Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2023 i Salt Water Sportsman

The best story I ever wrote was one of my first, about a motorcycle trip through Baja from San Diego to the East Cape, way back in 2007. The opening photo was a shot of a sheet-metal statue of the Grim Reaper we found propped up on a cliff overlooking the Sea of Cortez. A shrine to a dead traveler, it couldn’t have been more appropriate. We rode dual-sports on that trip, Kawasaki KLR 650s, and we took the rough roads down. A thousand miles of dirt, sand and dust over the mountains and through the desert, and then along the western coast. We fished on kayaks, got buzzed by sharks, and were nearly choked out by supertrucks pre-running the Baja 500. At face value, this was all kind of…

One of the worst feelingsin boating is the rising tension that occurs when you realize you’ve miscalculated fuel consumption and your boat might not make it to your destination. The absolute worst feeling is when the engine begins to sputter and then goes silent. When buying a boat, one of the most important considerations is whether or not it will have the range to safely transport you to the places you want to go and back home again. Unlike cars, boats are subject to more variables, so just looking at boat-test results and factoring in the size of a gas tank won’t be enough information to make the right call. Being conservative and thinking like an airline pilot instead of a bus driver should be the mindset. PROBLEM 1: NOT…

1. Raymarine Axiom 2 Raymarine’s new Axiom 2 multifunction displays in 9-, 12-and 16-inch sizes feature six-core processors and the intuitive LightHouse 4 operating system. The Axiom 2 Pro S includes embedded high-chirp sonar, while the Axiom 2 Pro RVM includes the RealVision Max 3D sonar with chirp DownVision, SideVision and RealVision Max 3D. Also new is the Axiom 2 XL in 16-, 19-, 22-and 24-inch sizes. Starting at $2,749.99, $3,099.99 and $7,799.99, respectively; raymarine.com 2. X2 Power Lithium Six new and upgraded models of 12-and 36-volt lithium marine batteries from X2Power feature Bluetooth to pair via the X2Power app so you can monitor their charge and performance on your mobile phone. These batteries weigh 50 percent less than comparable lead-acid batteries. The 12-volt batteries come in 9-, 12-, 20-,…

The scene is primordial to its core. Cool ocean currents scour ancient rocky shores draped with kelp. Steep mountains studded with pines sprouting ferns shrouded in mist. Suddenly, the water erupts with showers of candlefish. From the depths, often within yards of shore, arise behemoth humpback whales, bursting upward to engulf terrified mouthfuls of the tiny fish. § This is Southeast Alaska in late summer. These waters course from the Pacific through an incalculable number of islands, inlets, fjords and channels, a movable feast in the Alexander Archipelago—a mind-boggling biomass of candlefish known to the indigenous Chinook nation as eulacheon. Easy pickings attract more than humpbacks. It is here that silver salmon mass to feed and fatten in anticipation of the fall migration, which will take them up the coastal…

“Florida’s $13.9 billion annual recreational fisheries business is at risk if nothing is done.”ÑJim McDuffie, President, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust HOW TO MAKE FISHING MORE AFFORDABLE SAVE GAS The best way to spend less on gas is to turn the ignition key to the 12 o’clock position. Simple, right? Well, not only does shutting off the engine save money, but it can lead to stealthier, more effcient ways of fishing. A technique I like to use when fishing a new area is to find a fishy-looking creek that has good tidal flow, anchor at the up-current mouth, and toss out a chum bag followed by a piece of cut bait on a jig heavy enough to keep it on the bottom. Then I grab a sandwich and wait for the…

Anglers fish in so many different conditions: prime ocean with features for specific pelagics; bottom structure where currents influence where fish will stage; inshore docks and bridges. Is it any surprise that we must tweak our techniques based on the conditions we encounter? All this variability means you have to treat rigging live baits for inshore, coastal and offshore gamefish like a science. If you can isolate the behavior your target wants to strike, you can use hook placement to make your bait behave in that fashion. We’ve used dead baits here to illustrate five ways to rig them live so that they’ll swim the way you want when you’re on the water. Give these hook placements a try and see if your catches soar. DORSAL For baits intended for…

Blackfin 400CC The 400CC is Blackfin’s biggest boat yet, an offshore center-console designed and built with a Michael Peters two-stepped running surface. Power comes in the form of multiple outboards with up to 1,800 hp total. The bow features large sun pads and a drum windlass concealed below the deck to preserve the bow’s sloping lines. Two rows of heated seats with fold-down bolsters for crew comfort are found at the helm. A higher second row ensures that everyone can see ahead, while grab rails, cup holders, charging ports and RGB lighting make the seating comfortable and convenient. The full-height windshield provides weather protection. Two 24-inch Garmin MFDs reside in the dash. A tackle station abaft the helm seats includes a composite countertop and cutting board as well as a…

I got coral cuts on my feet while photographing an exploratory trip to a remote atoll in the South Pacific. A visiting nurse happened to be on the island at the time. Through a translator he told me I needed to get on antibiotics immediately and stay out of the water—not a promising diagnosis when I’m on a job that involves wading the flats all day, every day. I took the meds, cleaned the wounds each night, and completed the shoot to the delight of the client. The only lasting wounds? I lost both big toenails (they came back) and gained a few new scars on my feet. I also had a memorable barefoot walk through LAX because my feet were so swollen by that point that they wouldn’t fit…

In the beginning, fishing shirts were stodgy, stuffy affairs. Sports took to the water in clothes that were more befitting a Sunday service than a day of fishing. Fortunately, a slew of companies developed fishing-specific clothing that offers better performance out on the water. SUN PROTECTION There are myriad sun-related maladies that can plague anglers, ranging from sunburn to life-threatening illnesses. Traditionally, anglers relied on sunscreen for protection. But sunscreens have major downsides, including damage to fishing lines, tropical corals and even boats. Now high-tech apparel provides defense without the need to slather yourself in chemicals every few hours. “Columbia PFG has always focused on keeping anglers on the water,” says Connor Allison, brand manager of Columbia Performance Fishing Gear. PFG has long been known for its iconic fishing shirts…

The pain in my right forearm had become unbearable. I shook it to relieve the discomfort. The spool on my reel was still missing 200 yards of line, and everyone on the boat was completely silent. At this point, I’d accepted reality: This was the toughest fight I’d ever encountered. “We’re fishing the rigs. Are you coming?” It was a sunny Monday morning in eastern Florida. “There are yellowfin tuna up to 100 pounds around the oil rigs off Alabama right now,” said Phil, who was coordinating this adventure for Salt Water Sportsman. I packed up my rods, tackle boxes and camera gear, put my truck in drive, and started the nine-hour journey to Alabama. As the miles wound down, I thought about the footage I’d seen of fishing and…

It was 6 a.m. on day five of a rambling bachelor party that had already taken us from San Diego to the southeast California desert, and we stumbled apprehensively across the border into Tijuana. After sorting through the frightening and complicating discovery at the final checkpoint that fishing reels are not allowed as carry-ons with Mexican airlines, Paul, Nate, Jared and I boarded the flight without a minute to spare. An hour in the air, the fog began to clear as the Volaris jet arced over the serrated Sierra de la Giganta, banking back across the massive Islas de Carmen and Coronado. MEXICO AS IT WAS Founded as a Jesuit mission in 1697, Loreto was the first colonial settlement on the Baja Peninsula. Far removed from the nightclubs and towering…