Sport Fishing March 2018

“I DON’T THINK I COULD LOOK AT AN AWARD CERTIFICATE AND NOT SEE THAT DEAD FISH HANGING ON A GANTRY. Should you happen to be among a mixed group of offshore angling enthusiasts and want to stir things up, loudly proclaim that you believe no billfish should ever be killed for the sake of a possible world record — or, conversely, say that killing a billfish for the sake of a possible record is justified. Either way, you might want to keep your head down because things could get ugly. This topic has long raised hackles on both sides of the issue. On the one hand are those who feel that any angler has the right to keep (kill) any fish any time, as long as it’s legal, and it’s…

Few things frustrate us as much as staring at mark after mark on the fish finder, while our offerings go untouched. We’ve all been there — wondering what we’re doing wrong, why the fish won’t rise to take a bait, and what we could be doing differently to trigger a strike. I’ve even had people tell me that they “don’t believe their fish finder” because they see lots of fish but can’t seem to get a bite. Hmmm. At times, even the most voracious offshore pelagics — including billfish, tunas, wahoo and mahimahi — simply refuse to move up through the water column. In this very situation, however, they may well take a bait that’s presented at their own level. We have a number of ways to get baits down…

ANTENNA FISH FROM THE MEXICAN DEEP Q My brother was fishing in deep water off La Paz, Mexico — probably in 200 feet or so — trying for red snapper when he caught some of these fish. Can you identify it? The panga captain called it a “radio-antenna fish,” maybe because of the tall dorsal fin. Thanks. Gary Evans Santa Ana, California A Gary, that very long third dorsal spine and the yellow fin edges mean that you caught a hookthroat bass, Hemanthias signifer, a schooling reef fish found from Southern California to Peru, including the Gulf of California. Also known as the damsel bass, this species closely resembles the splittail bass, Hemanthias peruanus. However, the tail fin of a splittail has very long upper and lower lobes. Reaching only…

Tears streaming down my face and snot running out of my nose isn’t the way I like to remember myself, but truth be told, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about segmented lures. My older brother Bill gave me the first one I ever owned, a Rebel broken back, when I was no older than 8 or 9 — and it was a killer for the 1- to 2-pound largemouth bass in a local pond. Unfortunately, I had the bright idea to take it on the family boat for a saltwater-fishing trip. It caught fish all right, but a week later, when I opened up my tackle box, the freshwater lure’s hooks and hardware had been reduced to crumbling orange crud. The tears flowed. Segmented lures…

1. PERFECT 10 Humminbird introduced its new Solix series multifunction displays in January 2017 in 12- and 15-inch sizes. This winter, the company has added the Solix 10, available in two models: one with Mega Imaging, GPS and chirp digital sonar, and the other with GPS and chirp digital sonar. Mega Imaging provides a higher-frequency down- and side-imaging technology that offers cleaner, crisper photolike views. Solix 10 features Humminbird’s Cross Touch touchscreen/touchpad interface, Autochart Live, Bluetooth connectivity and Basemap, which includes freshwater and coastal saltwater charts. The units cost $1,999.99 and $2,299.99. 2. POWER DRIVE Accurate Fishing has added the BV2-800 and BV2-800N (narrow version) two-speed lever-drag reels to its popular Valiant series. Built for offshore trolling and live-bait fishing with 80-pound braid (600 to 800 yards), the new conventionals…

For 8-year-old Rupert Mathis of Saint Hippolyte in France, landing a 197-pound, 6-ounce dogtooth tuna [A] this past October is a remarkable catch — pending as the small-fry record — but the young angler managed it in 25 minutes, unaided. The existing small-fry record is 20 pounds, 16 ounces. Dotty Ballantyne traveled from Bozeman, Montana, to fish New Zealand’s Whale Island this past November with Capt. Rick Pollock to catch a 19-pound, 7-ounce mako shark [B], which she landed in 12 minutes on 16-pound tippet. If approved, it will be the first record ever in that tippet class. Even a 15-pound, 2-ounce southern yellowtail [C] showed its stamina, requiring one-and-a-half hours for Sharon Oates from Wonthaggi in Victoria, Australia, to land on 4-pound line. She fished New Zealand’s Cavalli Islands…