Sport Fishing February 2020

“BEFORE THESE RESTRICTIONS, THE LONGLINE FLEET WAS ANNUALLY DISCARDING NEARLY 70 METRIC TONS OF DEAD GULF BLUEFIN. Fact: Decades of overfishing and poor management have reduced the population of western Atlantic bluefin to a mere fraction of its historical levels. Fact: The Gulf of Mexico is critical to the health of western Atlantic bluefin because it is the one and only known place where these fish spawn. Fact: The bluefin spawn in the spring, so that’s when they’re most prevalent in the Gulf, and that’s when they need protection. Fact: Nearly all the mortality to large spawning bluefin in the Gulf comes from longliners. None of this was lost on the National Marine Fisheries Service (aka NOAA Fisheries) when in 2015 it established two Gear Restricted Areas in the Gulf…

Many boaters view bridges as a hindrance. To navigate them, captains must slow to idle speed. On days with heavy boat traffic, getting through a bridge channel can take some time. Savvy anglers, on the other hand, see bridges as great places to catch fish. Depending on the type and size of a bridge and the body of water that it spans, the structure can offer varying current strengths and water depths, a variety of bottom profiles and an array of ambush spots for many different gamefish. “What we have in Chesapeake Bay is basically a giant river,” says Capt. Tom Weaver (fishwithweaver.com) of Annapolis, Maryland, who often fishes the region’s infamous Bay Bridge, which connects western Maryland with the Eastern Shore. “So we’ve got this giant piece of structure…

FROM THE TILE FILE Q While deep-dropping in 700 feet of water off Abaco, Bahamas, with the Hooker Electric team, we caught this little guy. At first we thought it was a juvenile golden tilefish, but the coloration seems slightly different from a golden tile. I can’t seem to find it in any species identification guides. What the heck is it? Adrian Gray Sebastian, Florida A Uncovering this fish’s identification took a bit of digging, Adrian, because there aren’t many descriptions or color photos available. It’s a bankslope tilefish, Caulolatilus dooleyi. This species was first described from the Bahamas—its only known location—in 1978. This seldom-encountered species is known to live at depths between approximately 720 and 840 feet. Few specimens have been collected; a reference from 2002 lists only three,…

My 19-foot skiff is ideal for the quick maneuvering needed to pursue fast-moving false albacore, and you can run around the console to cast into blitzes. But my beloved 72-quart hard-sided cooler bungeed against the bow platform was often in the way. Albies are a catch-and-release species, so I used the chest merely as an oversize vessel for ice, drinks and food. I downsized to my rigid, 16-quart family lunch cooler with poor results. It either slid and banged around the deck during run-and-gun action or it tipped over when bungeed by its built-in cover handle. Then I bought a soft-sided cooler—problem solved! Its shoulder strap sat perfectly over a rod holder or cleat, and it didn’t occupy any deck space. The soft cooler also compressed when empty to tuck…

IN SIGHT FLIR Systems says its M300 Series represents a new generation of maritime thermal cameras that provides awareness-enhancing technologies and seamless integration. The five models in the series feature pan-and-tilt housings. Four include Boson 640- or 320-pixel resolution, thermal camera cores and various fixed field-of-view lenses; one model, the M300C, is a visible-light camera with high-definition color and a 30X zoom. All offer image stabilization, using an integrated attitude-heading, reference-system sensor. The top-of-the-line M364C and M364C LR (long range) come with Color Thermal Vision, blending thermal and high-def, visible-color video. Prices range from $6,495 to $29,495. MORE FIERCE Penn has upgraded its Fierce line of spinning reels, creating the Fierce III with a full-metal body and HT-100 carbon-fiber drag system. The reel comes with a superline spool and four stainless-steel…

The afternoon forecast for the upper Chesapeake Bay called for stiff breezes and heavy showers. But during this early June Yamaha media event out of St. Michaels, Maryland, we had already committed to running six variously powered test boats in the morning, before heading out to jig stripers aboard the new Grady-White Canyon 326. Thankfully, the rains held off, although the wind still violently chopped the bay’s surface as seven of us piled aboard the 32-footer with Capt. Shannon Pickens. The conditions and crowd could have dampened our enthusiasm had we been aboard a lesser boat. But for the stable, comfortable, well-appointed 326, this was child’s play. FIRST IMPRESSIONS The full-height windshield created a barrier to the full force of those warm afternoon gusts. In fact, Grady designed the width…