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Crazy Weather
On the 26th. we had a group of locals for the
Day. By 1:30 they were tired, we had released
29 for 40.
The next 2 days we had Bill DeGraw his wife
Kay and his 2 daughters Jenny and Laurie. Well
they disappeared the fish I mean for the 2 days
we raised 24 had 18 bites and released 12 and
Bills first on the Fly. Bill is a world traveler
and last yr. caught a 1,300 plus Blue at Ascension
Island with Capt. Trevor Cockle largest Blue
of the year.
For the next 4 days we had the pleasure of having
Joan Vernon and Bill Eason. Bill accomplished
his personal goal for the yr. releasing his
200 th. sail for the yr. The first day fishing
8 and 12 lb. line we went 26 for 40 But the
second day Joan was red hot and caught 18 for
18 for the 4 days they released 83 out of 108
bites that's a 76% hook up on 8 and 12 that's
fantastic.
We finished up the yr. with 2,074 releases 3rd
time we've broke the 2,000 mark. But the big
yr. was had by Brad Phillips releasing 2,668
braking another record held by the Captain Hook
of 2,555 set in 99. What a great fishing yr.
2003 was. I hope 2004 is even better.
I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and
hope to see you soon in Guatemala. Capt. Ron
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
This past week prior to the
passing cold front, fishing on the Indian River
Lagoon Coast was good. The air temperature warmed
up, winds and seas calmed down, and the bite
was on. Then, in a wink of an eye, high pressure
moves in bringing a blast of cooler air with
it, and the bite shuts down. Such is the cycle
of angling on the east Florida coast in December
and January. On a positive note, we are truly
blessed to have angling opportunities year-round,
taking the good days with the bad.
Before the front, calmer
seas (3 to 5 feet) allowed anglers to venture
out of Port Canaveral, where they found good
concentrations of king fish and an occasional
dolphin, wahoo, and cobia in the areas of north
Pelican Flats and 8A reef. When targeting these
speedsters, I typically slow troll with live
bait, but with the bait run finished for the
season, frozen Spanish sardines are the next
best thing. The technique I like to utilize
is slow troll the standard wire kingfish rig
with the addition of a plastic skirt. Currently,
Sunday and Monday look like the best opportunity
for offshore angling with seas predicted to
be in the 3 to 5 foot range.
On the Lagoon, water conditions
are excellent for site fishing redfish, with
the exception of wind. Before the front, redfish
encounters were numerous on just about ever
skinny shoreline, but for the past three days,
site fishing has been tough. Yesterday, I spent
the day scouting fish on the north Mosquito
Lagoon only to find one decent school, and a
few scattered singles. I did manage to find
the bottom on several occasions; due to the
typical low water levels experienced this time
of year, and getting out a pushing my Maverick
is not my definition of fun. If you plan on
targeting reds this week, wait for the high
pressure to move out and fish in the afternoon.
Further south in the area
of Sebastian Inlet, Captain Rodney Smith experienced
respectable results fishing the inlet in the
afternoon. The inlet is currently loaded with
bluefish, and the jumbo reds are back. Redfish
up to 34 pounds were taken using a one-ounce
Cootee jig. Again fishing in the afternoon was
his key to success, so go ahead and sleep late
and enjoy an afternoon on the water.
As always, if you have questions
or need further information, please contact
me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085
407-416-1187 on the water
866-790-8081 toll free
Great,, then
Rough as Hell
Gwen Habericht and Bernie Baake, smoked'em for
4 days raising 143 having 134 bites and releasing
98. That's a great avg. for hooking there own
fish.
Then it started blowing and did it!!!!!!! Kim
and Bob Nicholas a father and daughter were
both first timers to fly fishing. They could
not have had worse weather as it blew very hard
and all day. The first day we stayed on the
beach for roosters. But the last 2 days we braved
the seas and gave it our best. Kim caught her
first Sail and her first Sail on Fly!! plus
a little bonus of 350# Blue on 30# test, Bob
who is a great fly fisherman but had never done
sails caught 4 out of 6 bites on the fly. It
was hard to stand up much less cast a fly and
fight a fish.
Hope you all have great holidays and I look
forward to seeing you next yr. Good Fishing
Ron
PS---Capt. Eric Lorensen of the Intensity, just
caught his 439th. sail on Fly this year braking
the one yr. record held by the Captain Hook
of 432 set in 99 great going Eric and congratulations
to all his anglers fine job
The Fins n' Feathers boats
have been averaging 12 to 17 sailfish releases
a day for almost the entire month, most of which
have been caught 15 miles from the inlet. The
water has been blue with a couple marlin, as
well as dorado, making a showing.
Monday the 8th saw Artmarina
regulars, Jerry and Carol Peterson, up their
previous days total of 21 releases with a great
Eagle Claw circle hook average, going 9 from
10 for the day. The 'Coyote II' is now officially
part of the Guatemalan fleet, ready and raising
plenty of fish for Capt. "Kiwi" van
Leeuwen, going 7 from 9 on the baits in a half
day, and the 'Magic' 4 from 10 on the fly.
The 9th saw the 'Magic' welcome
a Spanish film crew which they had the pleasure
of fishing for the remainder of the week. They
ended their first day with a healthy 6 from
9 on the fly. The 'Coyote II" 4 from 10
on the fly and 3 on the baits.The 'Pelagian'
released 16 sailfish from 20 bites on their
always performing, Cape Fear rods, with both
them and the 'Magic' having blue marlin in the
spreads.
Wednesday saw us with a little
wind from the west, but nothing to stop the
'Pelagian' going 12 from 18 and the 'Magic'
3 from 7 on the fly. The 'Intensity' finished
another great 5 days for Clear Water, Florida
friends, Bruce and Carol Schoor.
The 'Intensity' started it's
fly fishing roll on Thursday, going 12 from
24, the 'Magic' kept the cameras busy on the
beach with some good rooster fishing action.
The 'Magic' had the hot hand
on Friday going 8 from 16 bites on the fly,
the 'Intensity' 6 from 9 also on the fly and
the 'Pelagian' 9 from 13 on the bait.
Nobody could find the previous
days action on Saturday, with the sailfish seeming
to take a breather. The boats only released
a handful of sailfish but the 'Pelagian' had
it’s excitement when a #700 marlin crashed
the right short teaser, an 'Andromida' from
Legend, and then stayed in the spread for another
2 minutes but were unable to get another bite
on the mackerel after it spat it on the first
shot.
Things did a dramatically
180 on Sunday, with a red-hot bite materializing
only 15 miles from the Inn, in a flat calm ocean.
Al Novak, brothers Taylor and Ryan Powell, and
Mike Berkowitz, finished of their three days
aboard the 'Pelagian' in fine fashion, releasing
32 on the baits and 3 on the fly. In doing so
the 'Pelagian' broke it's 2001 record of 2496
billfish releases in a single calendar year,
pushing to 2519 releases since the start of
this year. Hot fishing, and there are still
a couple weeks of the year ahead!!! The 'Intensity'
was on fire, pushing ever closer to the single
year fly record, going 17 from 29 on the long
wand, with the fish really playing the teaser
game.
It is going to be an exciting
push to the end of the year. With the fish in
close and water looking great, it looks like
the bite has a good chance of keeping rods bent,
anglers very busy and records falling.
Until next week, it's tight
lines, circle hooks, and compliments of the
festive season to all.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian',
Artmarina.
Fins 'n Feathers, Guatemala,
www.artmarina.com
Barbara J. Hernandez
Manager
Artmarina
"The Fine Art of Billfishing"
Phone: 305-663-3553
Fax: 305-666-6445
barbara@artmarina.com
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
As artic fronts swing through
the contiguous states and ice and snow blanket
the ground to our north, we are fortunate to
live on the Indian River Lagoon coast of Florida.
Although the air and water temperature remain
pleasant, passing cold fronts do produce less
than desirable fishing conditions kicking up
the seas with blustery breezes. December is
a month where nice angling conditions, calm
seas, sunny skies, and clean water, swing through
around two days a week. Therefore, it’s
important to take advantage of the nice days
for fishing, and save the nasty windy ones for
honey-dos and annual boat maintenance. Currently
my skiff lies in waiting, ready to spring to
action on a moment notice, but my arms ache
from paintbrush stokes not pulling on fish.
Near-shore, when the winds
and seas lay down, good reports of kingfish,
wahoo, and dolphin are coming from the area
of 8A Reef. Live bait was hard to find, but
frozen Spanish sardines proved to be suitable
alternative. Additionally, large school of breeder
redfish were reported off of the shoals of the
Cape. To locate these fish look for birds working
a large mud areas and drop jigs or bait to the
bottom.
Around the inlets, the flounder
run has yet to materialize with Port Canaveral
reporting the better catches. At Sebastian,
the snook are still going off at night and pompano
are still concentrated in the back side of the
inlet.
On the flats, tailing redfish
have been a common site when fishing conditions
settle making site fishing possible. There’s
no need for an early start, because the spotted
tails have been showing up throughout the day.
Soon, the cold fronts will
begin to spread out and fishing conditions will
improve providing us with some fantastic fishing
over the holidays.
In closing, I would like
to thank all of you for a great year of fishing,
see you on the water.
Happy holidays and god bless,
Captain Tom Van Horn
Hey,
12/1 Light tackle, raised 3 a 300lb, 400lb and
500lb. Baited the 300lber
but pulled it off.
12/2 Light tackle, raised
4 a 200lb, 300lb, 450lb and 750lb. Baited the
200lb on 16lb and and broke it off and caught
1 on 16lb that was 298lb.
Baited the 750lb on 130lb but pulled it off
also.
12/3 Light tackle, raised
only 1 and would not take the pitch.
12/4 Light tackle, raised
6 between 300lbs and 500lbs but none would take
the pitch, they would give you a shot on the
teaser and follow it up but
would not take the bait.
12/5 Light tackle, raised
5 between 200lbs and 600lbs. The fish that were
big enough for a record would not take the pitch
on 16lb and the smaller
ones we did not pitch too. Caught the 600lb
on a 130lb pitch at the very
end of the day.
Candy did a good job with
the 16lb for her first time pitching light line.
There was tons of bait all along the Bank and
more white marlin and sailfish
that I did not count in the fishing reports.
Jody
Steady as she
goes Matey
First to all my friends and fellow fisherman,
have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year.
For the 6th thru .the 10th. we had Scott Segal
and Tom Schramm They had a good trip with 83
raises 74 bites and 65 releases Plus a nice
200# Blue for Tom on 30# and 4 out of 5 on fly
for there first time trying it. That was over
an 80% avg. on Circle Hooks. They have fished
in the past with Bouncer Smith and Dave Noling
one or maybe both of these guys did a hell of
a job teaching them how to hook there own fish.
Dec 11th thru the 13th. we had Dave Levin, Andy
Mior, Davis Mitchell. and Terry ward from N.
Carolina Hatteras boys they said,, these guys
could fish to. we raised 47 had 44 bites and
released 34 plus Dave caught a 250# Blue on
30# These guys avg. 77% on Eagle Claw Circle
Circle Hooks L2004 EL 7/0
The more we use them the better we're getting
and so will you. Remember there better for the
fish and better for the fisherman. Happy Holidays
Ron
Hello Friends
of Capt. John LaGrone, We fished yesterday on
Stphanie
Lee
and captured 8 of 11 sails. The Estralas de
Mar did catch a grand slam
of a black two blue and 5 sails out of Los Suenos.
Fishing has been
consitent for the past week mostly sails and
some marlins.
Flamingo had some killer action from sails balling
the bait to
several
catch's of Stripe Marlin all around 200 pounds.
That alone is unusal
for
stripes any where exept New Zealand. We have
in the past get this run
of
giant stripes but not often.
The hot spot for the past week has been Golfito
on board the Sorry
Dear with Andy Moyes. They have been catching
blues and sails . He
caught 8 marlins and avereging ten sails a day.
We are gearing up for this up coming season.
The Top Gun and Flor de
Maria will be in Los Suenos on Dec. 15th. The
Marlin Azul with Capt.
Jeremy Librett will be ready for this year in
Quepos. We still have a
lot of quality days on all our rides. So don't
be shy or get left at
the
dock. Good Luck and Tight Lines John LaGrone
Once again,
the holiday season is upon us, and it’s
time for us to reflect back on the many blessing
we’ve received this past year and look
forward to December’s offerings. Living
on the lagoon coast of Florida definitely has
its advantages, warm weather, year round angling,
quality fish, and oh yes, quality time on the
water with family and friends enjoying life.
Like November, December is
a month filled with outstanding fishing opportunities,
with the only difference being the impact of
passing cold fronts on water temperature and
fishing conditions. Currently, the lagoon and
surf water temperatures are in the upper 70’s,
but soon we’ll be forced to break out
our winter shorts as passing cold fronts chill
the air and water a bit.
In and around the inlets,
look for concentrations of oversized redfish
to remain steady feeding on surface bait during
periods of slack tide. At both Sebastian and
Ponce inlets, target these fish outside the
inlets near the end of the falling tide in areas
of bird and bait activity. At Port Canaveral,
work the edges of the buoy line bouncing bait
off the bottom. These fish will hit on artifical
baits like ¾ to 1-ounce Cootee jigs or
bucktails, but I find live pinfish, pigfish
or finger mullet to be a more productive. Remember,
these oversized reds are exciting to catch,
but they are breeders, so handle and release
them with care.
Snook fishing will also
remain steady as long as the water temperatures
stay warm, with Sebastian Inlet proving to be
the prime location. It is best to target inlet
linesiders during periods of slack tide drift
fishing live pigfish or pinfish at night in
the channel under the inlet bridge. This style
of angling can be quite rewarding when the bite
is on, but it can also be challenging due to
the number of anglers competing for the same
action. Snook season ends December 15th, so
if you enjoy those yummy filets, your time is
limited.
Flounder is another notable
species worth mentioning when speaking of inlet
fishing in December. Warmer than normal weather
and water temperatures have delayed the traditional
flounder migration from the lagoon to the warmer
coastal waters. Normally the run begins in mid
November and last through mid December, but
as of this writing, the doormat size southern
flounder have not arrived in quantities. So
flounder pounders standby, once a cold front
passes, these flatties should begin to move
through.
Along the beaches, look for
pompano to begin moving off the inshore flats
to the deeper troughs along the beach is search
of sand fleas (mole crabs) their favorite food.
Also look for schools of bluefish and Spanish
mackerel shadowing pods of glass minnows and
other bait is the surf. To target both blues
and Spanish, watch for birds working bait pods,
and through small jigs and spoons with a fast
retrieval to avoid cutoffs.
Near-shore, when the seas
permit it, look for kingfish, large tarpon,
and sharks to be cursing the beaches working
remaining bait schools as they move south, and
for solid concentrations of kings holding on
the near-shore reefs and wrecks in 60 to 100
feet of water. Several prime locations to target
kings in December according to Captain Billy
Bright of Snake Eyes Charters, are the north
end of Pelican Flats and 8A reef. The kingfish
bite should remain steady as long as the water
temperature stays above 74 degrees. To target
these fish, slow troll live bait if you can
find it, or troll dead Spanish sardines or cigar
minnows dressed in King Buster skirts. When
near-shore water temperatures approach the 70-degree
mark, look for tripletail and cobia to begin
to show up on the Port Canaveral buoy line and
the near-shore water off the beaches and the
bight of the Cape. These fish normally hold
to structure such as floating weeds and other
debris, but they also have a tendency to free
swim on the surface once the sun warms the surface
water.
Offshore, December is one
of the best times to target grouper, snapper,
and amberjacks. Again Captain Billy suggests
fishing beyond the party grounds, and target
bottom in the 21 to 27 fathom range. Additionally,
dolphin, wahoo, and an occasional sailfish are
quality targets in areas of color changes, rips,
and weed lines.
Inshore, both redfish and
sea trout will remain in the skinny water as
long as the water temperatures stay in the 70-degree
range. Fish in protected areas and sunny spots,
and look for fish to be holding in sand pockets
until the sun gets overhead. Now is also the
time of year to target tailing black drum in
the Banana River Lagoon No Motor Zone. Try fishing
early in the day, and preferably with a west
wind, and if you’ve never seen black drum
tailing before, it worth the paddle.
In closing, I would like
to remind everyone that once the air temperature
drops below 50-degrees, manatee begin to move
towards their winter warm water retreats, so
keep a sharp eye out for them in areas where
they are not normally encountered. Additionally,
I want to take this opportunity to thank all
of you who fished and worked with me year for
your business and friendship, man I love this
job!
As always, if you have questions
or need information, please contact me.
Happy Holidays and God Bless,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407.366.8085
407.416.1187 on the water
866.790.8081 toll free
After a long break from
fishing & several changes here at Artmarina
Brazil the Coyote fleet is ready to get back
into the fishing mode again. Coyote II has headed
for Guatemala to join the fleet at Fins n’
Feathers. Good luck to all that fish on her
& I hope they enjoy her as much as the guests
here did. But never fear the Coyote III &
Coyote I are still with us here in Brazil.
The Coyote III & Coyote I both had a lot
of work done to them in the off season getting
them ready for our guests down here in Brazil.
Coyote I had both engines overhauled & all
new wiring and a fresh coat of paint and new
upholstery to bring the old girl back to life.
The Coyote III had one engine overhauled and
all new wiring run through the boat. With a
touch of paint and carpet and upholstery all
new, C III is ready for action.
Returning to Artmarina is Capt Moacir Trindade
in charge of the Coyote I and Capt Shawn Wallace
now in charge of the Coyote III. Also new here
is Celia Pereira looking after our office.
Now down to the fish, this October and early
November started off slow with not many Blue
Marlin showing up. We have had a lot of White
Marlin and Sailfish show up in this early part
of the season with the Blues straggling in.
Tim Choate the commander of Artmarina was the
first to join us here fishing on the Coyote
III from the 25th to the 27th of Oct. Unfortunately
we didn’t raise a blue in this time but
had 10 White Marlin up to the baits with 5 bites
and catching 1, also raised 2 Sailfish.
On the 29th & 31st we had Vilmar Schurmann
& his good friend Magali Meinerz join us
on the Coyote III raising a Blue Marlin around
400lbs but pulling the hook after a few minutes,
they also raised 2 White Marlin & 2 Sailfish
but unlucky in not getting a bite from any of
them. Vilmar & Magali did have some fun
catching 16 Dorados on 20lb spinning gear in
half an hour all 15-20lb fish.
Rogério Vasconcelos fished the Coyote
I on the 8th & 9th of Nov they raised 3
Blue Marlin but couldn’t get the hooks
to stay in, but managed to catch a White Marlin
& a bunch of Dorados.
First time fishing with Artmarina, Guy Luck
& his lovely wife Rosemary Rougemont, from
England, got lucky catching a 500lb Blue marlin
Guy was happy with the biggest fish he had ever
caught. This was the only fish seen that day
but Rosemary caught some Dorado & Wahoo
for the dinner table.
Danilo Palmer from Rio de Janeiro fished from
the 11th to the 13th. Danilo returning to fish
with Artmarina is no stranger to billfishing.
On his first day he let a Blue Marlin go around
550lbs. On his second day he raise 2 more Blues
& released them one around 400lbs &
the other about 300lbs. Unfortunately the CIII
cracked a output flange that day & Danilo
had to fish on the Coyote I the next day raising
another Blue & catching it around 300lbs.
Luiz Bulhões & fishing buddy Roberto
Mesquita, first time fishing with Artmarina,
were here to fish the 3rd annual Governors Cup
Tournament. Fishing on the CIII on the first
day they raised 1 Blue Marlin but couldn’t
get her to bite. On day two of the tournament
they raised 4 Blues getting 2 bites, but unfortunately
pulling the hooks after a few minutes. Also
raised a Sailfish but no bite.
Beto Caldas fished on the Coyote I for the tournament,
raised 3 Blues but couldn’t get the hooks
to stick.
20 boats fished the Governors Cup Raising 30
Blue Marlin & catching 6.
Raised 15 White Marlin with no catches. Raised
12 Sailfish & catching 5.
Joining us here at Artmarina for the 4th season
where veterans David & Andy Watkins from
the U.S were ready for action. Fishing from
the 16th to the 22nd of Nov with a days brake.
The boys first day released 1 Blue Marlin around
350lbs, also raising 4 Sailfish & getting
2 bites to catch them both. On day two Andy
released a Blue Marlin around 250lbs on a 50lb
set up nice work. On day 3 they fished on the
Coyote I raising 2 blue Marlin & releasing
1 from 2 bites around 400lbs. After their rest
day David & Andy were out on the CI again
raising 2 blues but no luck in getting the hooks
to stick.
Day 5 back on the CIII they released another
Blue Marlin around 350lbs & raised a White
Marlin.
Day 6, David & Andy took along friends André
& son Alexandre. First up David released
a Blue around 350lbs. Then we hooked into a
sail & David let Alexandre fight the fish,
catching his first sailfish. After missing a
Blue Marlin around 600lbs Andy hooked on to
the dream fish, after an hour long fight &
many jumps close to the boat Andy released a
massive 850 to 900lbs Blue Marlin.
Way to go Andy this was a life long dream fulfilled.
That day 5 Blues were raised, 3 bites, caught
2, 3 white Marlin were raised, 2 bites but no
luck & 2 Sailfish raised 1 bite & caught.
Until the next report
tight lines & don’t forget circle
hooks for the next generation of fisherman.
Capt Shawn Wallace, Coyote III, Artmarina Brazil.
11/16 1 for 1 500lbs. We
only fished a half day with heavy tackle.
11/17 Light tackle, raised one about 450lbs
but would not take the
pitch. 11/18 Light tackle, raised three 350lb,
450lb and a 600lb but
none would take the pitch. 11/19 Light tackle,
saw nothing and the
weather was changing with rain and very overcast.
11/20 2 for 3
500lbs
and 800lbs on heavy tackle. 11/21 Light tackle,
raised five 3-400lbs,
500lbs and a 650lb that we fought for 5 1/2
hours on 20lb for a womens
record but broke the fish off on the gaff. 11/22
Light tackle, raised
one in the first 20 minutes and caught it on
20lb, 433lbs for a
potential womens world record. The angler was
Kathie Hunter.
The other boat fishing on
the Bank caught some nice fish on heavy
tackle
as well the last couple days. We have one week
off now and hopefully
the fish will still stay till we get back out
there.
Jody
Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters
The fact you are reading
this report is proof I’ve once again survived
my annual quest to put the brakes on life and
escape to the confines of the Sebastian area
of the Indian River Lagoon. For over 20 years,
I’ve taken a week off in November to do
nothing but fish. My only dilemma was a whole
week of seaside fishing adventure, cool salty
breezes, magnificent starry nights, spectacular
sunrises, and good friends, passed by in the
wink of an eye. The old adage is certainly true,
time flies when you’re fishing and having
fun.
Although life is Sebastian
was great, typical blustery November weather
conditions kicked up the seas and muddied the
water making fishing a challenge, and passage
through the inlet unthinkable. As we all know,
fishing is fishing and all hardcore anglers
never let the little stuff bother them. So we
sucked it up and made the best of it, and we
still manager to catch a ton of fish. Each day
on the water was an adventure, and I even had
to break out my winter shorts on a couple of
the cooler mornings. Listed below are some observation
made on our quest:
Snook: The snook bite was
going off while drift fishing the inlet at night
during periods of tidal change. Many of the
local anglers returned to the dock with limits
of snook caught on a single drift through the
gauntlet of boats and shore anglers using live
pigfish, and pinfish. This is full contact fishing,
so stay alert and be patient with other anglers.
Mullet Run: There are still
heavy concentrations of finger mullet present
in all areas of the central lagoon. When conditions
settled down, bait showering the water’s
surface to escape predators was a common site.
Bait schools have begun to thin out in the Canaveral
area, and they will begin to diminish in Sebastian
as the water cools.
Flounder Run: Flounder concentrations
at the inlet have been limited to a few small
gulf flounder. This week we targeted flounder
each day managing only small undersize fish.
The run should intensify as soon as the water
cools down a bit, so be prepared to hit the
inlet at a moment notice if you are a flounder
pounder.
Pompano: Pompano have begun
to show up in the inlet cuts and on the flats
of Long Point, Honest John’s, and Black
Point. We managed to catch several nice pompano
while jigging for flounder. We also observed
a good number of pompano skipping as we ventured
across the flats. These fish are forming up
for their annual migration seaward, so their
numbers will improve as the cold fronts pass.
Spotted Sea Trout: Although
out of season, we did manage to catch some really
nice sea trout up to six pounds, using Cootee
root-beer curly tail jigs on the channel side
of the spoil islands.
Tarpon: Although we didn’t
catch any, we did observe a large number of
poons rolling in the north fork of the Sebastian
River. We worked these fish hard, but our timing
was wrong and we couldn’t get them to
eat. These fish eat best at first light and
sunset, and our assault on them was at midday.
Bluefish: Our best action
was an aggressive school of large bluefish located
off of Black Point between the clam leases and
the shoreline. All of these fish were between
five to eight pounds, and they were taken on
cut ladyfish and live finger mullet while chunking
for redfish. We were cut off by many of these
bruisers, so we stepped up our leader size to
60lb test, before putting one in the boat.
All in all, it was a fantastic
week of adventure, and I’m already dreaming
of next year’s November Sebastian fishing
odyssey.
As always, if you have any
questions or need information, please contact
me.
Good luck and good fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
www.irl-fishing.com
captain@irl-fishing.com
407-366-8085
407-416-1187 on the
water
Good Steady
Fishing
Jack Melvin and Kevin Gillis and 2 of there
friends caught 51 for 78 3 of these guys had
never seen a sail and they learned how to hook
there own fish. Great avg. all on Eagle Claw
Circle hooks.
Milton Mercado fished 5 days by himself raised
105 had 90 bites and released 63 but the last
2-1/2 days Milton finished with 22 of 23 bites
that's incredible. Last day going 8 for 8. How
can you not love circle hooks and of Guatemala.
Good Fishin Ron
P.S. Don't forget to spread the word about the
sale of the Captain Hook
Sam Combs and John Adams brought there sons
Jason and Mark down to start the season. Water
was dirty and fishing was slow for Guatemala.
Anywhere else it would have been great.
We raised 27 had 27 bites and released 18, that's
a great avg. with the anglers hooking there
own fish.
On another note the Captain Hook is for sale,
although we will continue service thru the season
till May 31st. if the boat is not sold before.
If your interested in owning one of the top
fish producing boats in the world or know someone
who is contact me at 011-502-881-4284 or Herb
Rosell at South Fishing 1-800-882-4665 This
is a turn key operation with Captain and 2 mates
in place. Plus the best sailfishing in the world,
we're closing in on 2,000 for the yr. if we
make it that will be the 3 time the Captain
Hook has caught over 2,000 in one yr. Hope to
hear from one of you soon. RON
Revenge leaves
American Yacht Harbor today, ending
their "Summer 2003" stint in the Virgin
Islands. Remaining to fish the
November Moon, they went 12 for 19 in 6 days
of fishing. Overall
numbers (June through Nov.) were 93 released
for the 167 raised in 69
days. They recorded seeing another 24 four lookers.
Owner Sam
Jennings
now looks forward to the moment that blue marlin
number 611 piles on
his
bait! Since it's purchase by Sam, 945 blue marlin
have been tamed by
the Revenge. Sam managed to catch 9 in one day
on the Oct. Moon.
Another highlight of the summer was to watch
Sam catching the largest
Blue Marlin Capt. Mike Lemon had ever seen.
Nice going Revenge -
Captain, Owner and crew!
Hi Jimmy,
I wanted to take a moment to bring you up to
speed on our future plans and destinations for
2004 and beyond. Worlwide Marlin Adventures
is planning on operating the mothership God's
Will, and the gameboat God's Favor in the Atlantic
for another year or two. We recently arrived
in Brazil, and will begin fishing the season
in the next couple of days. We are very busy
in Brazil with only a few openings available
at the present time.
Which brings us to the future. In early 2004,
we intend to return to Cape Verde for the months
of April through mid July. We have always enjoyed
phenomenal fishing there as I'm sure you have
heard. Our best day ever for numbers was of
course the day we caught 20 blues in one day.
We had 28 bites that day, which was actually
a slow day. On our last short visit there in
2002, on our way to Bom Bom, we would see 6-8
fish per day quite regularly.
After our visit to Cape Verde, the boats will
move to our new "honey hole", Ascension
Island for the months of September through December,
and quite possibly longer. Located in the South
Atlantic, Ascension has proven in our very first
season to be an outstanding place for big fish.
In true "Jurasic Park" fashion, in
2002 we caught 2 granders, one 1337lbs &
the other 1145lbs. We lost 2-3 others throughout
the season, and I personally saw the biggest
fish of my life. With success like that, I personally
can't wait to get back. As a bonus, during the
period we were there, we caught and released
several yellowfin tuna over 200 lbs, the biggest
being 256lbs,and caught quite a few swordfish.
The wahoo and tuna are so plentiful, there is
no shortage of fresh fish being prepared by
our talented chef.
After Ascension, it has yet to be determined
if we will remain in the Atlantic, or head off
in a new direction. If any of your friends would
like to learn more about our future destinations,
or have any questions at all about this mothership
operation, please don't hesitate to call Trevor
Cockle at 954-805-3474.Or e-mail us at: wwmarlin@yahoo.com
for a brochure or dvd.
I might add, we just finished installing rigger
cams and a bridge cam onboard the game boat,
so we expect to see some great video rolling
in soon from Brazil. From now on, we won't ever
miss that fish of a lifetime on camera.
Tight Lines,
Trevor Cockle
This was a nice
fish I cought Sat. Nov. 1st, 2003 in the Caribbean
ocean.
(Note: Not the North Drop).
The wahoo tournament in St.
Thomas/ St. Croix, is coming up Nov. 9th,
and I wanted to see if the big ones have arrived.
The Virgin Islands is still
promoted as one of the best places in the
world for wahoo fishing, and seeing is believing.
Capt. Jeff Kreiner
Saturday we
finally had Day 1 of the tournament. Weather
was OK. 10
knots from the East early gusting to 20 later
in the day. The water was
off-color and the fish were spread all over
the place in an area 55
miles South of Rio. First-time anglers on the
Maloha released 2 blues
on
80 and are on top of the board followed by Ponta
Negra (1 on 50),
Tequila (1 on 50), Kaiala (last year's winner,
1 on 50), Sierra (1 on
80), Alhambra (1 on
130) and Original (1 on 80) Most of the fish
were around 250Lbs with
one maybe around 400. The Ponta Negra also caught
a 180-pound
yellowfin.
23 boats went out and had 13 bites. Next Saturday
is Day 2.
Regards,
Eduardo
After a long break we are
back in full swing at Fins n' Feathers. The
new manager, Frank Moseley, has the lodge all
spruced up and is ready to welcome all our guests
with a new level of service and a total experience,
even better than all have come to expect at
the Inn.
Both the 'Intensity' and
'Pelagian' have had total engine overhauls and
new paint. The 'Classic' and 'Magic' have posted
some great fishing days over the past months,
and the fleet, captains and crews are all rested
and ready to get back at what they love........catching
billfish and seeing clients relish in the enjoyment
of it all.
The 'Pelagian' was pleased
to welcome the US Ambassador to Guatemala, John
Hamilton, for it's first charter on the 5th
of October. He was joined by his wife Donna,
and the head of the US Military group in Guatemala,
Col. Mark Wilkins and wife Wendy, along with
another US Embassy regular to FNF, Paula Wickle.
A great day was had by all, in flat seas under
sunny skies with everyone catching a sailfish,
some Dorado and even a shot at a small Blue
Marlin.
Aboard the 'Classic', Capt.
Kiwi van Leeuwen, raised a total of 53 sailfish,
as well as 3 Blue Marlin over three days last
week, while on the fly. Getting a great Blue
Marlin bite on the fly and releasing 12 fly
caught sailfish in total.
Dan Perkins of Alabama, along
with wife Kitty and daughter Mitzi joined the
'Pelagian' from the 7th through the 9th of last
week. Between them the first time billfishermen
released an impressive total of 31 sailfish
on the baits and 2 on the fly, with the highlight
of the trip being an action packed hour and
a half battle with a #250 Blue Marlin which
Dan eventually was able to release on our #20
Alutecnos reel and Cape Fear rod combo outfit,
after chasing the fish for almost 3 miles and
what seemed like a hundred jumps. Nice going
Dan!!!!
Sunday the 11th saw the 'Magic'
going 12 from 18, the 'Pelagian' 7 from 12 and
the 'Classic' releasing 4 sails and missing
a small blue on #20, right at the boat. The
blues are sure around, not a day seems to have
gone by the past weeks without a Marlin being
raised.
Artmarina's, Commander-in-Chief,
Tim Choate, joined the 'Pelagian' on Monday
the 13th. After finding a fantastic bite off
the edge late in the day, releasing 28 from
41 sailfish, as well as getting two incredible
bites out of an aggressive Marlin in the #350
range, the decision was made to make the most
of the perfectly flat seas and spend the night
swordfishing. A very pleasant night didn't produce
any broadbill bites, but did put us back on
the fish at daybreak releasing another 30 sails
by midday, before making a homeward troll in
search of a Marlin. The blue wasn't to oblige
this day, but it was a very pleased, all-be-it
slightly tired Commander, who'd single handedly
put a bunch of sailfish under his belt, and
in doing so had pushed the 'Pelagians' release
tally for the year to over 2000 billfish. With
another 2 and half months of some of the years
most productive fishing ahead, it looks like
it's going to be another bumper Guatemalan year,
and we are all looking forward to seeing you
down here, to enjoy it all along with us.
Until next week’s report,
it's circle hooks and healthy releases.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian',
Artmarina.
Fins n' Feathers, Guatemala,
www.artmarina.com
Gartagena
Colombia
September
25 – 28 2.003
With 35 boats,
fishing on extremely calm ocean, and from the
very first time thanks to Marlin Magazine with
fisherman from the US, England, Ireland, Spain,
Canada and Panama we had a very successful tournament,
except with the Marlin.
We went 10 –
0 with the marlins: Out of 10 marlins on the
lines we could not bring any of them to the
leaders.
Even Richard
Budalich from the US Bahia Mar Fleet at Fort
Lauderdale had a chance to fight with one but
the hook pulled off.
The Tournament
Director Mr. Carlos Londoñño and
his Comittee unanimously decided to give Richard
Budalich a 24 Kt Gold pendant for his help and
kind advice to all the anglers and mates (picture)
The winner was
Jorge Hernan Castaño on “Flipper”
who released the largest amount of Sailfish.
On Tuna the
winner was Juan Carlos Serrano with a 74 pound
Yellowfin, on “Tarara”
On Wahoo the
winner was Rafael de los Rios with a 39 puonder
on “Tauro”
On Mahi Mahi
the winner was Juan Nicolas Mallarino with a
39 pounder on “Alejandro III”,
second place for Phil Cobhamp from London England
with a 30 pounder.
On Barracuda
the winner was Jorge Redondo with a 30 pounder.
Richard Budalich told us this is the first tournament
where Barracudas are targeted. We explained
him that here they do not have “Ciguatera”
and we eat them and also get very large even
to 50 pounds.
On Other Species
(Shark) the winner was again Jorge Hernan Castaño
with a 28 pounder Lemon Shark
And the winner
on the Junior Category was Alejandro Cote with
a 22 pound Wahoo on “Halley Kulany”
Speculating
about what happened with the Marlin, we found
3 reasons:
It was the first tournament on New Moon (Last
year the 539 pds Marlin was caught during the
Full Moon), the extremely flat and calm seas
and also the extremely heavy rains of the season
that may have changed the water salinity.
Thanks to Richard
Budalich, also for the first time, we started
to tag our fishes.
Thanks to Marlin
Magazine and all are invited to fish with us
next year September 30 to October 3 , 2.004
Andrés
Gaviria
The blue
marlin fishing this week has been phenomenal!
The October Moon is happening right now - the
boats are all seeing 7-10-15-18 fish a day.
Revenge pulled in Sunday night flying 9 flags
(9/15) - all nine caught by owner/angler Sam
Jennings. Sam, seventy-six years young, is racking
them up - he's well on his way to the one thousand
mark. The fish are ranging from 125 lbs. to
400 lbs. and the weather is flat calm. You know
that the dock is exciting, many stories of the
fish right at the back of the boat (seeing them
because of the calm). Be sure to set your calendar
for our Oct. fishing next year (Oct. 23-29).
Fly fishermen and light tackle enthusiasts -
this would be a great time for you to fish here.
Hello Friends of Captain
John LaGrone, We were busy fishing on the
Stephanie Lee this past week. Ace Blackburn,
Capt. George and Mr. Z
arrived for some fun over the weekend. Friday
we went 14-18 on
sailfish
and caught some football tunas for dinner. Saturday
we caught a 200
pound Blue Marlin and four sails. Sunday was
slow we raised a blue no
bite and caught two sails and folllowed a huge
school of spinners and
awaited for Mr. Blue Dog but it was a no show
on a choppy day. I
returned home to check on Blue Marlin Sportfishing
goin's on and work
is
progressing on both the Marlin Azul and Top
Gun. I want to send a
special thanks to Capt. Tony Carrizosa for all
the work this past
months. Also to Mr. Z Ace and George for fishing
with us, not bad for
three days, twenty sails, a blue and footballs
for dinner, tis' the
season. Tight Lines, Capt. John LaGrone
Hello Friends of Captain
John LaGrone, I want to first Thank Lori
Muscari and Mark Heron for their kind and excellent
hopitality on my US
adventure in August. I arrived in Philly and
was pick up by my brother
James. We drove to Ocean City Maryland to fish
the White Marlin Open.
The fishing was some of the worst this part
of the country had seen in
years.The winning White MArlin did pay $1.3
million big ones, wow. We
all returned to Atlantic City to the resort
and finshed the last
details
of Lori and Mark's new 41' Albermarle the "Problem
Child". We prepared
for the next tournement the Mid Atalntic in
Cape May. We didrasie 5
Whites caught one and some dolphins and listened
to measurements of
slammer White Marlins. Nice giong Dan Stephano
on your 91 pound White
MArlin look forward to fishing together again
this year. I never have
flown first class in my life wow are we spoiled
now, My hats off ton
htese hardy New Jersey fisherman I have a whole
new prospective of how
really!
lucky I am. Also learned that ther is no way
anybody can hear me from
the tower. Thanks again Lori and MArk for everything.
I returned to fish the Marlin
Mujer in Flamingo with John and Veta
Skogland and what a nice suprise but a 300 pound
blue right out of the
box to get our trip started. Nice going Veta
on a job well done. The
following day the first of Sept. was a banner
day going three for four
on Blue Marlins and 2-5 on sail all on pitch
circle hooks. The last day
we had another "brochure" kind of
day. John and Veta combine for 8
sails, four dorados and two jumbo yellowfins
an yet another slick calm
fishing day. Wow was I happy to be home.
Now it is back to
work on the Stephanie Lee for some fishing.
Also
the new motors arrive today for the Marlin Azul
and will be putting her
back together this fall. The Top Gun is hauled
out of the water and
ready for some paint. Dates are filling fast
for this upcoming high
season. So don't be shy and call for you favorite
time and location . I
also purchased a digital camara for some progress
as well as family
pictures. Today in Costa Rica is the Children's
Day and the boys are
having a party at school. Take Care and Tight
Lines. Johnny
Hello Fellow fisherman, I
have been making plans andlooking good for
the
next year.
Fishing report from the Stephanie Lee with Capt.
Tony and mates
Dennis Ward and myself. One day last week and
caught 16 for 35 on sails
in the afternoon. The following day caught two
nice yellowfins of
125lb.
and 150lb. pound range along with 9 sails. Fishing
in Flamingo remains
fair with some marlins and sails and lots of
tuna action. I am fishing
this next six days out of Flamingo on board
the Flor de Marie.
Next stop will be Ocean City Maryland and then
Cape May. I am looking
forward to fishing with some of my good friends
on their new 40
Albermarle.
What is is this next season going to bring fror
me? I am going to be
running the "Top Gun" a once again
31' PALM BEACH. She is in excellent
condition and looking to go back to normal schedule.
TOP GUN ITENARY
MID DECEMBER AND JANUARY QUEPOS AND LOS SUENOS
FEB. AND FIRST WEEKS OF
MARCH GUANAMAR MARCH THRU MAY QUEPOS AND LOS
SUENOS SO STAY TUNED FOR
UPDATES AS THEY COME IN . DATES ARE FILLING
FAST FOR 2004. i WILL BE
LOOKING FOR YA IN OCEAN CITY AND CAPE MAY. CAPT.
JOHN LAGRONE
Hello Everybody, Well we
had a little revenge last weekend on the
sails.
I was fishing with Capt. Tony onboard the Stephanie
Lee and most of the
day was slow but the last hour was fast and
furious. We ended the day
with 12 sails out of 20 something bites. The
best part was watching
other boats circling us like indians and all
they could do was watch us
crush em.
I finally got to fish out of Flamingo onboard
the Flor de Marie with
James Cambridge from Austin Tx. He and Micky
from Hawaii and poor Pete
were here for some practice days fishing before
the Presendential
Challage Tournenement. We had some fair action
on the sails and plenty
of Dorado bites to hone there skills. There
wer some scattered sails
and marlin amoung the fleet. The following day
same sort of deal with
scattered sails and marlin with plenty of dolphin.
We are working on a new deal for next season
so stand by for dates and
keep your tip down and wind hard. Johnny
Tiger Woods was not
the only one with a bad score card last week.
We don't consider ourseleves in the league of
Tiger, but man, when it
rains it pours. Sunday June 8th We fished the
Stephanie Lee and went 8 -15 bites.
Cool
fish are around for this upcoming week of fly
fishing with one of the
worlds best and most respected fly fisherman
and family.
We also chartered the Cazador with Mike Ackins
for our extended
group. Mike caught 10 sails on the fly during
our week of shared
charter. Congratulations to Mike and crew which
included Jeremy Librett
from On the Fly.
The Catch Um was another story. We had high
expectations as always
for our week with my old friends and family
dating back 20 years. We zig
and zagged all around the fish that were very
finiky to say the least. I
personally can't remember a tougher week on
the water. Each day when we
ventured offshore with visions of granger and
came home with zip,zelch
,nada. I was pulling my hair out and added a
few grey ones. They say
that's fishing, but when your love and desire
are of seeing a happy
face depart your boat at the end of the day
and when that does not happen,
it hurts beyond the imagination. We will carry
on despite the loss of one
of our oldest friends. When one door closes
another opens. Sounds like
a Jerry Mcguire editoral but the cats out of
the bag. We are humnan after
all. So the next time on the rip or pond, back
country or where ever
your fishing takes you and the guy or girl next
to you crushes em with
virtually the same stuff and your left wondering
what could!
I have done, just remeber that you are not alone.
Smile and keep your
chin up and most of all keep the faith. But
best of all better days
are coming and the tide will turn We have some
more news but will wait for
another day. Tight Lines and Take Care, Johnny
June has started slow, in
the 6 days we fished we raised 38 had 36 bites
and released 27. That's a great avg. all on
of course the L2004 EL Eagle Claw Circle Hook.
Dads don't forget to call South Fishing to look
into our Summer School program 1-800-882-4665
We'll improve your whole family's skills and
you'll get more out of everyday you go fishing.
Thanks Ron
Reel Tight - Arrives Bermuda
Report
HEY JIMMY,
SORRY I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A WHILE. WE'VE BEEN
MOVING AROUND ALOT AND I
HAVEN'T HAD MUCH INTERNET ACCESS. COSTA RICA
WASN'T GOING AS WELL AS
HOPED SO JIM BROUGHT US HOME EARLY. WE GOT GEARED
UP TO FISH THE BBC,
BUT BY THE END OF THE 2ND LEG AT WALKERS JIM
HAD HAD ENOUGH OF THE POOR
FISHING THERE AS WELL. SOOOOOOO WE BROUGHT THE
BOAT HOME AND GOT READY FOR BERMUDA. GOT STUCK
IN BOAT HARBOUR FOR 13 DAYS ON OUR WAY OVER.
ONCE WE GOT HERE IT BLEW. WE FISHED 2 1/2 DAYS
WITH NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT, AND JIM WENT HOME.
WE ARE STILL OPTIMISTIC, HOPEFULLY WELL GET
OUR
SHOT HERE SOONER OR LATER. I'LL LET YOU KNOW
IF ANYTHING SPECTACULAR
HAPPENS, IF NOT WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE END OF
JULY. TALK OT YOU SOON.
JOE AND THE REST OF THE "REEL
TIGHT"
June 2 - Capt. John LaGronne
- Pacific Coast
Captain: John LaGrone Boat:
Catch Um
Location: Pacific Coast Heading
Out:170 Heading In:12
Hello Friends of Capt. John
LaGrone, We are sitting at the dock and not
liking it at all. We do have a busy weekend
and full week of fishing
this upcoming week. So we are doing some matinence
and booking for this
summer.
Fish Report for Pacific Caost
Golfito Reports from Bruce of the Banana Bay
Marina are the sails are
chewing with reports of tuna schools to fill
out the day. Quepos
Offshore of the Furuno Bank Sails are snapping
one boat out of
Herradura
went 37- 53 sails raised yesterday on June 1st.
Flamingo The story there is the Bat Islands
with some excellent
catch's
of Black Marlin, some big ones were caught this
past week. Sails are
reported free jumping in the area and eating
the live baits set out for
the Blacks. Offshore remains up and down. The
yellowfins are the best
acition with few sails and marlin. The weather
is fair. We are
experencing some heavy rains at time in the
evenings. Generallly it is
been calm with some seas from the storms passing
thru. I have an
interested party for dates for July. The dates
are July 19th thru 26th.
They are looking for two extra members to join
there party of two for
four days of fishing. They want four days of
fishing in Flamingo.
We still are wide open for summer fishing specails
for the month of
July. If your thinking of comming down to enjoy
some savings as well as
killer fishing in Flamingo, send us a note and
we will set you up
right.
Take care and Tight
Lines, Johnny
 This
all I have. I am going to assume with they were
fishing with 80's but this fish would probably
have his way with light tackle like that. Either
way it is a fine specimen.
A buddy of mine here at work, Paul Ippolito
caught this, this
weekend (5/24/03). It weighed 1152lbs. It took
him over 5 hours to land it
and then they couldn't get it in the their 50ft.
Hatteras. They had to
tow it in 35 miles into Port Eads at 5 kts.
It is the second largest Blue Fin Tuna ever
caught. The record is over 1400lbs. from Nova
Scotia. By the way, the guys standing in the
photo are approx. 6ft. tall
ALL TACKLE LA STATE RECORD ! LARGEST FISH
EVER CAUGHT IN Louisiana!
Water temperature: 70 to
75
Sea condition, rough seas
for five days, 4 to 6 feet waves at the pacific
side, Sea of Cortez, calm waters
A lot of squid and flying
fish schools, the marlin, dorado and wahoo weren´t
very interested to bite
The yellow fin tuna dissapear
from the closest 40 miles.
Anglers:
Name: Douglas J. Taylor
From: Federal Way, Wa.
Boat: San Lucas IV, captain
Armando
Catches: 2 striped marlin
140 lbs avg
Release: 1 marlin
Tackle: 40# Tested, macarela
Grid: 10 miles off Chileno
Comments: Caught two fish
and had a great time!
Name: David & Lynda Urzon
From: San Diego, Ca.
Boat: San Lucas V, Captain
Titi
Catches: 1 striped marlin
(125 lbs.),
Releases: marlin
Tackle: 40 # tested, Macarela
Grid: 5 miles off whale´s
head
Comments: Good birthday present!
Name: Jesse Trujillo &
Michelle Wiles
From: San Diego , Ca.
Boat: San Lucas IV , captain
Armando
Catches: 2 striped marlin,
130 lbs prox,
Releases: 1 marlin
Tackle: 40 #, Macarella
Grid: 10 miles off Chileno
Comments: First time deep
sea fishing, greatest fishing experience ever!
Name: Sergio Alvidez
From: San Francisco, Ca
Boat: San Lucas IX, Captain
Ramon
Catches: 2 striped marlin
(120 lbs.), 2 dorado
Releases: 1 marlin
Tackle: 40# Macarela
Grid: 8 miles off chileno
bay
Comments: The guys were very
good with us, and would go fishing on this great
boat any time, thanks!
Name: Boh Lavietta
From: Houston, Tx
Boat: El Torito, Captain
Martin
Catches: 1 Striped marlin,
130 lbs aprox. 2 dorado, 20 avg.
Releases:
Tackle: 60# tested, macarella
Grid: Whale´s Head
Comments: Good trip
Name: Andy, Billy and Bob
Clark
From: Bakersfield, Ca.
Boat: San Lucas IV captain
Adalberto
Catches: 2 striped marlin,
120 lbs,
Releases: both marlin
Tackle: 40 # tested, macarell
Grid: Whale´s head
Comments: Very Good, nice
crew
Name: Ken Kratsch
From: La Quinta, Ca
Boat: Solmar IV, Captain
Mario
Catches: 1 striped marlin,
( 140 lbs), 6 dorado 20 lbs avg, 2 bonito 15
lbs , 7 amberjack 10 to 15 lbs
Releases: marlin, 6 amberjack,
2 bonito
Tackle: 50 # tested, macarell
Grid: Punta Gorda
Comments: Great boat, captain
and mate, the best. Will reserve for Bisbee.
Name: Tammy and Michael Rochester
From: Portland, Or
Boat: San Lucas II, Captain
Güero
Catches 1 hammerhead shark,
90 lbs, 1 sailfish, 80 lbs.
Releases: sailfish
Tackle 40 # tested, macarela
Grid: 15 miles off Chileno
Comments: wonderfull trip,
crew are exceptional, thanks for the memory
to add to our 50th wedding anniversary
.Total catches:
45 striped marlin, 38 released
1 sail fish, released
40 Dorado
1 hammerhead
2 bonita
10 skipjack
4 rooster
8 sierra
(84)
DIOS TE BENDIGA, GOD BLESS
YOU!
On January 2nd a 20 member
strong fishing club group
from the Washington D.C. area came to Guatemala
to do
a little sail fishing. They had a friendly pool
going
to see which angler would catch the most fish
in three
days. Now most of these gentlemen were not your
regular lets go fishing once a year crowd, among
them
were boat captains with over 20 years experience
and
serious anglers. Reputations and bragging rights
were
on the line. By the time the group left on January
6th
some were saying they had the best fishing of
their
life and that the number of fish in Guatemalan
waters
were incredible.
The group was met at the
airport and driven down to
the all-inclusive Villas del Pacífico
Resort where
they stayed the first three nights. The last
night was
spent at the Villas Antigua in the colonial
city of
Antigua Guatemala, the sister hotel to the Villas
del
Pacífico. Fishing was aboard five sport-fishing
boats
ranging from 31 foot Bertram’s to a 35
foot Viking.
Expecting “knee knockers” (smaller
boats where your
knees banged against the knees of other anglers
for
lack of room) they were pleasantly surprised
to see
the size of the boats provided. The teams had
been
agreed to before leaving the USA and boats were
exchanged daily so no one had an unfair advantage
by
fishing with a “hot” crew and boat.
All boats were
provided with a captain and two mates, had similar
conventional fishing equipment, used Ballyhoo
(with
circle hooks) as bait and the coolers were full
of
snacks, sandwiches and cold drinks. The sailfish
were
waiting.
Over the span of 3 days those
five sport-fishing boats
caught a total of 369 fish out of which 343
were
Pacific sailfish. All sailfish were released
since
Guatemala is catch and release for all billfish.
The
first day the group caught more fish (sailfish
and
Dorado (Dolphin)) than they had over a three-day
period in Costa Rica last year. The shocked
expressions when they returned to the dock were
understandable. One member of the group said
he had
the best fishing of his life and he has been
a boat
captain for over 20 years. Needless to say tips
to the
crews were generous. After an incredible first
day,
the group decided to stop at the marina’s
restaurant
to refresh themselves, to toast each other and
exchange fish fighting stories.
For the second day of fishing
everyone got up early
and expectations were high but muted doubts
were
raised that the day before had been a fluke,
we still
had non-believers. Crews smiled as they were
promised
generous tips if their boat caught more fish
than
others. At the end of the day, when the total
number
of fish was tallied, it was discovered more
fish were
caught the second day than the first prompting
the
same boat captain to say he thought the day
before was
the best fishing he ever had but today was even
better. Competition for the pool was heating
up and
observant anglers made sure the correct number
of fish
caught was written down. There were smiles all
around
and with the number of fish biting even the
stragglers
were having a good time knowing they could catch
the
leader the next day. The marina restaurant had
become
the official spot to have “after fishing”
refreshments
and to discuss how the fishing had gone.
Since the third day was the
last day of fishing
everyone wanted to catch as many fish as possible.
The
tension on the dock was high as the teams left,
especially among the frontrunners of the pool
and
crews were offered the sky if their boat caught
a
certain number of fish. To end three days of
incredible numbers of fish caught and released,
even
more fish were caught that last day than the
day
before, one boat catching a total of 32 fish.
By then
there was no question there were plenty of sailfish
and Dorado in Guatemala. Members of the group
told us
that it had been the best fishing trip they
had ever
taken, hands down. We probably raised the bar
on
future fishing trips but we cannot help that
Guatemala
has the best Sailfishing in the world.
After having the accustomed
refreshments at the
marina’s restaurant, figuring out who
the winner of
the pool was and handing him his reward (so
he could
pay the bill), all members of the group and
crews got
together and a group photograph was taken with
a small
sign on which was written the magic number:
369. After
saying goodbye to the crews the group got in
a bus and
was driven to the city of Antigua Guatemala.
On the
way Volcano Fuego (Fire Volcano) was having
a small
but spectacular eruption and the driver stopped
the
bus so everyone could look at the beautiful
scene.
After dinner that night some
anglers decided to take
the sights of Antigua, a city founded by the
Spaniards
in 1543. The next morning several anglers left
the
hotel early to buy souvenirs and to see Antigua
by
daylight. When everyone was in the bus, even
those
getting in late from sightseeing, the bus left
for the Guatemala City
Airport, a 1-hour drive away. A few of months
later we received a
couple
of t-shirts made by the group to commemorate
their 2003 Fishing Shoot
out in Guatemala.
Please contact us for the
sport fishing corporate
adventure of your company life. You will not
be
disappointed at info@greatsailfishing.com
HAPPY FISHING AND TIGHT LINES!!!
The fishing has remained
extremely consistent and only seems to be improving
as the month goes on. The magnificent blue water
is stacked with bait, holding the fish between
18 and 16 miles from the inlet. Boats have been
averaging anywhere from 15 to 31 releases a
day on the baits, with some very impressive
fly numbers.
Monday the 5th saw the 'Pelagian'
going 28 from 43 and in so doing releasing it's
1500th billfish for the year, which just goes
to show what a great 4 months it's been here
off Guatemala.
A large group of textile
companies held a fun tournament out of Fins
'n Feathers on Tuesday, with every participant
catching a sailfish and most rounding off impressive
numbers. A great way to get away from the rigors
of a trade show or business trip!! The 'Pelagian'
went 19 from 25 with the team of Dunia Miranda
(The Guatemalan Trade Commissioner to Miami),
Ray Mauri, George Parker and John Garris. The
'Magic' went 13 from 19, 'Classic' 8 from 17
and the 'MOW' 4 from 8 in a half day.
The great bite continued
on Wednesday the 7th, with the 'Pelagian' releasing
18 from 38 and the 'MOW' 15 from 32 both on
the baits. The 'Intensity' went 7 from 12 on
the fly.
The 'Pelagian' went a hot
28 from 44 with a horde of Moldcraft teaser
bites for Tom and Ann Honnicutt, of Virginia
Beach, on Thursday. The 'MOW' went 23 from 36
and the 'Intensity' 8 from 10 on the fly.
Allan Palmer, of Virginia
Beach released a land mark and very impressive
300th sailfish for the year on the fly, for
Capt. Eric Lorentzen on the 'Intensity' on Friday.
The 'Pelagian' went 28 from 42 and the 'MOW'
15 from 22.
It looks like 28 was the
lucky number for the 'Pelagian' this week as
it again released the same number of sailfish
from 40 bites on Saturday. The 'Classic' went
7 from 19 with our friends from the US Embassy
in Guatemala City and the 'Intensity' 7 from
19 on the fly.
The bite got really hot on
Sunday, putting a fitting end to another great
week off Guatemala. The 'Intensity' was red-hot
with anglers Bill Gooch and friends, of Virginia
Beach, releasing 18 sailfish from the 24 bites
they had on the fly. The 'Pelagian' released
31 from 49 bites on the baits, the 'Magic' 25
from 45 and the 'Classic' 22 from 41.
The water is as blue as it
gets and with all the bait that is around there
seems like no reason this large group of fish
should move off anytime soon. If you are thinking
of a last minute trip to touch up on your skills
before the season back at home, now would definitely
be the time to take advantage of availability
and our last minute booking discounts.
Until next week, trust in
those circle hooks, keep a bend in that rod,
a tight line and good fishing.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian',
Artmarina.
FATHER & SON TOURNAMENT
IS AROUND THE CORNER. CALL 305 – 663 3553
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Location: Herradura Costa Rica Heading Out:180
Heading In:12
Details:
AM Wind Direction: SE
AM Wind strength: Slight
PM Wind Direction: SE
PM Wind Strength: Slight
Sea Conditions: Calm
Swell Direction: SW
Swell Size: Nice
Current Direction: NW
Current Strength: Slight
Distance to Blue Water: 6
Water Temp: 86.5
Hello Friends of Capt. John
LaGrone, We have had a busy week and
fishing is excellent.
I spent the begining of last week mating on
the Stephanie Lee a 63'
American with Capt. Tony at the wheel. It sure
is nice going back to
the pit after so many years of driving. We had
some friends of James
Roberts down for some good fun sailfishing.
Big Lou and brothers from Texas
spent three days stomping the sails, we caught
43 sails in three days
of fishing out of god knows how many bites.
The last day was busy. I had
first happen on this day.We had the worst volley
of syncochoes ever we
must have missed ten fish in one swoop. They
just kept coming and we
just kept missing them!!! We all had a blast.
Wednesday the Catch Um was back in the line
up. My buddies Bob
Watson, Terry and Tommy returned once again
to go fishing together. We started
day one following the sail fish bite and ended
up with a dozen sails
out f 27 raised. The following day we went hunting
for the blue dog and
tunas and did catch some sushi and a great time.
The last day we went
hunting once again and moved in on the sailfish
bite for the afternoon
and caught 14 in a couple of hours. I went down
stairs again and
enjoyed fishing with my friends and look forwrd
to our next get together.
I am still awaiting word from Capt. Tony about
travel plans on the
Stephanie Lee back to Florida. So we are on
stand by once again. We are
putting together a special summer time package
for our customers. So
look for this soon and join in on the fun. Capt.
John LaGrone
Solmar resort is placed in
Cabo San Lucas, Baja Peninsula, Mexico, and
the fleet have 23 sportfishing boats, since
little tinny 23" superpangas, up to a 42
uniflite yatch.
if you want to see more info, I suggest you
to visit www.solmar.com
, but, if you need specific info about any boat,
or catches, or booking a boat, contact me.
Dannilo
With so much good there had
to come a little bad. Every tide has to turn
but luckily for us in Guatemala it usually makes
a very quick recovery. After the unbelievable
fishing we have had almost every week so far
this year, things slowed a little this past
week. The water was a little patchy and the
boats where out hunting far and wide to find
the next bite.
The wind came up strongly
out of the east Monday morning and pushed most
boats inshore to try their luck on the rooster
fish. The 'Intensity' released 5 nice roosters
up to 45lb's as well as several mackerel and
jack's to make for a busy day. The 'Pelagian'
was trying to catch a rooster on the fly but
finding them the usual tough going to get into
and show interest in the fly. They are not the
easiest fish to tease, as after their initial
aggressive strike they habitually fade quickly
away, making the transfer from the teaser to
a legal IGFA cast very difficult indeed. Anglers
Jon Ziarnik and Currie Harbor did whoever each
catch their first ever hard pulling roosters
as well as a few jacks and other species on
conventional tackle to salvage the day. The
'Gypsy' released a 350# blue marlin 12 miles
offshore before calling it an early day.
Some of the boats tried the
offshore run on Tuesday but turned around to
try and take advantage of the calm inshore waters
and the rooster fish, mackerel and variety of
other species on the beach. Some boats had luck
with a rooster or two but by mid afternoon Robbie
Browning and friends from Orlando, Florida opted
for the comfort of the Fins n' Feathers pool,
generous offerings of cold beverages and the
delicious new International menu our Australian
in-house chef, Dennis King has brought to our
restaurant.
By Wednesday the wind had
dropped and boats where offshore hunting again.
The 'Pelagian' went 4 from 5, the 'MOW' 2 from
8 on the baits. The 'Intensity' went 100% on
the fly going 1 for 1, with 2 nice dorado before
running into the beach to finish off with some
jacks and other rod bending action.
The bite picked up a little
on Thursday with the 'Classic' going 7 from
14 and the MOW 7 from 10 both on the baits.
The 'Intensity' mixed it up with 1 from 1 on
the fly and 2 from 6 on the baits.
The 'Classic' still had the
pick of the bite on Friday going 11 from 15,
the 'Magic' 4 from 10 and 'MOW' 3 from 11. The
'Intensity' continued with it's unbeaten fly
run going 4 from 4.
Saturday and Sunday saw things
slow up again with boats averaging between 3
and 6 releases from 6 to 10 bites. The 'MOW'
caught a spunky 200# blue marlin to round out
the week on a high note.
We've been truly spoilt the
past months with some amazing fishing and as
they say, you can't have everything, all the
time. The very unseasonable blow we had early
in the week may have had something to do with
it, and hopefully with the seas now well settled
we'll get back on top of the next batch of hungry
sailfish any day now.
Until then, keep using those
circle hooks, they keep a bend in the rod and
a healthy fish in the water.
Capt. Brad Philipps,
'Pelagian', Artmarina.
The past week started with
some of the great sailfishing we've come to
expect over the past months but slowed a little
towards Saturday and Sunday, as we await the
arrival of the next batch of fish. Along with
the sailfish, a marlin or two have been up in
the spreads and some yellowfin have been caught
around the big schools of spinner dolphins that
are in the area.
Monday the 17th saw the 'Pelagian'
going 32 from 52 on the sails with the 'MOW'
32 from 46. The 'Classic' went 22 from 39, as
well as loading up on 5 tasty yellowfin tuna.
Most of the fleet choose
to fish the inshore bite Tuesday with some unseasonable
wind on us. The 'Pelagian' went 16 from 25,
the 'Classic' 15 from 24 and the 'MOW' released
10 from 13.
The 'Pelagian' made the most
of the inshore pick on Wednesday going 24 from
35.
Things slowed a little the
rest of the week with the 'Pelagian' posting
a high on Friday going 19 from 26 on the sails
around the spinner dolphins while the fleet
picked at the tuna and sails that accompanied
them.
Saturday saw boats releasing
between 4 and 10 a piece. The 'MOW' went 9 from
11 and the 'Pelagian' 9 from 12 on Sunday. You
have to love those Eagle Claw circle hook averages.
Almost everyone got in on the tuna and a big
blue was raised by the 'Pelagian' but just wasn't
hungry due to all the bait around.
Keep using those circle hooks,
they keep a bend in the rod and a stomach in
the sail.
Capt. Brad Philipps, 'Pelagian',
Artmarina.
Fins n' Feathers, Guatemala.
Well the 20th. to the 23rd. we fished
Fred Know, Boggie Morre and Roy Knox. First
time circle hookers and they did the job. 108
bites with 71 releases a smooth 65% Fred also
caught his first sail on Fly going 2 for 4 and
it went on his wall without killing the fish,as
we use King Mounts who are reproduction artists,and
do a first class job.
The 24th to the 26th. was a family affair with
Len and Diane Medura, and there 3 young sons
Len Jr. Matt and Mark, just kidding all 3 could
play pro. football. Again first time users of
circle hooks My boys helped them get the hang
of things the first day and they wound up with
114 bites and 89 releases That's a smooth 78%.
In only 14 days of fishing in Feb. because of
a break down the Captain Hook released 501 sails
for the best Feb. we have ever had. We have
good fishing 12 months of the yr. Looking forward
to fishing you soon.
GOOD FISHIN RON
|
|
Bill Harper
and Ralph Barnes of Texas, fished Guatemala
aboard the 'Pelagian' 21/22/23 Feb, releasing
96 sailfish and a 300# blue marlin all
on 20# and our new Alutecnos reels. Great
fishing!! |
Hey Jimmy,
Back in the city after another week in Pinas
Bay. Fishing is getting
better. We caught four Blacks, one blue, 5/6
sails and a dozen tunas.
The tunas were spread out between two diffewrent
days. Up to 60#s on
20# takle....lot of fun. Two of the blaks were
over 600#. One day
stood out really hot. We went five for five
with 2 blackc, the blue,
and
two sails for our second slam down here. Billy
on the Seven, the other
day, was 1 for 2 on the sails, and 3 for 5 on
the blacks. On our
return
day all the boats had at least one bite before
we were out of radio range. We head back out
on the 17th....I'll keep you posted. Joe
Lots of Wind
The Lamanta, fishing out
of Quepos, got out a couple of days ago with
anglers Larry Dempsey and Ollie Bass for a day
of flyfishing. The bite was much better the
day before but we still managed to saise 14
and get 8 shots. Larry landed 1 and jumped off
several more. Ollie got a nice Dorado to eat
the fly only to have it come flying back on
the first run. Overall a very fun day of fishing.
We are still waiting for them to turn on good.
Ollies sail was about an 80 lber.
Will be conventional fishing minana, then back
on the fly on sunday. It should be good as all
boats fishing today reported good numbers. I
will report back on monday. Meanwhile we have
plenty of openings in a normally packed calander.
Contact Captain David Dobbins at captaindobbins@fishlamanta.com
or check out the daily fishing report at www.fishlamanta.com.
Well friends I hope
you all had a very Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!
We fished Wayne Maloy his wife Martha and his
12 yr. old son Ryan. We raised 74 had 65 bites
and released 43. Told you guys it was getting
better. Ryan learned fast and caught 20 himself
hooking his own fish. Looks like we have a born
angler here. I took the 3 days off and went
home to be with my mother and 91yr.old Aunt
for Christmas. Capt. Cris from Artmarine's Classic
was good enough to stand in for me and did a
fine job. Good Fishin Ron
|
Nov.
4 - Capt. Jeff Kreiner - USVI
