Sport Fishing November - December 2016

ALLOCATION FORMULAS IN USE TODAY WERE SET YEARS BACK, WHEN THE POPULATION OF ANGLERS AND THE OVERALL IMPORTANCE OF RECREATIONAL FISHING WERE A FRACTION OF WHAT THEY HAVE BECOME. It’s the thought that counts. Perhaps that’s what the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration had in mind when it announced its new policy on the allocation of fishery resources to the recreational-fishing community. The agency billed the policy as “an important step to clarify how allocations of fish harvest among recreational, commercial and subsistence fishermen should be made.” At first blush, that seems welcome and long-overdue news for recreational-fishing interests. That’s because the allocation of limited fish stocks is critical. Simply put, the more that user group A is allowed, the less that user group B can harvest. For most mixed-use…

SPEED CAN MAKE or break your trolling success, and yet there’s not one single speed fishermen rely on day after day. Variables such as your heading (up-sea or down-sea), weak or strong currents you must cross, winds that vary in direction and strength, and the height of wave swells all affect your trolling speed daily. “The best way to control speed is to watch your skirted baits and keep bumping up faster and faster, until your baits start to spin,” says Capt. Anthony Mendillo, of Keen M Sport Fishing in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. “Then slow down until your presentation swims true, and you’ve found your peak natural-bait trolling speed for the day. “Use the same tactic when slowtrolling,” he explains. “Go as slow as possible until the baits no longer…

CHALLENGE OUR EXPERTS (And Win Up to 10,800 Yards of Line!) 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 fluorescentyellow 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. SPONSORED BY SF FISH FACTS EXPERTS NORTHEAST Mike Fahay, Sandy Hook Marine Lab, New Jersey SOUTHEAST Ray Waldner,…

PHONES ARE AS common as car keys in today’s hustle and bustle. Incorporating smartphone use into your fishing missions is the next logical step. Apple’s iPhone 7 is water-resistant, so it’s better able to protect against spray and splashes. Fishing-friendly apps for Android and iOS operating systems bring together anglers via social media, off er real-time fishing conditions, help locate fish and track boat routes, and provide a host of other functions. Whatever your need, there’s probably an app for it. Here are nine fishing apps that off er just some of what’s available to anglers. You can find more useful boating apps for anglers in the April 2016 issue of Sport Fishing. ANIMATED FISHING KNOTS BY JOHN SHERRY Learning a new knot and forget a vital step? This app…

A monster 41-pound, 1-ounce shortraker rockfish [A] is a pending all-tackle record for David Utoft of Mastic Beach, New York, who caught the deepwater bottom dweller in Cross Sound, Alaska, on squid this past July. It would defeat a 40-pound, 11-ounce record shortraker taken in 2013 from the same waters. Pending as the junior-angler record for India Thompson of Launceston, Tasmania, is a 589-pound, 8-ounce swordfish [B], caught near St. Helens this past April on a mackerel. The fish required 45 minutes to land. If approved, it will smash the existing junior record of 364 pounds, 3 ounces, caught off New Zealand in 2012. From Honolulu, an all-tackle-record candidate is a 10-pound, 12-ounce sharpjaw bonefish [C]. Angler Matthew Ehnes of Honolulu hooked the fish on octopus bait and fought it…

EVEN KAYAKS CAN troll baits. But when trolling requires artistry, demands a tournament-winning strategy, or provides the best means to big-fish dreams, which boat do you need? What are the features and design elements that create the top vessels in this category? To answer those questions, I asked four builders that make either classic or purpose-designed trolling boats to describe the subtleties of their crafts. All are inboard-driven vessels in the 35- to 45-foot range. Here are their answers (listed alphabetically by builder). ALBEMARLE 36 EXPRESS SPECS: LOA: 38 ft. 8 in. • Beam: 14 ft. 5 in. • Transom Deadrise: 16 deg. • Draft: 4 ft. Dry Weight: 25,000 lb. • Power Option: Twin Cummins 600 hp diesels • MSRP: $575,900 “The Albemarle 36 sports a sharp entry at…