Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i Sport Fishing

THE LARGEST HULL in Wellcraft’s Fisherman model lineup, the 302 offers multiple fishing amenities while providing comfortable seating and relaxing options for families. A lounger fans out just ahead of the console, and padded bench seating rims the bow. A padded transom bench and jump seat aft fold away when the cockpit is needed for fishing. Inside the console, an electric head, vanity and freshwater sink make full days on the water more feasible for all. For anglers, twin 23-gallon livewells flank a tackle-rigging area along the transom bulkhead. The vessel also features four large, macerated fish boxes and rod holders throughout the cockpit, beneath the gunwales and in the standard hardtop. In factory testing, the 302 with twin Mercury Verado 350s topped out at 56.7 mph, turning 6,250 rpm…

An annual vessel safety check (VSC) represents one of the most important safety steps you can take as a boating angler. This 15-point inspection is conducted by U.S. Coast Guard-approved vessel examiners — all volunteer members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons. An easy, natural reminder occurs this month during the annual National Safe Boating Week (May 20–26 this year). A VSC takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and if your boat passes, it receives a VSC annual decal, which is placed on the port side of the cabin or console. “The purpose of a VSC is to ensure that recreational boaters have the appropriate safety equipment, it is in good order and they know how to use it,” says Harry Jacobs, a 37-year member of…

You know the saying “What’s old is new?” Well, the older I get, the more sense it makes. I see the kids pegging their pant legs like we did in the ’80s. David Bowie, OJ Simpson and Star Wars are more popular than ever. And certain old-school fishing tactics are back in vogue. When I was a kid, my dad would load us and his gear into his 24-foot Albemarle, carry us across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay to the edge of Inner Middle Ground Shoal and throw out the anchor. He’d break out a half dozen Penn setups rigged with fish-finder rigs. After baiting up with chunks of menhaden, he’d cast the rigs around the boat and deploy a bag of chum. Then, we’d wait. Fishermen are famous for…

The remarkable story of Southern California’s 2015 and ’16 bluefin tuna seasons unfolds in chapters, each revealing new twists in tackle and techniques — methods that constantly evolved as schools of large, powerful Pacific bluefin roamed off the coast, adopting new feeding habits, becoming increasingly wary and growing to nearly 300 pounds. From run-and-gun-style fishing to trolling with kites, from casting poppers and jigs to livebaiting with mackerel and squid, tactics and gear changed rapidly. Perhaps most important, this story might not be over, as reports at press time indicate the schools of big tuna are still around, having wintered far offshore. Lessons learned over the past two years could pay dividends as anglers get another chance to target the fish of a lifetime if and when these tuna move…

VIKING SAYS ITS new 37 Billfish was designed to emulate the historic Merritt and Rybovich day boats of the 1950s and ’60s, while adding contemporary styling and modern, durable materials for even better performance, easier maintenance and more- fashionable overnight accommodations. The canyon-ready 37 features an 86-square-foot cockpit with a bait freezer, tackle stowage, a transom door with a lift gate, insulated fish boxes and a transom livewell. Viking also added an express-style lower helm station with available air conditioning. The flying-bridge helm features a center console command station with singlelever and optional joystick controls, power-assisted hydraulic steering, VesselView engine instrumentation, a pedestal helm chair, lounges and jump seats. Belowdecks, Viking takes advantage of the 37’s nearly 14 feet of beam. Amtico vinyl flooring comes standard, and joinery is high-gloss…

omething prowling the bottom of the Pacific sent shivers 200 feet up a downrigger cable registered at the transom of the 27-foot Grady White that dipped at regular intervals in the gray early-morning chop. “OK, be ready now,” warned Matt Guiguet, our captain for the day. Years ago, we would have been drift-fishing over these halibut grounds off northwestern Vancouver Island, waiting to cross paths with one of the big flatfish. But not these days. Guiguet — who with his wife, Kristy, owns Rugged Point Lodge in Kyuquot (pronounced “Ki-YOU-cut”) Sound — had explained earlier that the lodge boats now routinely drop anchor in this moderately deep area. Then, using a transom-mounted downrigger, guides send down to the bottom a bag filled with chum. Guiguet has found that it’s far…

Exploring new inshore waters is downright intimidating, but it’s something we all face when fishing. The chance to run aground, get lost, fish the incorrect tides, explore the wrong areas or never see a fish, these are all among the many ways we might end up spinning our wheels. Paying attention to their surroundings, reading the tides, searching out moving water or skittish baitfish and using general fishing knowledge should help anglers pinpoint the productive waters. That was my mindset in March when I headed to St. Augustine, Florida. I had help from Capt. Tim Jarvis, of Three Lagoon Fishing Charters, to explore and fish the estuarine waters of the Tolomato River. Jarvis previously had scouted the tributary creeks and marsh habitat for customer trips and tournaments, so he had…

1. SUN BLOCK New for spring, Blue Shad and Red Shad UV Buffs are made from Coolmax Extreme fabric (microfiber polyester) for blocking 95 percent of skin-damaging UV rays. The special four-channel fiber forms a transport system that pulls moisture away from the skin to the outer layer of the fabric, according to Buff. It then dries that moisture faster than any other fabric to thermoregulate the body. The seamless Buffs weigh 1.4 ounces, measure 20½ by 9¾ inches and feature Polygiene active odor control. Buffs can be worn 13 different ways. Shad UV Buffs cost $24.99. 2. MULTIBEAM MULTIMODE Furuno’s new DFF-3D sonar module, which employs a compact multibeam 165 kHz transducer (through-hull or transom-mount, with a built-in motion sensor), brings side-scanning and 3-D viewing to TZtouch and TZtouch2…

The mild winter morning was still dark when I met Joe Minutolo at the dock behind his house on Tierra Verde Island near St. Pete Beach, Florida. The glow of the spreader lights on the new Stamas 392 Tarpon led the way. “We’ve got a long run offshore today, so I’m glad you’re here early,” Minutolo said in high spirits as I boarded the 392. He had just finished loading waypoints into the twin Raymarine gS165 multifunction displays and showed me that one of the spots was 47 miles out into the Gulf. Within a few minutes, our other four crew members joined us, including Mark LaPrade and Chris Stamas, both from Stamas Yacht, as well as Minutolo’s longtime fishing buddies Joe Fett and Paul Vargas. QUALITY THROUGHOUT As we…

PHONE HOLDER FINDING A PLACE on the boat to secure your mobile phone that also allows for easy viewing to see incoming calls and texts poses a challenge. Ram Mounts offers a variety of rail, pedestal and suction-cup bases. A rail-mount version sells for about $50. Another solution is the elegantly simple dash-mount phone holder ($34.99) from Boat Outfitters. The half-inch acrylic plate measures 6.87 inches tall by 4.75 inches wide and mounts on a vertical surface. A small shelf supports the phone, and an integrated bungee cord keeps it secure. There’s also a 9-inch-tall version ($69.95) with a built-in charging port. LATCH TRICK BOATBUILDERS sometimes use two slam latches to keep lids sealed on large pressurized livewells. Although this prevents splashing and maintains healthy bait, it also complicates life…

MARINE ELECTRONICS come with some amazing bells and whistles, but the sheer number of fantastic features can amplify angler angst when choosing what to buy. The choices include: • Sonar: chirp, side-/down-imaging, 360/3-D/all-seeing • Radar: bird mode, overlay, echo trails, Doppler tracking • Chart plotter: live charting, tracking, autopilot/trolling motor integration, weather overlay • VHF: position polling, DSC calling, AIS • Autopilot: trolling patterns, networking Displays: multitouch, combo keypad/touch, in-plane switching So how do offshore and inshore anglers decide the most important features for their needs and find out which units provide those combinations? To help with that decision-making, we asked 15 pro captains (tournament and charter) who work with five major electronics manufacturers to tell us what functions they use most for fishing. Because of space limitations, we could…

WHERE Tucked into the northern Pacific coast of Vancouver Island 200 miles northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Kyuquot Sound sits just below the massive Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park. On Walters Island, a stone’s throw out from the tiny First Nations community of Kyuquot, is Rugged Point Lodge, accessible only by chartered or private floatplane or boat. WHEN Rugged Point trips begin in May and run through early September. HOW YOU GET THERE AND BACK AGAIN Most guests of the resort drive up Vancouver Island to Fair Harbour, about 20 miles to the northeast of Walters Island, where a lodge boat will be waiting for the scenic 45-minute run to the lodge. We flew into Vancouver, where we rented a vehicle and overnighted at the Pacific Gateway Hotel (pacificgatewayhotel.com), just a…