cracker - 82 lbs.

3. Topless - 80 lbs

Billfish Counts- 3 Days

White Marlin - 241 Fish Caught

Blue Marlin - 5 Fish Caught

Peter Bristow on Marlin Conservation

Hook — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:08:51 +0000

Blue Marlin Conservation with Legendary Capt. Peter Bristow

Hook — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:13:34 +0000

This Video was Edited and Produced by Paul Watson of Marlin World (www.marlinworld.tv)

Mid-Atlantic $500K - Day 4

Hook — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:29:01 +0000

Cape May, NJ & Ocean City, MD - 59 of the 134 Boats fished today. One weighed Blue Marlin, but it did not qualify. No change in the Top 3 White Marlin.

White Marlin Standings

1. Billfisher - 88 lbs.

2. Cracker - 82 lbs.

3. Topless - 80 lbs

Billfish Counts- 4 Days

White Marlin - 325 Fish Caught

Blue Marlin - 8 Fish Caught

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Hook — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:44:25 +0000

Portugal – 12th Grander of the Year

Hook — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:46:20 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5053" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption=""Blue Shark" off Portugal"][/caption] Vialmoura, Portugal - We are a little late on this, but we have the 12th Grander caught of the year(a Blue Marlin), but not in chronological order. We got the message by carrier pigeon just today, that on July 8th, 2010, Capt. Thiago Palma on the Blue Shark released a blue that was 1,000+ lbs. We are awaiting a video from Gerhard Drescher, who also happens to be the guy who made the lure, the fish was caught on. Check back with us and we should have that video up soon......

Mid-Atlantic $500K - FINAL

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:49:59 +0000

Cape May, NJ & Ocean City, MD - It took the final day, to finally produce a challenger to Billfisher's 88 lbs White Marlin.What had seemed like a bit of a slow tournament in weighed fish, quickly became a tight race, when Lady Luck V weighed an 88 lbs White Marlin to cause a tie for the largest White Marlin. Overall it was a good tournament with good number of white marlin (516) caught and quite a bit of bait (tuna- sorry) weighed. No qualifying Blue Marlin.

White Marlin Final Standings

1. Billfisher - 88 lbs.

Lady Luck V - 88 lbs.

3. Cracker - 12 lbs.

Billfish Counts- FINAL

White Marlin - 516 Fish Caught

Blue Marlin - 8 Fish Caught

100_1176

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:23:02 +0000

Picante 8 10

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:24:38 +0000

Big Cabo Marlin

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:26:27 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5066" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="500 lbs Blue Marlin for Picante 29"][/caption] Cabo San Lucas, MX - There has been a flurry of activity down in Cabo over the last month with a number of blues and blacks over 500 lbs. On average these are much larger fish than we see typically in these waters. The striped marlin have bee around, but their bigger brothers have stolen the show. Here are some of the larger fish we are aware of in August.

C-Rod - 800 lbs Blue Marlin

Picante 29 - 500 lbs Blue Marlin

El Guapo - 500 lbs Black Marlin

Shambala - 600 lbs Black Marlin

Picante Express - 500 lbs Black Marlin

Cisco - 600 lbs Black Marlin

Dream Weaver - 581 lbs Black Marlin

[caption id="attachment_5067" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Big Blue Takes to the Air"][/caption] From the Picante Fleet (www.picantesportfishing.com) we got these great shots above of an estimated 500 lbs Blue Marlin. The 29' Blackfin "Picante 29" with Captain Alex Collins at the helm and deckhand Jesus "Charro" working the deck, put angler Angel Gomez on this Blue Marlin and also released 2 Striped Marlin in the same day.

Small Pic Blue

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:30:37 +0000

Small Pic Blue

Hook — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:37:16 +0000

mcrlin4c

Hook — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:37:10 +0000

Boy Scout - Day 3 - USVI

Hook — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:39:04 +0000

St Thomas, USVI - 40 Blue Marlin caught today on the 3rd Day of the Boy Scout. Top Boat of the day was Therapy with 5 Blue Marlin released. Big Oh and Sandman also had great days, releasing 3 Blue Marlin each. Here are the numbers through DAY 3. Standings - Day 3 1. Therapy - 8 Blue Marlin 2. Big Oh - 6 Blue Marlin 3. Chach - 5 Blue Marlin Daily Species Count Day 1 - 29 Blue Marlin Day 2 - 35 Blue Marlin Day 3 - 40 Blue Marlin

mcrlin4c

Hook — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:25:08 +0000

mcrlin4c

Hook — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:25:57 +0000

Sandman Edges Big Oh at the Boy Scout

Hook — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:22:34 +0000

St Thomas, USVI - (Unofficial) Therapy went into the last day with 8 Blue Marlin, which was a 2 Marlin lead over Big Oh. In St Thomas, that is not a safe lead, but 2 blue marlin is still 2 blue marlin. Now, with stop fishing announced, it appears two boats , not one, have overcame Therapy. Both Sandman and Big Oh had great days of fishing. Sandman caught 4 fish today and Big-Oh released 3 to make the impossible, well...possible. St Thomas has proven again why it is one of the top blue marlin fisheries in the world. In the event of a tie, time of catch rules, thus Sandman WINS the 2010 Boy Scout. Congratulations to Capt. Neil Orange for putting them on the fish. 33 Blue Marlin caught today on the North Drop. Notable Boats for Day 4 Sandman - 4 Blue Marlin Ohana - 4 Blue Marlin Big Oh - 3 Blue Marlin Hook N Bull - 3 Blue Marlin Free Enterprise - 3 Blue Marlin

Hot NC White Marlin Bite

Hook — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:07:45 +0000

[caption id="attachment_4477" align="aligncenter" width="283" caption="Jumping White Marlin"][/caption] North Carolina - There has been a GREAT white marlin bite up and down the coast. Boats are getting anywhere from 5-15 shots a day. Most recently, we saw the Hunter out of Monteo, NC release 14 White Marlin. Typically this time a year starts a good Fall run. Last year we saw boats with 20+ fish at the peak of the season. Here are the numbers on a few other boats over the last couple days.

Hog Wild - 8 White Marlin

Sea Toy - 8 White Marlin

Qualifier - 7 White Marlin

Right Hook - 7 White Marlin

Obsession - 6 White Marlin

Bi-Op-Sea - 5 White Marlin

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Hook — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:24:59 +0000

Record Numbers on Whites

Hook — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:46:39 +0000

Ocean City, MD - There have been a number of reports of boats getting 20+ White Marlin. The report of all reports is from a boat called the Billfisher. The low number we have heard is 56 White Marlin in a day. Waiting for confirmation, but we have now heard that number or higher from five sources...... UPDATE - Capt. John Duffie has confirmed catching 57 White Marlin. They lost count, but the bite total was 80+. We are hoping to have more on this story..

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Hook — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:47:17 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:49:51 +0000

17671-22

Hook — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:02:36 +0000

Madeira Grander Honorable Mention

Hook — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:04:33 +0000

Madeira - The boat Hawk Eye with Capt. Miguel Gavina, weighed a 990 lbs Blue Marlin. Unfortunately the fish died in the fight and was injured by the props. If the fish had not been injured, it would have gone over the mark. Congrats to the crew of the Hawk Eye for a great catch. * We are purposely not posting pictures due to the injuries on the fish.

Ecuador Striped

Hook — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:22:11 +0000

Ecuador's Blue Marlin

Hook — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:24:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5225" align="aligncenter" width="492" caption="Ecuador Striped Marlin"][/caption] Manta, Ecuador - There has been an excellent Blue Marlin bite going on. Capt. Luis Gomez at the Blue Marlin Lodge (www.bluemarlinmanta.com) has been averaging four blue marlin bites a day. There have been a few striped marlin around as well, but blues have been the main attraction. Fish have been mostly in the 200 to 300 lbs range but one fish was estimated at 850+ lbs. Capt. Gomez writes.... "The cold mass of water of the Pacific Ocean which is right in front of Manta and Salinas is ramming into the warm mass of water coming from the Caribbean for several weeks now, causing several changes, not only at sea but in land too with constant rains and low temperatures with water temperatures at 79F and fish all over the place!!"

650+ lbs Black Marlin in Cabo

Hook — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:58:00 +0000

Cab0 San Lucas, MX - There have been an unusual number of large black marlin caught this year. The below video is just another example for Team Karma.

Ocean City White Marlin Video

Hook — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:17:58 +0000

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Hook — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:45:08 +0000

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Hook — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:45:27 +0000

Cape Verdes - 13th Grander of the Year

Hook — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:48:54 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5360" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Cape Verdes Grander"][/caption] Cape Verde Islands - We have our 13th Grander of the Year. A 1,024 lbs Blue Marlin for German Angler Heiko Steinmetz. This is the 2nd Grander for the angler and the 4th GRANDER for Cape Verde Islands in 2010. Capt. Faust Van Meel on the Black Marlin guided Heiko to the fish. Lure was a custom built 18-Inch plastic. She had an impressive 82'' Girth and it took about an hour to land her. Congratulations to Angler and Crew for a impressive catch.

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Hook — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:01:19 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:01:41 +0000

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Hook — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:45:10 +0000

neu_a_6567

Hook — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:45:27 +0000

neu_a_4118

Hook — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:46:59 +0000

Big Azores Blues

Hook — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:48:33 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5410" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Habitat fishing out on the banks"][/caption] Azores - For any big blue marlin angler hunter, the Azores conjures up thoughts of big blue marlin. Like a lot of the big blue marlin hot spots, the Azores are towards the end of the range for Blue Marlin and thus a short season, but that translates into big females. While the Azores have not been producing as many legendary Granders over the last few years a big blue could pop up at any moment. [caption id="attachment_5411" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Large Azorean Blue Marlin - Photo Courtesy of Habitat"][/caption] There have been some great fishing over the last few days. We mostly follow the Habitat (www.habitatboat.com), Xacara (www.azoresmarlin.com) and Brasilia (www.azores-fishing.com). Here are some of the recent releases. HABITAT 850 lbs Blue Marlin 700 lbs Blue Marlin BRASILIA 700 lbs Blue Marlin 550 lbs Blue Marlin 500 lbs Blue Marlin XACARA 750 lbs Blue Marlin 650 lbs Blue Marlin DOUBLE HEADER 800 lbs Blue Marlin 600 lbs Blue Marlin

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Hook — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 19:54:15 +0000

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Hook — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 19:56:07 +0000

Hot White Marlin Bite - Part II

Hook — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:08:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5424" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="White Marlin on the line"][/caption] North Carolina, Virginia & Maryland - The fall run of white marlin continues to impress even after the hurricane. Boats from Ocean City to Manteo are seeing a great bite with plenty of boats seeing 10+ in a day. The fall run of whites is nothing new, but this year its seems more sustained and a number of port records have fallen. Best report we heard of this past week was from Pirates Cove, North Carolina where Bi-Op-Sea released 49 White Marlin + 1 Blue Marlin in an overnight trip. Here are some of the past week top boat catches (1 Day) Ocean City, Maryland Reel Joy - 20 White Marlin Billfisher - 19 White Marlin Reel Chaos - 19 White Marlin Manteo, North Carolina (Pirates Cove) Sea Toy - 22 White Marlin Haphazard - 22 White Marlin Country Girl - 13 White Marlin Virginia Beach, Virginia Canyon Express - 13 White Marlin Wired Up - 8 White Marlin

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Hook — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:56:57 +0000

Kona Honorable Mention

Hook — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:58:24 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5441" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="953 lbs Blue Marlin for the Tara II"][/caption] Kona, HI - An impressive 953 lbs Blue Marlin for the Tara II. Capt. Scott Fuller at the helm and Brian Schumaker working the deck, the crew put the guys on the fish in 500 fathoms. The fight lasted approximately 40 minutes, but after 20 minutes of reviving, they could not get her to swim off. Fish hit a red vinyl Lunger on the long corner.

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Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:52:16 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:52:29 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:52:38 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:52:45 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:53:43 +0000

Kona Blue Marlin

Hook — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:56:43 +0000

Kona, HI - We wanted to share some great shots by Tracy Epstein from out in Hawaii. There has been a pretty decent bite lately and here is some proof. Gotta love how close to land you are when fishing off the Big Island. [caption id="attachment_5514" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Kona Blue Marlin - Courtesy of Tracy Epstein"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5518" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Kona Blue Marlin - Courtesy of Tracy Epstein"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5516" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Kona Blue Marlin - Courtesy of Tracy Epstein"][/caption]

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Hook — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:11:26 +0000

Cairns Honorable Mention

Hook — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:12:36 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5569" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="GBR Grander Black "][/caption] Cairns, Australia- Given how good the fishing can be on the Great Barrier Reef, we may not be able to post all the honorable mentions on here. Capt. Billy Billson released what he called a 950 lbs Black Marlin. For those not familiar with the skippers on the GBR. If it is not going to clearly go over 1,000 lbs, they call it a 950. Given the source, we feel like this could be close to the mark.

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Hook — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:19:46 +0000

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Hook — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:30:17 +0000

No Dorsal Fin on Blue Marlin

Hook — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:31:18 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5575" align="aligncenter" width="416" caption="Costa Rica Blue Missing Dorsal"][/caption] Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica - We got these shots from our friend Garrett Penley down in Costa. We are stumped. We have NEVER seen or even heard of a Blue Marlin or any billfish without a dorsal fin. We have seen (and even caught) marlin without a bill, torn fins etc. but none without a dorsal. We can't understand how this fish swims with any stability. Thanks very much to Garrett for sending these to us. Thoughts? (hook@billfishreport.com)

Sporty Venezuela Blue Marlin

Hook — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:36:43 +0000

Puerto La Cruz, Venezuala - We were sent this video from our new friend Jose Alejandro Moreno. Blue Marlin are always exciting, but add the tournament factor and people start to get a little loco. Starts out slow, but wait until about minute 3:45 and then tell us what you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu5CErQ9b9Y

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Hook — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:43:32 +0000

Red Hook

Hook — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 15:22:53 +0000

St Thomas Blue Moon

Hook — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 15:23:41 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5631" align="aligncenter" width="376" caption="Red Hook Marina St Thomas"][/caption] St Thomas, USVI - We need to send an apology to St Thomas. We suck! We have become so numb to some of the best blue marlin fishing in the world, a 4 fish blue marlin day doesn't even make the headlines. Yes, we have reported it on our fishing report feed, and we did cover the Boy Scout, but the numbers these guys have been producing are excellent. Here was the report from yesterday. These are all Blue Marlin. Sharkys Revenge 3-5 Amirita 2-7 Click Through 2-2 Freedom 2-6 Black Pearl 2-4 Revenge 2-2 Southpaw 2-4 Any other port and we would be doing back-flips. We are going to apologize in advance to Australia when they catch 10 Granders(sorry mates!).

Fa-La-Me St Thomas Blue Marlin 9 10

Hook — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:44:22 +0000

Hot Blue Marlin in St Thomas

Hook — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:49:33 +0000

- The bite continues to be excellent on the North Drop. Here is a great video off the boat Fa-La-Me St. Thomas, USVI

Awesome Blue Marlin Video

Hook — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:39:20 +0000

St Thomas, USVI - We got this video from a great underwater photographer named Marc Montoccohio. We have been posting a lot of videos lately, but hey, these have been pretty awesome. Marc made sure to let me know that the quality of the video had to be drastically reduced for a quick post on the internet. The finished product will be fully edited and in HD (we will post that one as well). What we liked a lot about this video was first off, it was a blue marlin. Lots of sails and striped marlin footage, but not enough blue marlin (at least for us). But, perhaps the coolest thing as billfishermen is to watch how the marlin reacts and even more important, what he did when his snack swam away. Thanks VERY much to Marc for sharing his talents with us (www.occhioinc.com). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhlH7HUMYDU&feature=player_embedded

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Hook — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:40:26 +0000

Tradition 9 29 10

Hook — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:28:05 +0000

Australian Black on Tradition

Hook — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:29:15 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5674" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Black Marlin behind the Tradition"][/caption] Cairns, Aus - Capt. Tim Richardson on the Tradition has had some good fishing over the last two days, releasing 3 fish up to 750 lbs, so the big girls are around. He sent us this great shot of a smaller black behind the boat.

Tradition 9 29 10 II

Hook — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:33:26 +0000

Optimized-Tradition 9 29 10 II

Hook — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:46:44 +0000

Cairns Honorable Mention II

Hook — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:03:15 +0000

Cairns, Aus - Well, the Great Barrier Reef has produced another monster Black Marlin. The Iona, coming off a 7-day trip, released a Black they called 950 lbs. They also released a 500 lber in the same trip. That makes two 950+ Black Marlin on the reef thus far this season. Thanks very much to Black Marlin Blog for letting us know about this impressive fish.

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Hook — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:04:23 +0000

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Hook — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:04:57 +0000

Cairns Honorable Mention III

Hook — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:17:33 +0000

Cairns, Aus - We knew it was coming, but we are still awaiting the first skipper to call the first Grander Black of the season. We have the 3rd 950+ lbs Black Marlin. This time, courtesy of Sea Baby IV. We are expecting a Grander of the GBR anytime now....

Great day on the GBR

Hook — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:23:38 +0000

Cairns, Australia - We are still waiting on the first Grander of the year for the boys on the Great Barrier Reef. Even without that magical 1,000 lber, there has been some good fishing. Today, we got a report that the Kekoa was 3-4, releasing a 250, 500 and an 800. The one that got away they called 900 lbs. That means the crew of the Kekoa put their anglers on 3 fish over 500. That is special fishing folks.

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Hook — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:27:25 +0000

Cairns, Australia - 14th Grander of the Year

Hook — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:59:54 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5758" align="aligncenter" width="540" caption="Grander PLUS behind the Tradition"][/caption] Cairns, Australia - We have our 14th Grander of the year and the 1st reported Grander on the Great Barrier Reef. Capt. Tim Richardson on the Tradition released a Black Marlin he called "well over 1,000 lbs". Congratulations to Capt. Tim for the great catch and for the biggest release on the reef so far this season.

Tradition

Hook — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:04:55 +0000

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Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:37:02 +0000

Mag Bay Striped Marlin on Fly

Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:38:21 +0000

[caption id="attachment_5753" align="aligncenter" width="534" caption="Mag Bay Striped Marlin on Fly"][/caption] Mag Bay, Mexico - Captain Chip Shafer of the "Old Reliable", just got back from a week at Bahia Magdelana. They caught 52 striped marlin in five days fishing. While that is good fishing, doing it all on FLY is spectacular.If you follow the Baja striped marlin run, you will remember the 50+ fish days some guys experienced. Sounds like the fish are back! Thanks very much to Sammy Talbert for the report.

tradition_jump

Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 02:46:28 +0000

george fish 009

Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:53:04 +0000

george fish 011

Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:53:24 +0000

Additional Shots of Tradition's Grander

Hook — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:58:28 +0000

Cairns, Australia - Here are some additional shots of Capt. Tim's 1,000 + Black Marlin. These are some great video stills.Tim wanted me to let everyone know that he does have a couple dates available in November. If you just can't stand it anymore, you can visit his site www.traditioncharters.com or email me a hook@billfishreport.com if we can answer any questions. [caption id="attachment_5766" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Grander Plus behind the Tradition"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5767" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Grander Black for Capt. Tim Richardson"][/caption]