Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Sport Fishing

EXTRA STRANDS Berkley’s new x5 and x9 braided lines add another strand to the popular four- and eight-strand designs while keeping the same diameter of those traditional braids. Boasting greater abrasion resistance and strength, x5 was designed to fish structure; x9 delivers strength with extra casting distance. The new braids come in low-viz green and crystal colors. Priced at $13.99 (165 yards), $26.99 (330 yards) and $179.99 (2,188 yards), x5 spools are available in pound-tests from 8 to 80. The x9 costs $17.99, $32.99 and $199.99 in pound-tests from 8 to 100. PINNACLE PERFORMANCE Garmin says its new EchoMap Ultra series of multifunction displays feature larger, brighter screens, Panoptix LiveScope support and new g3 charts. The 10- and 12-inch key-assisted touchscreen chart plotters come with support for Garmin’s ultra-high-definition scanning…

Fish finders might be the superheroes of the marine-electronics world, but transducers are the always important, though seldom appreciated, sidekicks. Without the right transducer mounted in just the right place, that fish finder can’t provide accurate, clear sonar imagery, and you’ll be fishing blind (unless you have superpowers yourself). Choosing which transducer to buy should be equally as important as picking a display. Do you need chirp? Side-scan? Down-scan? 3D or multibeam? Real-time? To answer those questions, transducer makers boil down the selection to three factors: • what kind of fish finder you own or are purchasing; • how you fish; • what size and type of hull you run. MATCHING BRAINS The easiest of the variables to resolve is fish-finder compatibility. “Most multifunction-display models today [which incorporate fish finders]…

Today, a growing number of automobiles with parkingassistance technology are sliding into parking spots on streets around the world. Such systems, usually offered as optional, help drivers put cars into tight spaces with little or no input to the steering wheel, and no scrapes or dents. The technology has become so common that U.S. News & World Report published a list of the 20 best self-parking cars last year. Now, similar technology is finding its way into power boats. One has emerged in a prototype system developed between FLIR/Raymarine and Mercury Marine aboard a Boston Whaler 330 Outrage with twin Mercury 300 Verado outboards. FLIR/Raymarine has also developed an inboard prototype in conjunction with Prestige Yachts. The system aboard the Prestige 460 works with twin diesel engines and pod drives.…

During its earliest days, saltwater fishing seemed as exotic as big-game hunting: expensive, wildly adventurous, maybe even dangerous. But with global development, abundant air-travel options, and advances in marine technology, anglers of all shapes, sizes, genders, ages and skill levels can access—and enjoy—once-remote destinations and challenging, sought-after species. Fishing has become more family-friendly, and just in time to encourage a revival of the sport. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, leads the drive to recruit women and children to fishing. While focusing primarily on the abundant freshwater resources and opportunities in the United States, RBFF also addresses prospects for coastal saltwater fishing. In May 2018, the organization released its Top Mom-Approved Places to Fish and Boat in the U.S., which included two coastal…

It was a slow summer at Hudson Canyon off New York, but we were going in any case, because you can’t catch tuna when you’re dry on the dock. ¶ We weren’t halfway out when we saw life—a half-dozen whales rolling, and tails rising among what must have been 100 or more tightly packed bottlenose dolphin. Dozens of shearwaters flocked around the commotion. Extending outward for 100 square yards, storm petrels dabbed the blue 75-degree surface waters. The sonar screen read 180 feet. Something was up. One cast into the mayhem created instant action. As soon as the bail closed, a fish grabbed the lure, and the rod doubled over at an impossible angle. Line easily peeled off the reel against a good 30 pounds of drag. The mate looked…

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 fish facts@ sport fishingmag.com (include your hometown) or via post to Sport Fishing Fish Facts, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789. SF FISH FACTS EXPERTS NORTHEAST Mike Fahay, Sandy Hook Marine Lab, New Jersey SOUTHEAST Ray Waldner, Ph.D., Palm Beach Atlantic University, Florida GULF OF MEXICO Bob Shipp, Ph.D., University of…

INTREPID SAYS it will craft each 345 Nomad for the individual owner to maximize performance and comfort, whether fishing or cruising. The one constant element: Intrepid’s distinct transverse-stepped hull. “In true Intrepid fashion, the 345 Nomad is designed for customization with innovative new options like our premium composite T-top inspired by both customer requests and the latest technology,” says Ken Clinton, president of Intrepid Powerboats. Owners can choose from two console options with side or front entry into the head space. Standard features include an integrated bracket for twin or triple engines, swing-in dive door with a folding ladder, forward port and starboard rod-locker storage, and an insulated fish box. Customize your model with one or two optional recirculating transom livewells with a sea chest, underwater lighting, freshwater washdown, gyro…

The number of seagulls in the area made it obvious that another influx of pelagic red crabs had swarmed into the lee of Catalina Island during the previous night’s full moon. Over the past few warm-water years, each wave of these crabs had brought with them biting tuna and yellowtail. But this was early March, and the days of warm water were a distant memory. So I bypassed the birds, continuing toward my intended target: the calico bass that live in the island’s rocky shallows. The bass were biting the swimbaits that I cast toward shore. But I kept an eye on the seagulls outside us, which were doing their familiar hopscotch routine as they fed almost passively on crabs. For just a moment, the pattern of flutter up, land,…

EYE TEST—A KEY TO 19 FISH EYES When an angler casts a lure or fly, or puts out a live bait, he’s counting on a predatory fish seeing his offering. True, a predator might use its lateral line to sense pressure changes from a fleeing baitfish’s irregular movements, or hear a lure’s rattles, or smell a scent-infused soft plastic. But fundamentally, we count on our targets seeing our lure or live bait. To confirm this, look at lure manufacturers’ ads or walk into a well-stocked tackle shop. The varied shapes and remarkable diversity of colors and color patterns suggest that, depending on the species and conditions, you must have the right shape and color lure to be successful. This, of course, raises the old saw that lures are made more…

As I walked toward the floating dock at Charleston’s Wapoo Cut boat ramp, the Regulator 26XO floated placidly in the current, looking all the world like an offshore boat with a proud, flared bow and more than 26 feet in deck length. However, upon second glance, I saw curiously low gunwales and a single outboard engine. Regulator has indeed created an all-new crossover design: It’s not a bay boat, and not a deep-V offshore vessel. Being in between gives it nearly unrivaled fishing variety as well as plenty of family comforts—in addition to some surprising big-boat features. On this calm April day, we easily could have planned a full offshore adventure. Or we could have hunted redfish in the marsh creeks. We were prepared for both. THOUGHTFUL DESIGNS Capt. Mike…

SOLACE BOATS, a new company started by Stephen Dougherty—whose boatbuilding pedigree includes time spent with Boston Whaler as well as co-ownership of EdgeWater Boats and Everglades Boats—is in the process of launching its first model: the 345. The Florida-based company says this new vessel will change the design of fish boats. One quick glance at the photos tells you this is no ordinary center-console V-hull. One obvious patented feature: the FishThru transom, a platform that extends aft between the two outboards. The hydraulically actuated swim platform—another first—extends out 4 feet past the transom door. The 345 will provide dual, custom 52-gallon pressurized livewells with tuna tubes and two drawer-style refrigerators in the bait-prep center. Also standard is the Seakeeper 3DC gyro stabilizer. Buyers won’t need a generator because everything wires…

DOES COLOR REALLY MATTER? Most professionals swear by colors and, accordingly, have favorites. Does color matter? A majority would say absolutely, and cite instances where color A catches fish after fish, while color B in the same lure fished the same way goes a-begging. A smaller contingent (which includes this writer) are more color-agnostic, figuring maybe and maybe not—but we’ll pay attention to it just in case. Then there’s internationally known lure-maker Patrick Sebile. We can color him skeptical. “I believe that 80 percent of the time, what really matters is lure type and action, size, and swimming depth [and not color],” Sebile says. The meticulous catch records that included lure color, which Sebile kept for 12 years, yielded very little consistency about best lure colors, leaving him with few…