Sport Fishing March 2019

Fishing: It’s either really fun or really boring. At least, that’s the case for most kids. For seasoned anglers, there’s a whole lot of in between while waiting and trying for that big one. But for youngsters, action rules — and expectation sucks. I wrote in this space years ago that young anglers, particularly those without much experience, just want something — anything (alive) — to make the rod bend that they can pull into the boat to hold (or edge away from). At the same time, probably the quickest way to turn off kids to fishing (for that day and very possibly the long term), is to ask them to wait patiently (or impatiently) for a game fish that you feel is worthy of catching. As experienced anglers, our…

Top captains put a premium on precision when trolling, no matter what fish they target. They fuss over how their lures and baits look in the water, and they deploy each bait a specific distance behind their boats. They maintain their tackle in tiptop condition. They calibrate their reel drags, they test and perfect the knots they tie, and they demand the best line, leaders, hooks, crimps and swivels. In other words, they leave nothing to chance when it comes to matters within their control. Of course, they can’t make the fish bite, but with their realistic trolling presentations, they significantly increase the odds of producing hookups. Here’s how three different trolling experts tackle the details. BLUE MARLIN Capt. Casey Hunt excels at trolling lures for blue marlin, but not…

INSIDE TROPICAL TOMATO I caught this grouper on a shallow reef in the Maldives this past January. I believe it to be a tomato cod, Cephalopholis sonnerati, though it seems to be in neither the actual cod nor tomato families. Am I right on this ID, and if so, can you tell me more about this species? Steve WozniakAlamo, California I concur with your diagnosis, Steve. It’s Cephalopholis sonnerati, otherwise known as a tomato hind or tomato cod, in fact a pretty coral grouper belonging to the family Serranidae (tropical groupers). This species occurs individually or in small groups on coral reefs throughout most of the Indo-Pacific region from Eastern Africa to the Line Islands and Kiribati in the Central Pacific, north to Japan and south to the Great Barrier…

SEND IN YOUR QUESTION and any relevant photos of your mysterious catch or observation for our experts’ ID and feedback. If we publish your question and you have a shipping address within the United States or Canada, you’ll win a 3-pound spool of Berkley Pro Spec ocean-blue or fluorescent-yellow monofilament (1,000 to 10,800 yards, depending on line strength) or a 1,500-yard spool of Spiderwire Stealth braid up to 100-pound-test! Send questions and images via email to fishfacts@sportfishingmag.com (include your hometown) or via post to Sport Fishing Fish Facts, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789.…

Electric reels can make quick work of pulling up fish from the bottom in 300 to 1,800 feet of water, but anglers increasingly seek something more sporting. They prefer to hand-crank their fish, especially daytime swordfish. As a result, electric reels featuring a switch to allow instant manual fishing are becoming more popular. Those reels provide the best of both worlds because sometimes an angler needs the power of an electric motor to take over when he gets tired or the bait gets mangled and must be brought up to the boat along with a 10- or 15-pound weight, which might require 20 to 40 minutes or more if reeled up by hand. POWER-ASSISTED POPULARITY Some of the most used reels — especially in South Florida, where daytime swordfishing was…

An option for anglers who don’t have electric reels and want to reel in fish, but not weights, is the Reel Crankie. The shaft of the device is placed in a battery-powered drill, and the fitting at the other end is attached to the spool shaft of a reel to quickly wind in the line. Tom Greene of Custom Rod & Tackle in Lighthouse Point, Florida, and master machinist Rick Herrick came up with the idea for the Reel Crankie, which starts at $169.95 (innovativefishingtackle.com). There are Reel Crankies for Penn International 30s, 50s, 70s and 80s and for Shimano Tiagra sizes 12, 16, 20, 30, 50, 80 and 130, as well as other Shimano models and for Avet and Alutecnos reels.…