Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Sport Fishing

The Sea Chaser boats team was just wrapping up a photo shoot in Pompano Beach, Florida, for their 2020 brochure this past August, when they pinged me to jump aboard the new 35 HFC Bluewater for a test run. The 35-footer lay nestled along the dock at Alsdorf Park when I arrived, making the surrounding boats look shabby and ill-equipped by comparison. This test vessel bristled with standard features, plus a few options such as twin 16-inch Simrad evo3 displays rather than the standard 12s. I also found optional Optimus 360 joystick steering, as well as power steering and Fusion audio that come standard. On the transom hung a pair of Suzuki’s V-6, dual-prop drive, four-stroke 350 hp outboards. THE WAY SHE MOVES Once offshore, those Suzies growled as I…

INVINCIBLE HAS DEBUTED its third catamaran—the 35—which is based on the Morrelli & Melvin hybrid-asymmetric multihull design used by its big sisters, the 37 and the 40. The 35 accommodates what many anglers have asked for: the stability and efficiency of the bigger cats in a smaller, easier-to-handle package, the company says. The asymmetric design generates monohull-like turning capability: This boat leans in rather than out like some cat hulls. An outward lean can be an uncomfortable dynamic. The new model also offers the option of a twin-outboard configuration or quads. The twin version will be able to carry 500 gallons of fuel, while the quad version handles 550 gallons. Invincible expects to offer additional seating options. The large forward coffin box, standard on the other cats, will remain available…

A LONG-AWAITED WEEK IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA PROVED A GOOD BIT WINDIER THAN WE’D HAVE LIKED. BUT IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULDN’T GRIPE. A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE WE ARRIVED, A MAGNITUDE 7.6 EARTHQUAKE ROCKED NEW BRITAIN ISLAND, ITS EPICENTER NEAR OUR FINAL DESTINATION. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER WE DEPARTED, MOUNT ULAWUN—ALSO ON NEW BRITAIN—ERUPTED, FORCING EVACUATIONS AND CLOSING THE AIRPORT FOR SOME TIME. Amazingly, the big temblor was barely a blip for the usual operations of Baia Sportfishing, which was all systems go just afterward. And even the eruption of that nearby volcano failed to delay normal operations for long. I guess when an entire nation lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, such cataclysmic events are the norm. But outside of such events, and away from Port Moresby…

A DROP OF FUEL SLOSHES INSIDE A GAS TANK—ALL OF ITS POTENTIAL ENERGY JUST WAITING FOR A SPARK, JUST WAITING FOR THAT FUEL PUMP TO DRAW IT INTO THE ENGINE. ¶ THEN THE KEY TURNS AND THE OUTBOARD ROARS TO LIFE: THE BEGINNING OF A PERFECT DAY ON THE WATER. When everything runs correctly, an outboard engine is like a light switch: It’s one of those engineering marvels we take for granted. But just how does it work? How does it take fuel and turn it into power? To answer that question and shed light on the latest innovations, I spoke with product managers for today’s most popular engine brands: Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, Evinrude, Honda and Seven Marine. TWO-STROKE START Until 1964, all outboard engines used Two-stroke, internal-combustion technology. A…

Seven Marine jumped into the four-stroke-outboard market on the super-high end of the horsepower spectrum, first with its 557 hp engine in 2011, and later with its 627. First deliveries began in 2013. “What we saw was that the limit of the outboard-powered boat was the horsepower available from four-stroke outboards. If boats have four of the max-powered motors, then larger-horsepower motors would allow the market to expand in the boat offerings,” says Brian Davis, vice president of Seven Marine. He says that the company, now owned by Volvo Penta, leverages automotive-based engines to deliver more torque and power than other outboards. New hydraulic transmissions create smoother shifting, and—to reduce service costs—Seven uses closed cooling technology, which keeps salt water out of the powerhead. Seven offers both single-prop and duoprop…

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…

IF YOU MISSED this boat at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October, you’ll have a chance to see it in mid-February at the Miami show. EdgeWater has nicknamed its new 340CC “The Beast.” “Our main objective for this center-console was to cover all bases for any adventure,” says Kimberly Machnik, vice president of sales and marketing for EdgeWater, which is based in Florida. “We have the angler covered with the leaning-post tackle station and 50-gallon aquarium livewell. We are family-friendly with the plush, forward sun-pad lounge seat along with a luxurious bow area to host dinners.” The standard leaning post comes with a removable 48-quart cooler, freshwater sink, pullout shower, cutting board, storage drawers, rod holders and flip-up, bolstered helm seats. Aft, EdgeWater placed a 28-gallon livewell, a…

Boating anglers often hear the terms “naturally aspirated” and “supercharged” with regard to outboard power. But what do those terms mean, and how do those technologies affect the way engines work? Mercury introduced the first supercharged four-stroke outboard in 2004 with its Verado lineup; Seven Marine also uses the technology. On the other hand, Mercury recently debuted a new line of naturally aspirated four-strokes, including the 4.6-liter V-8 300. The rest of the market primarily uses natural aspiration. D.J. Belter, director of engine design and analysis for Mercury, uses this example: If you take a syringe and pull back the plunger, it will draw in air—that’s analogous to natural aspiration. Now, imagine pulling back the plunger while at the same time blowing air into the syringe—that correlates to supercharging. “A…

Ernest Hemingway once compared the Gulf Stream to a trout stream. “The holes, the eddies, the shallows are all there. Only you can’t see them.” Marlin fishermen today might dismiss such a nuanced reading of water a quarter-mile above the current-shaping topography of the continental shelf, and Hemingway might have been employing a fiction writer’s technique by using trout-fishing familiarity simply to connect his reader with completely foreign billfishing. Hemingway’s fishing articles intersected with his 21-year position as International Game Fish Association vice president and ambassador—not unlike today’s social media influencers—with technically precise and immensely exciting portrayals that lured average anglers away from stripers and fluke. Eventually, billfishing became mainstream. Today, ever-increasing social media posts of “triple markers”—commercial-fisherman jargon for swordfish larger than 300 pounds—and “nickels”—swords topping 500 pounds—entice mainstream…

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…

CAPE HORN’S NEW 22 Offshore might be the smallest in the brand’s lineup of center-console fish boats, but it comes packed with important features. To start with, a 40-gallon livewell behind the leaning post, on centerline, creates ample space for live bait; 27 rod holders, including rocket launchers along the transom bulkhead and attached to the leaning post, give anglers room to stow plenty of tackle for contingencies. At the helm, the 22os features 14-by-30 inches of electronics space. A canvas T-top with an overhead box is standard as are trim tabs with indicators. The forward casting deck features a step up and hides a 55-gallon insulated fish box. The front console seat lifts for access to a standard manual-flush toilet and storage space with 5 feet, 4 inches of…

INTO OUR NEW ERA of mega-center-consoles, Yellowfin Yachts introduces its massive 54-footer, which eclipses its previous flagship 42 Offshore. Available with quad- or quint-outboard power, the 54 comes with loads of fishing and family features, including 150 gallons of livewell capacity that can be configured as one massive tank or split into two 75-gallon wells; a 200-plus-gallon transverse fish box in the cockpit sole, and 900 gallons of fuel capacity. The beamy, stepped-hull 54 also comes with plush overnighting and family-friendly amenities, including 90 gallons of freshwater capacity, and a spacious cabin beneath the console with a queen-size berth, a fully equipped kitchenette, wraparound seating for dining and relaxation, and a head. Yellowfin builds boats to order, so the options list is lengthy, including several tower configurations. The boat comes…

THE JOURNEY— You’ll need to fly into Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea, typically by way of Australia, with Brisbane being the closest major international airport. From Port Moresby, you’ll fly to Hoskins on the north coast, and be met by Baia Sportfishing for an hour-long drive to meet Ultimate One. It’s best to plan so no overnight is needed in Port Moresby. The city is not known as a kinder, gentler place, but as we found out firsthand, staying in a hotel near the airport should be no problem, and the staff in shuttles and hotels were uniformly friendly and helpful. In planning flights and timing, Baia Sportfishing will assist. By the way, as I discovered the hard way, even if just transiting through Brisbane for…

Thanks to a burgeoning conservation ethic, many saltwater anglers choose to release their catches. Others do so because of fishery-management rules, or because it’s required in tournament regulations. As a result, anglers release many, many saltwater fish every year. But just how many? In my home state of Georgia, anglers released more than 1 million red drum during 2018, according to the Marine Recreational Information Program. For the entire United States, that number climbs to 18 million redfish released. The MRIP estimate for the number of released fish of all species during 2018 is an astounding 605 million. While we optimistically believe that most of these fish survive, the reality is much more complicated. Multiple factors, often combined, determine the fate of a released fish, such as how the fish…