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There’s a new state record for shortraker rockfish in Alaska, and at one point in time the fish in question was probably a world record. The catch was about as big as the species gets, and likely much older than the man who caught it. And as often happens, the angler who caught it was trying to catch a different species.

Keith DeGraff was fishing on July 28 with his fiancée Betsey Wilson and three friends in Prince William Sound, about 42 miles from Whittier, Alaska. The party fished from the Salmon Shark, a vessel rented from Whittier Marine Charters. On the first drift, two of the five anglers aboard had their fish.

“I decided to hit another bump, and sure enough, I hooked up,” he recalled. “I was immediately disappointed, because the way it was fighting, it felt like a halibut.” Not that there’s anything wrong with halibut, but they are readily available in relatively shallow water. DeGraff was fishing 1,000 feet deep, targeting black cod.

“When we got it to the surface, I saw it was the biggest rockfish I’d ever seen,” he said. “We hooted, we hollered, and then we headed on for other kinds of fishing.”

Typically with rockfish, you’ll see and feel what seem like head shakes from a halibut, DeGraff explained. “With a thousand feet of line out, it can be hard to tell,” he said. “This one pulled drag. I got it up about 75 feet and he took 40 feet. I’m fishing on pretty big gear, so for a fish to pull drag, I knew it was a decent size, which made me think it was a halibut between 30 and 35 pounds.”

One of 33 rockfish species in Alaska, shortraker dwell 500 to 1,500 feet deep among boulders along the state’s continental shelf. The previous state record was 39.1 pounds, caught in 2013, by Henry Liebman of Seattle. That fish was later estimated to be more than 60 years old. According to NOAA Fisheries, rockfish are thought to be the longest-lived fish in the northeast Pacific, maxing out at 120 years.

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record shortraker rockfish weighed 44.1 pounds and was caught by Angelo Sciubba in 2017 near Glacier Bay National Park, several hundred miles southeast of Whittier.

DeGraff’s fish weighed an unofficial 48 pounds at the remote lodge where his party was staying. Because he wouldn’t have access to a certified scale for three days, DeGraff bled the fish. “I wasn’t going to taint the meat for the sake of a record,” he said.    

His rockfish would not have qualified for an IGFA record anyway, because the rod was in a holder, and the IGFA requires rods to be held. But when DeGraff finally weighed it on a certified scale, with an Alaska Department of Fish and Game representative present, he got a reading of 42.4 pounds. Then, he received provisional paperwork establishing his new state record.

DeGraff caught the rockfish on a custom-built rod with an Avet 2-speed 3/0 reel spooled with 80-pound braid. The terminal tackle was three pounds of weight and an 18/0 circle hook tipped with pink salmon and herring. His rig was homemade, but the rest of the party was catching fish on lead jigs with J hooks and skirts from Kodiak Custom Fishing Tackle. That lure has accounted for most of DeGraff’s fish.

DeGraff isn’t an Alaska native, but he comes from a fishy place: Amityville, Long Island, New York. “I grew up on the Great South Bay,” he said. “I had a 13-foot Boston Whaler that caught more fish per inch of boat than most boats out there other than commercials.” DeGraff studied environmental science with concentrations in marine and fisheries biology at Stony Brook University. He moved to Anchorage and has been a for-hire charter captain since 2016.

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Sometimes, catching a trophy fish is the result of years of experience and meticulous preparation. And sometimes you get lucky. Jeff McCoy, who recently set the Delaware state record for king mackerel, is the first to admit his catch falls in the lucky category. “I’ve never caught a king mackerel before,” he laughs.

King mackerel are an unusual catch in Delaware. The state’s fisheries department website lists king mackerel as “uncommon.” The previous state record of 48 pounds, 9 ounces was set in 1992 by Gordon Harris. A king mackerel over 10 pounds qualifies as a Delaware trophy. When Jeff McCoy set out shark fishing with his family, he never could have predicted how the day would end.

Accidental King Mackerel

McCoy calls himself a weekend warrior. “I’ve only been fishing in the ocean for a couple years,” he says. His in-laws and wife wanted to catch a big fish, so McCoy decided to try shark fishing. “It was only the third or fourth time we’ve tried to catch a shark,” he admits.

King mackerel fishing usually involves slow trolling live baits with light wire and small treble hooks. These sharp eyed fish are wary of heavy tackle and picky about their meals. Professional king mackerel anglers go to great lengths to fool these fish.

McCoy had none of that. Targeting sharks, he anchored his 25-foot center console Reel McCoy along a series of shallow shoals within a couple miles of the beach. The crew set out three PENN 50-pound class combos spooled with 80 pound test monofilament, a 4-foot, 100-pound wire leader and large, offset circle hooks.

McCoy was not able to catch live bait, so he was using frozen Boston mackerel he purchased at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em Bait and Tackle. McCoy added a bucket of chum to the spread and set out three baits under balloon floats. “The boat was sitting at a strange angle to the chum slick, so I ran one line through an outrigger clip and dropped the bait way back.”

The crew settled in to wait for a bite. “The fish hit the bait and took off screaming,” McCoy recalls. Unfortunately, the reel was in free spool so the line exploded into a hopeless backlash. “I couldn’t clear the tangle so I tightened the drag and started lopping the line on top of the birdsnest.”

The battle raged for 15 minutes. “Even with the drag pinned, the fish was pulling line,” McCoy says. When the fish made its first pass, McCoy thought it was a wahoo. “I would have never imagined a king mackerel.”

When McCoy worked the king mackerel close to the boat, the fish shot to the bow and tangled the fishing line around the anchor rope. McCoy’s brother-in-law jumped to the rescue. Instead of cutting the fishing line, he cut the anchor rope, cleared the tangle and reconnected the anchor rope. “He saved the anchor,” McCoy points out.

Despite the smoker king’s best tricks, the crew landed the huge kingfish. “I never thought about the state record,” McCoy says.

Race to the Dock

McCoy didn’t have ice onboard, so they pulled the anchor and raced 18 miles back to Indian River Inlet.

When Reel McCoy pulled into Indian River Marina, the docks were quiet. McCoy figures, “Everyone was at lunch or out fishing.” The crew wheeled the huge king mackerel to the fish cleaning station. “I pulled it out of the cooler and the fish cleaners were shocked.”

Out of curiosity, McCoy decided to weigh the fish. “They told me I crushed the state record.”

In short order, representatives of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) were on the scene weighing the fish and helping McCoy fill out forms. Meanwhile, a crowd gathered to gawk at the catch.

“A week later they approved the record,” McCoy says. The 52-pound, 11.2-ounce king mackerel is already listed as the state record on DNREC website and the story has hit social media and national news. McCoy laughs, “My phone has been ringing.”

Grey’s Taxidermy is working on a replica of the catch. The state record holder says, “I’m going to look at it every chance I get.”

As for king mackerel fishing, McCoy is confident in his system. “We’re not going to change a thing.”

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Capt. DJ Barrios was thinking ahead that morning. We were on a yellowtail spot not far from the anchorage at Fort Jefferson, where we had just spent the night. I was free-lining slivers of bonito and pulling in snapper as fast as I could. But Barrios had something bigger in mind.

As I landed yellowtails, he lowered a live pinfish to the ­bottom on a 20-pound-class spinner and quickly found himself in a give-and-take struggle I wasn’t sure he’d win. He prevailed and up came a firetruck red grouper—one of the largest I’ve ­ever seen. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who was stalking the ­yellowtail school.

The Shrinking Final Frontier 

The Dry Tortugas, some 70 miles west of Key West, has long been dubbed the final frontier of Florida Keys fishing. Reaching Dry Tortugas National Park by private boat can be an arduous undertaking. Brisk winds and conflicting currents along some stretches can spawn tumultuous seas, such as the gap between Boca Grande and the Marquesas, the Quicksands and Rebecca Shoal. A boat’s seaworthiness, power, reliability and fuel capacity factor prominently in any decision to embark on such a journey. The reward? Superb bottomfishing with little pressure.

With today’s larger center-consoles, the Dry Tortugas is now a day run for many anglers and Key West guides. With light winds, one can depart Key West at sunrise, fish most of the day, and return around 5 p.m. We’ve done this with my boat. High speeds make short work of the long run; the Dry Tortugas is now readily accessible. That “final frontier” moniker doesn’t work anymore, but it’s still an amazing place to fish.

Fun at the Fort 

Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas. It’s composed of more than 16 million bricks and was built in 1847 to protect the strategic deepwater anchorage in this region (the very same one we overnighted in). Later it served as a prison. Today it’s a major tourist mecca accessible by seaplane, tour boats and even recreational boaters.

On this trip, we opted to spend the night at Fort Jefferson. It would be my first all-nighter here, but I’m not a rookie at sleeping on boats. Credit this to the times I spent as a kid fishing with my dad off the Marquesas, some 28 miles west of Key West. Limited fuel capacities and low-horsepower engines resulted in many overnighters there. Back then, the Marquesas were considered the final frontier, and the Dry Tortugas, some 50 miles beyond the Marquesas, may as well have been in outer space.  

My first Tortugas overnighter was ushered in with happy hour appetizers and Papa’s Pilar rum for Barrios, myself and three TV production team members. We dined on freshly caught fish, swapped fish tales, and unfurled sleeping bags and beanbags to get a restful evening under the stars. OK, so maybe it wasn’t as luxurious as it sounds. More on this later.

Bottomfishing Par Excellence 

With live pinfish, fresh ballyhoo, sardines, squid, bonito and three 25-pound blocks of chum, we departed Key West ­shortly after sunrise. Averaging around 50 mph, we anchored at our first spot some 90 minutes later, dropping on a mix of sea fans and scattered corals in 70 feet of water. 

The chum hoop was deployed and two live pinfish lowered to the bottom. I immediately hooked up with a fish hellbent on lodging in structure. I opened my bail, hoping it would swim out. Then Barrios hooked a fish, which charged away from the boat instead of straight down. As anticipated, a beautiful ­mutton snapper came over the gunwales.  

I continued waiting out my fish. After all, it was down here with Daniel Delph where I hooked a big grouper on a 20-pound spin outfit more suited for yellowtailing. That fish rocked me up four different times. I spent close to an hour free-spooling and coming tight on the grouper to no avail. Finally, the wait paid off, and I bested a 55-pound black grouper on the fifth attempt. Unfortunately, I had no luck with this fish and had to break the line.

Stick and Move 

We combined anchoring and drifting over prominent bottom structures. We’d anchor on scattered pieces of hard bottom in 50 to 80 feet and drift over deeper ones, which included ledges in 180, 220 and 250 feet. In both instances, we deployed a chum hoop to stir up surface activity.

“Anything that looks like it could hold bait could hold fish,” Barrios says. “It could be as small as a couple of sea fans or as large as 10 big coral heads. If you’re marking bait on the sonar, the fish will be there.”

We scored monster red grouper, big scamps, and a mix of black, strawberry and gag grouper. Plus, there were the yellowtails, muttons, and oddities such as squirrelfish, oversize triggerfish, bonito, ’cudas and sharks. We were here in early October.

Light-Tackle Paradise 

In the domain of big bottomfish and occasional pelagics, go light and have some fun. You might lose a battle but, in the long run, you’ll gain more hookups and land some amazing catches.

Our bottom tackle included 5000-class Penn Battle III and Penn Authority spinners. For conventionals, we used Penn 15 LD Torque reels. Our rods were rated for 40- to 80-pound lines. We spooled with 30-pound Sufix 832 braid topped with 50-pound Sufix fluorocarbon leaders. Hooks were VMC 3X-strong, size 4/0 inline circle hooks. 

For yellowtails, we dropped down to 4000-size spinners paired with 12-pound monofilament. Silversides, bonito slivers and small strips of ballyhoo sweetened our No. 1 inline circle hooks and 1/16-ounce yellowtail jigs.

Seasons 

Fishing is productive off the Tortugas year-round. However, the cooler waters from October through May are prime for big grouper and muttons. “The cooler waters bring grouper and snapper in shallow, even on the patch reefs,” Barrios says. “The mutton snapper spawn around the end of May can be incredible. As far as yellowtails, good fishing can be had all year.” 

Read Next: Backcountry Boat Camping and Fishing in the Everglades

Back to the Party 

After a solid day of fishing, I steered Marc VI into the anchorage at Fort Jefferson. Before anchoring for the evening, we beached the boat and took a tour of the historic facility. Just the change in water color around the fort, ranging from deep blue to green to turquoise to clear, was well worth the venture. 

At anchor, Barrios cleaned a scamp and some yellowtails while I readied the grill. Initially, it appeared we’d be the only boat present. But shortly after our happy hour, lobster boats entered the anchorage and dropped their hooks for the evening. Rob “the Swede” Greene prepared and grilled the fish. There are no better fish dinners than the ones prepared from those that were swimming around hours earlier. 

For luxuriously sleeping five individuals, I’ll admit my 33-foot Mako center-console can’t compete with a Marriott resort. However, we each took our respective sleeping bags, claimed a spot on deck, and called it an evening under an incredibly ­beautiful star-filled sky.

The morning alarm was the sound of diesels firing up and l­­obster boats leaving for work. Greene grilled sandwiches for breakfast. Soon after, we were yellowtailing for an hour or two before heading back to Murray Marine on Stock Island.

“People are drawn out here to see a national park in the ­middle of an ocean,” Barrios says. “It’s a huge tourist attraction accessible by ferry, seaplane, and charter and recreational vessels. It’s the whole experience they’re after. Plus, it’s pretty cool when you roll up on it and see this huge brick structure rising from the ocean.” 

Planning a Trip

Capt. DJ Barrios is a fourth-generation Key West guide. He operates a 27-foot center-console and does it all around Key West. He’s also available to guide aboard customers’ boats. Contact him at roughshotchartersllc.com.

Where to stay in Key West: There are countless accommodations in Key West. The Capitana Key West (thecapitanakeywest.com) is a new boutique waterfront hotel that deserves a mention. It’s strategically located between Stock Island and downtown Key West. If you have the time during the day, consider a visit to Papa’s Pilar Rum Distillery.

Where to eat: Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island (hogfishbar.com); Roostica Wood-Fire Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant (roostica.com)

Boating permit for the Dry Tortugas: A permit is required for all private boaters fishing in park waters. Obtain the free boat permit at the park’s headquarters on Garden Key. This must be done before fishing. ”It’s a self-service kiosk that helps collect park usage data,” says Andy Newman, Florida Keys’ media relations director. “No boat permit is required for vessels simply transiting the park.”

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SoCal might be best known for phenomenal weather, longboards, and great music but I think fishing should top that list. San Diego is home to a diverse fishery both near- and offshore, with a wide variety of species calling the inshore wrecks, reefs, and kelp paddies home. Further out, you’ll encounter pelagic species such as swordfish, striped marlin, and many members of the tuna family.

I was invited to San Diego by our friends at Costa to sample the excellent fisheries and test out their latest offering, the King Tide. On the first day of our trip we hit the inshore grounds on one of SoCal’s most famous head boats. We ventured further out on the second, taking 25-foot Parker some 50 miles out in pursuit of Pacific bluefin. The trip gave us the opportunity to test out Costa’s newest offering, which builds on the company’s 40 years of sunglass experience with a host of new features.

Inshore Bounty

San Diego is home to a thriving head boat culture, and the heart of that scene may just be located at the Point Loma Sportfishing center. This marina is home to well-stocked tackle shops, tackle rentals for visiting anglers, and over a dozen head and charter boats. Referred to locally as “sporties,” these boats take fares out on half-day, full-day, and long-range trips that can be at sea for a week or more. A devoted group of anglers take advantage of this fleet, and the fertile waters they frequent.

The Daily Double is one of the oldest boats in the San Diego fleet, built 65 feet long with a 20-foot beam to comfortably fish the wrecks, reefs, and kelp paddies off the SoCal coast. At the helm was Capt. Fred Huber, who has been plying the area waters for decades. On the Costa trip, Huber took us to a few inshore pieces before hitting a productive patch of kelp on the way in. Rockfish, calico bass, sand bass, and sculpins would be our targets for the day, and they proved to be abundant.

Fishing strategy was of the “keep it simple” variety, utilizing three-way rigs baited with live sardines or anchovies, as both were available at the local bait pens. Once in place, the boat dropped the hook to keep us in position over the most productive stretches of structure. The mates set out hurling handfuls of bait overboard, which would kick start the action. After a few minutes of chumming, the waters came alive. Rods bent as calicos and sand bass aplenty came up to the rails, though almost all were released as we had other dinner plans. Fishing was so hot at points that bait was swapped for jigs and still the rods stayed tight.

Beyond the excellent fishing, SoCal’s sport boats typically offer high-quality cuisine. As we hung out in the parking lot waiting for the boat to depart, a gentleman came up to me show me pictures of both the yellowtail he caught on a recent trip, but also the dinners he was served while underway. The breakfast burrito I ate aboard the Daily Double was as good as I’ve ever had anywhere, and the burger I had for lunch rivals anything you’ll find in a top-tier diner around here. It’s said that you can tell how long a mate has worked on the sporties by the pounds they have packed on. Be sure to bring your appetite.

Another unique aspect of fishing out of San Diego are the military vessels you’ll encounter while going to and from port. Naval Base San Diego serves as the homeport to much of the Pacific fleet, and is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy housing over 50 vessels at any given time. During my last trip to San Diego several years ago, we saw the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier returning to base. On this trip, we passed an Ohio-class nuclear submarine heading out to parts unknown. Though the Daily Double is fairly large, it shrinks when passing a vessel of that size.

Kite Fishing for Bluefin

There’s more than a little debate surrounding the origins of kite fishing, with a few regions declaring the technique as their own. Whether or not it originated in SoCal, the captains around here have it pretty dialed in. On the second day of our Costa adventure, we took to the seas in one of the boats in the Pinnacle Sportfishing fleet for some epic kite action, West Coast style.

The Parker we fished off was piloted by Capt. Cameron Bingham. If there ever was someone that figured out what they should do with their life, it’s Bingham, and that purpose is catching big bluefins. His enthusiasm was infectious, and kept everyone stoked the entire steam out to the fishing grounds. Two hours clicked away in the blink of an eye listening to Bingham’s stories, his soft SoCal inflection sometimes jumping octaves with pure excitement about past bites.

The value of kites, Bingham explained, was their ability to present baits quietly behind the boats. The baits could be kept 200 yards or greater away from the vessel, limiting exposure to the fish-spooking outline. And suspending them from above meant that the terminal tackle was all hidden from the supersized eyeballs of the bluefin, helping ease their minds about the easy meal being served up.

As soon as we hit the tuna grounds, Bingham set to work rigging up a pair of flying fish to dangle below the kite. Having an extra bait at the ready would ensure we could get back in the action quickly if we got bit and there were other tuna around. Winds that day were under 10 knots, which made for flat seas but less than ideal kite fishing conditions. Bingham said that winds between 10 to 20 knots made keeping the baits aloft easy, but there were workarounds.

Stashed in the cabin were a brace of helium tanks that were used to inflate balloons that would be affixed to the kite; one to the cross arms and another further down the line. Aided by the two helium-filled balloons, the kite would have no trouble keeping the flying fish on the water’s surface. A line attached to a Penn International 50 Wide was run through a snap swivel on the kite’s line, affixed to the flying fish, and ferried out behind the boat.

Once we were in a likely spot with the kite deployed, Bingham climbed up to the upper station and scanned the water with a big pair of stabilized binoculars looking for signs of life. Once he found some surface-feeding tuna, known as a “foamer” in Left Coast vernacular, he hit the throttles and we made our way over at 10-knots, using the kite’s scope to present baits well away from the din of the motors.

Once the bait was in place over a feeding school, Bingham yarded on the line to add even more life to the hovering fish. It proved too much for a healthy bluefin of about 160 pounds to take, and it smashed the bait with a reckless abandon. In that moment, I knew what Bingham was talking about on the ride out. It was all but impossible to not high five the other anglers on board as the rod doubled. About 15 minutes later, we had deep color. Some final theatrics took place at the rail and the gaff found its way home.

We were able to repeat this scenario with another tuna, a 150-pound specimen, later in the trip. The take may have been even more impressive, as the fish made several swipes before finding the hook. Anticipation was high as the flying fish hung in shreds below the kite, but the tuna eventually engulfed it and the fight was on.

After returning to port, our bluefin were taken to a processor for the trip home. Fast and Easy Mobile Fish Processing made quick work of our bounty, working out of the back of a box truck. We loaded coolers for our plane ride home the next morning, and enjoyed some sushi in the hotel before calling it a day. The whole thing had a very SoCal feel about it.

Tuna fishing is always fun, but adding a kite in takes it to the next level. If you ever get an invite, take it. Especially if it comes from somewhere around Point Loma.

Californication

Costa choose Southern California to introduce the new King Tide sunglasses because they were partly influenced by area’s culture. Most of Costa’s performance sunglasses feature what is known as an 8-base curve, which tightly hugs the face to keep stray light out. But Cali is the home of flat bills and fashion-forward eyewear. Costa wanted to develop a pair of sunglasses that would live up to their 40 years of heritage as while fitting in with the cool kids that call SoCal home.

To give them a look that would be appreciated by the fashionistas among us while still delivering the on-water performance that makes them so popular with anglers, Costa developed removable side shields. This allows Costa to produce the King Tides in both the familiar 8-base curve as well as a flatter 6-base curve as you might find in a pair of Wayfarers or other sunglasses designed for looks instead of performance. The removable side shields block light from sneaking in from the peripherals even on the flat frames, preventing squinting and letting you spot fish even on the brightest days.

The full coverage afforded by the side shields also helps block wind, an important consideration with the rise of the fast offshore center console. Duane Diego, proprietor of Pinnacle Sportfishing and Costa ambassador says the King Tides help make long runs more comfortable. I certainly noticed the wind-blocking properties while out in the water.

And, you can easily take the side shields off and stuff them in the case when not in use. Though I don’t care much about fashion, I find myself swapping the Reeftons or Blackfins I typically wear on the water for a pair of Santiagos or other lifestyle frames once I get back to my truck. With the King Tide, you can just remove the sides if you decide you want less coverage. And the tops of the glasses are rubberized, which will keep them from sliding off the console when you throttle down.

Another notable feature on the King Tides is the shark-inspired sweat channels built into the temples. These innovative grooves serve to funnel sweat from around your eyes down to the end of the stems, exiting the bottom through a small notch. To perfect this technology, Costa’s engineers developed “Sweaty Eddy,” an artificial head that secretes sweat like a linebacker at an NFL training camp in south Florida in the middle of July. This allowed them to see how the new sweat-management technologies worked in real-time, allowing them to fine-tune the system and all but eliminate fogging.

On Friday, July 7 the King Tide 6 and King Tide 8 will be available in black frames with 580G blue mirror lenses at select retailers. Suggested retail pricing starts at $329. By September 15, 2023 you can expect to find them on costasunglasses.com and their retail partners worldwide.

If you want a piece of history, you can grab one of the limited-edition King Tide 6 and King Tide 8 models starting on Tuesday July 11. These models feature a black gold frame and never before seen 580G gold lenses. Costa is only releasing 40 of the 6 and the 8, so act fast if you want to get your hands on a pair.

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I got coral cuts on my feet while photographing an exploratory trip to a remote atoll in the South Pacific. A visiting nurse happened to be on the island at the time. Through a translator he told me I needed to get on antibiotics immediately and stay out of the water—not a promising diagnosis when I’m on a job that involves wading the flats all day, every day. I took the meds, cleaned the wounds each night, and completed the shoot to the delight of the client. The only lasting wounds? I lost both big toenails (they came back) and gained a few new scars on my feet. I also had a memorable barefoot walk through LAX because my feet were so swollen by that point that they wouldn’t fit in my flip-flops.

The Rough Side of Roughing It

As with many things in life, the reality of travel is far less glamorous than the idea. To get the best images and stories, I’m often working in places that don’t exactly cater to the resort type. Imagine a lot of sleeping in group tents in locations with no bathroom facilities, eating whatever’s handy when you have the time, and finding a way to laugh when things go wrong. 

Those moments are often the most memorable. Humans love adventure stories.

There’s good reason for curiosity about the uncomfortable and interest in what lies on the other end of an airplane ride. Travel tales are compelling on their own, but when you add an element of the unexpected—when something goes wrong—our pulse ticks up a notch. Stories become far more interesting when everything doesn’t go according to plan.

Trouble in Paradise

Once, a videographer friend and I were on a job in Belize. We quickly discovered he was badly allergic to sand fly bites, his feet and ankles quickly looking like a bad case of chicken pox. He marched on like a trooper, going through a couple of tubes of cortisone cream and icing with cold Belikins while in the boat. (Additional Belikins were consumed for ­medicinal purposes.)

On one memorable shoot in the Peruvian Amazon, I spent a day sweating under mosquito netting, sick with a high fever in the middle of the jungle. So, this is how the old jungle explorers felt when they were sick, I thought. I recovered within a few days, but lost 12 pounds during the trip. My recovery food? Tiny little bananas we plucked from trees as we traveled.

Another medical malady was food poisoning on a skiff on the flats in Cuba. There was no land around, and the guide didn’t want me in the water, so I clambered through the mangroves like a monkey, ­resigned to let nature run its course. I spent a very sick hour in the companionship of mosquitoes, spiders and one very curious iguana.

Russia brought its own set of challenges. My season working in a lodge started out with a riot in Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow—quite the introduction to Russia. The rest of the season was spent fighting mosquitoes thick enough that we walked around in waders and wading ­jackets ­simply for the Gore-Tex protection. 

Spend any time in salt water, and odds are you’ll have a shark story or two. A shoot in Samoa brought unique challenges: I was bumped by a tiger shark while in the water shooting back toward the boat, an incident that resulted in a shark-tooth scratch on my underwater housing and a healthy wariness for blue water. Samoa also brought my first time being seasick, and I weathered a large offshore squall alternately puking over the side and shooting images in the rain. As a sort of grand finale, I also caught dengue and spent $60 on every medication possible in Auckland Airport on the way home. I still don’t ­remember much of those flights.

Let’s not forget the many nights spent on airport floors. (Pro tip: Sleep on top of the heating vents, and nestle your baggage between you and the wall, then loop an arm or leg through any bag straps.) There’s also the questionable food over the years. As long as it’s well-cooked, odds are it’s safe to eat. But sometimes it’s best not to know what mystery meat you’re downing. Pack along some stomach meds and electrolyte packets for the times when travel food ­inevitably gets the best of you.

All-Contingency Plan

Photography is funny; you’re only capturing a ­single moment. Usually, it’s the “pretty” moments. Typically, readers don’t see the gritty side, the things that go on behind the scenes. But with the right attitude and a solid backup plan or two, those uncomfortable moments can be the most memorable.

And if you’re doing any kind of travel outside of a curated, luxury resort experience, you’re probably going to experience some degree of divergence from the original plan. In a 15-year career spent traveling to random corners of the world with a camera and fly rod in hand, I’ve learned that every good plan needs backups. The best thing you can do when things go off-kilter is to take a deep breath and bring one of your backup plans into play. Because for ­every 8-pound bonefish or gorgeous sunset overlooking the mangroves, there’s a night spent on an airport floor or a fevered run with a tropical illness and no ­medical clinic within reach.

Travel can be hard—it is hard. So, how do you get through the tough parts? First off, manage yourself. Do what you can to stay healthy along the way; things seem far, far worse when you’re sick, hungover or just plain unwell. Pack electrolytes—I use them daily when traveling. Eat reasonably well, and don’t over-imbibe (too often). Stay hydrated. Catnap when you can because exhaustion can make the world seem like a gloomy place.

Pack along a solid medical kit. Mine has changed over the years but always included wound care basics, medicines, a tourniquet and a suture kit. Always have it accessible and know how to administer basic first aid, either on yourself or others.

Read Next: Tips for the Traveling Fisherman

Plan thoroughly, with the clear understanding that things can and will change. Weather. Flights. In-country politics. The customs agent who won’t let your fly boxes through. The world changes rapidly, and while a solid Plan A is good, ensure you have plans B, C and D standing by. Be willing to roll with the punches. Try to remember that it’ll make for a good story afterward. Step back, assess the situation, suck in a deep breath, and realize that this too will pass. Eventually.

Why should we travel if there’s so much that can—and does—go wrong? My theory has always been we can’t know our place in the world until we see more of it. We pick up something from each new culture, be it a new way to prepare coffee, a creative curse in a new language, or a new strategy for targeting picky bonefish on skinny flats. 

Travel is rarely easy, and it’s certainly gotten more complicated over the past few years. But it’s always worth it. 

The post The Beauty of Fishing Trips appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

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Disaster struck the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, with enormous consequences. As a result of errors caused by shortcuts, miscalculations and questionable procedures, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 41 miles off the Louisiana coast, exploded, tragically taking 11 lives. The rig sank the next day still gushing oil after the emergency capping device was not activated. For nearly five months the well spewed an estimated 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day into the Gulf before it was finally sealed on September 19, 2010.

A government scientific panel later estimated 4,900,000 barrels of oil were vented during the prolonged spill, creating a slick of 57,500 square miles that impacted 1,100 miles of shoreline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Subsequent trials and court settlements from the well’s owners and operators resulted in billions of dollars in fines to mitigate the environmental damage. Now, more than a decade later, a project funded with that money has finally come to fruition.

Oil Spill Funds Pay to Restore Fish Habitat

With a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), acting as manager, initiated the project in 2016. WSP was contracted to do pre- and post-construction monitoring of the sites. Jacobs was brought on as the engineering firm for the design, permitting and construction oversight, while CrowderGulf was the actual construction contractor. Anne Birch, TNC’s Florida Oceans and Coasts Survey Director, was the point person.

“The goal of this project was to help restore healthy, functioning oyster habitat in East and Blackwater Bays in the Florida Panhandle,” Birch explains. “Critical oyster habitat has been significantly reduced from its former range not only across the world but in the Gulf’s bays and estuaries. The bays of Santa Rosa County once teemed with oysters and historic maps bear that out. But decades of water quality degradation, among other challenges, led to a sharp decline in oysters and the important seagrasses that once flourished.”

The permitted sites were just offshore of the Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area, a tract managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that backs up to the Eglin Air Force Base. The reefs are 200 to 700 feet from the shore on mud and sand. Breaks between the combined 33 marked reefs allow navigation. The minimum depth is about three feet and the tops of the reefs are visible during low tides for most of the year. David Stejskal, vice president of the Jacobs engineering firm, was involved in the design and planning from the start.

How the Oyster Reefs Were Built

“Water depth, hydrographic characteristics such as tides, currents and wave conditions, sea level rise, littoral sediment drift and oyster behavior and preferred environmental conditions were all considered,” Steiskal says. The reef material is limestone rocks sourced from Kentucky ranging from 140 to 495 pounds for the outer boundaries, with oyster shells along the back-reef portions facing the shoreline. The shells were collected from oyster houses in Bayou La Batre and other areas in Alabama. Four different reef designs were deployed, ranging from 126 to 333 feet long, 72 to 142 feet wide and approximately four feet high.

Tug boats and large barges were used to ship the limestone rock from Kentucky down river to Pensacola. Operators on site used smaller boats to push and tug additional barges with cranes and the limestone for placement. Construction was completed totally within the water to avoid impacting the adjacent wildlife management area.

“Most of the Gulf of Mexico has diurnal tides which means only one high and one low tide each day while most of the Earth’s coastal zones have two highs and two lows daily. Because of that and the reef’s shallow depths, the contractor had to work around the one high tide availability, day or night. Low tides delayed construction since the barges couldn’t access the project site. Alternatively, higher than usual high tides sometimes reduced visibility due to both the reef being completely submerged and because the water is naturally dark due to tannins brought in from the upstream Blackwater River. Those impacts created some delays.”

Matt Deavenport managed the design project out of Jacobs’ Pensacola, Florida office. He led the planning, modeling and design coordination and is the Engineer on Record. Heather Hyde was the construction manager on-site. Additional design input came from Dr. Luce Bassetti and Olwen Rowlands.

The overall cost of the East Bay Oyster Habitat Restoration Project was $13.1 million. Design, permitting and advance monitoring was just under $1.3 million, while the reef construction and post monitoring program bill was $11.8 million. WSP, a scientific company, will monitor the sites for the next five years to evaluate oyster recruitment and any increases in fish, crabs and water birds.

Why Gulf Oysters Are So Important

“The Gulf of Mexico connects, sustains and supports our communities,” Steiskal says. “Oysters are considered a core species, the building block of a healthy marine ecosystem, and the Gulf Coast has seen a rapid decline in oyster populations over the last few decades. Every person involved in this project understands and appreciates the importance of preserving, restoring and protecting the vibrancy of the Gulf. We are anglers, eco-tourists, or simply love a good seafood dinner, and none of those things are possible without projects like this.”

Birch expects to see positive results soon.

“We hope to see spat settlement within the next year,” she says. “Since the site previously was sandy bottom, providing a structure should provide habitat for and substantially increase invertebrates and fish. I’ve personally caught a good size red drum and spotted seatrout off one of the reefs in July.”

Others believe that timeline may be accelerated. Jonathan Browne is a local shallow-water enthusiast who targets the bay in his 18 Hewes Redfisher flats boat.

“I’m already catching more redfish in East Bay around the reefs,” Browne explains. “We really need more of these types of projects to improve the fishery and habitat. I just hope they will hold up during hurricanes.”

Sam Ravenal is another local angler who fishes East and Blackwater Bays regularly in his Nauticstar 231 hybrid bay.

“My family and I have been fishing the shorelines and the reefs since they started construction,” he said. “There are growing numbers of mullet and other minnows around the reefs, using them as cover. We’re catching some nice reds and I’ve seen some good-sized sharks cruising around, too. This is a really good thing for the bays. It livens up the shoreline and will make that area much more productive. The first reefs built are already showing more signs of life.”

Mother Nature is very resilient, given the chance. But sometimes a little nudge doesn’t hurt, especially when it comes after a man-made disaster.

Healthy Oysters Help Clean Water

Healthy adult oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water daily. Multiplied by hundreds of living oysters forming a reef and the water filtration is significant. Clean water in estuaries support aquatic grasses and other plants that need light to survive. These plants, in turn, yield benefits like fish production and carbon storage, completing an invaluable cycle.

Healthy oyster reefs also serve as buffers against rising sea tides and storms by forming natural breakwaters that help protect shorelines from erosion. Reefs have an economic benefit to harvesters and create “fish-making” habitat for species such as crabs and shrimp.

“When we help to restore and conserve oyster habitat and support the oyster fishery, we’re also helping our estuaries and our coastal communities thrive,” says TNC’s Anne Birch. “I can think of few other species that combine the ecological, economic and cultural benefits than the oyster.”

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For West Coast anglers seeking true adventure, the waters on each side of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula have long been the go-to destination. These waters are just a hop, skip and jump ­below the border, yet the fishing opportunities are still wild, primitive, unpredictable and, in some minds, magical. Trips here are the stuff that angling dreams are made of and often result in memories that endure for generations. 

Both coasts of Baja have much to ­offer, but the breathtaking eastern side facing the Sea of Cortez and its chain of islas (Spanish for islands) offers a distinctly rich ecosystem drastically different than the wave-swept Pacific side. It is here amid the often-calm crystalline waters and jagged shores of the coast and the so-called Midriff Islands that cabrilla sardinera lurk, ambush prey and grow strong.

Better known among American anglers as leopard grouper or simply ­cabrilla (pronounced ka-bree-ya), this species represents the junkyard dog of the Baja coast. Cabrilla love to chase and eat ­artificial lures. These ­structure-loving fish can be found predominantly around rocks, reefs and submerged pinnacles. A ­cabrilla resembles its cousin, the gag grouper of the southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, but with a deeper brown and more mottled pattern along the flanks. Size-wise, most fish average about 4 to 8 pounds, but you can get into schools of 10- to 15-pounders that serve as the bread and butter of cabrilla fishing. A trophy fish will go 20-plus pounds, and the International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record is currently 28 pounds, 10 ounces. A 20-pound cabrilla hooked around Baja’s snag-infested shore structure can be one of the most challenging fish to land. 

Cortez Gold

The unique aspect of this species lies in its visually stunning golden phase that occurs naturally in approximately 1 percent of all leopard grouper, according to scientists. Many anglers revere the goldens as rare trophy fish due to their illusive nature among the normally patterned fish. The locals refer to the golden grouper as “la reina” or the queen of the Cortez. These rare grouper are respected by many local fishermen. Commercial fishermen have been known to go out of their way to release these queens, and most American anglers consider it bad luck to kill one.  

There are many ways you can target this species. As a Southern California resident, I lean toward West Coast-style inshore tackle. This includes 7 1/2- to 8 1/2-foot heavy- and extra-heavy-action casting rods with 400- to 500-size low-profile reels spooled with 65- to 80-pound-test braided line, with a 3- to 4-foot leader of knottable nickel-titanium wire tied to a 120-pound-test clip.  

Grouper Gear

For cabrilla combat, your gear needs to be in good shape with fresh line ready to endure some raw Baja punishment. Practice your braid-to-leader connection knot and lure connection knot in fine detail, especially if you’re unfamiliar with knottable nickel-titanium wire. Connections are always a crucial aspect to angling, but the demands of Baja and the species you might encounter test any imperfections in your tackle. You can also use a fluorocarbon leader if you prefer, but I would fish as heavy as you’re comfortable with. Use nothing less than 60-pound-test fluoro because these fish will find ways back into the rocks. You might also hook other species, such as toothy sierra mackerel or barred Gulf snapper (aka pargo), in which case you’ll wish you had a wire leader and your prize lure back. 

Hard baits, light-metal jigs and swimbaits tend to get the nod when it comes to lures, but don’t rule out stickbaits and poppers to mix things up in case surface commotion is a trigger. I like to keep things relatively simple with a lure mix consisting of AFTCO’s new subsurface swimming and gliding 150 mm Swimmer, Kicker Fishing’s 25 light surface iron, 165 to 190 mm jerkbaits, or a swimbait such as Warbait’s Neck Breaker jig head with a Kicker Fishing Pickle Kick swimbait. Make sure all split rings and treble hooks are ready to handle the abuse. I like to upgrade all hardware and use 4X hooks to keep things honest and ready for the giant cabrilla. 

Off-the-Grid Estates

When you do your research about Baja and specifically the northern upper section along the Sea of Cortez, you’ll notice there’s a few primary stops down Mexico’s Highway 5 past San Felipe that offer various options for house rentals, hotels, yurts, palapas and campos. Most locations are very much “Baja style,” meaning rural with little to no amenities. With this in mind, plan and pack ­accordingly with adequate amounts of food, ice, camp cook gear, and any other creature comforts you might want or need. It’s purely off the grid in this stretch of the ­peninsula, with no cellphone reception or internet connectivity unless you have the means to utilize satellite services like a Zoleo or Starlink device. 

If you have a boat in tow, note there are relatively few boat-launch facilities, and many boating anglers launch from ­beaches on calm bays. This is why you need a four-wheel-drive tow vehicle for launching and loading from sandy or rocky, algae-slick shores. Boats with a shallow draft, such as bay boats or hybrids, are well-adapted to such unimproved launch sites. If in doubt, seek out locals to learn when and where to splash your ride. 

Gonzaga Base Camp

One of the more popular areas to target cabrilla is Bahia San Luis Gonzaga (aka Gonzaga Bay). I prefer to utilize Campo Papa Fernandez at kilometer marker 143 due to its location behind Isla Willard and proximity to islands in both directions, not to mention a fishy coastline both north and south of camp. Even more importantly, there are clutch amenities like gas, firewood, dining, and a market a short drive south from camp. The Papa Fernandez restaurant provides a night off from camp cooking duty and an opportunity to enjoy some genuine home-cooked Mexican food. Claudia and Gonio, who manage and maintain the restaurant and campo community, do a tremendous job to facilitate, lend a hand, and ensure your stay is enjoyable. If you are fortunate enough to have a meal at the restaurant, make sure you get their chile relleno and the camaron de ajo—­absolutely stellar dishes. You simply cannot go wrong with any dish on the menu. 

Cactus Bass

The terrain that these fish inhabit can be less than forgiving, but it’s also surrounded by a gorgeous desert landscape. The topography and rocky coastline create an endless cactus-lined playground of fishable water for an artificial-lure enthusiast. You must keep in mind that the tidal swings in the Sea of Cortez can be extreme. It’s common to have 10 to 12 feet of water movement, but it can be up to 20-plus feet. Prime structure can change based on the drastic amount of water moving in and out of shallow spots, as well as isolated high spots. 

With the help of electronics and a trolling motor on the bow, I can position the boat in a fishy shallow reef zone or on different angles of isolated pinnacles. At the same time, boating anglers need to be wary of shallow rocks, boiler rocks, and pinnacles that can emerge seemingly out of nowhere. All of these craggy rocks make for great ambush points for cabrilla, but they also can be dangerous if you’re not paying attention on a draining tide.

As mentioned earlier, these waters teem with a wide range of species. In addition to leopard grouper, other fish include California yellowtail, Mexican hogfish, finescale triggerfish, golden spotted bass, spotted sand bass, and sierra and barred Gulf snapper. It keeps things interesting, but it’s the cabrilla that are standout gamefish due to their propensity to strike lures and the challenge of reeling them from cover. 

About 45 miles down the coast from Gonzaga Bay and offshore from Bahia de Los Angeles (aka Bay of LA) lies Isla Angel de la Guarda (Archangel Island). The rocky outcroppings of this island provide some of the world’s best cabrilla fishing. On a recent winter trip to Gonzaga Bay, Randy Spizer and Skylar Khachadorian of Kicker Fishing had spent a couple of weeks fishing Archangel Island prior to our arrival and, ­fortunately for us, had the bite dialed in. It was extremely fun to see them call all the shots and put us on some epic bites. 

The cabrilla catches were steady on 9- to 14-pound fish, but we also caught fish up to 22 pounds, and lost even bigger ones due to break-offs. Khachadorian managed to catch four golden grouper, and the boat totaled 94 fish for the day. 

Experiences like these are what it’s all about and keep calling me to head down below the border to the magnificent Sea of Cortez in pursuit of the golden grouper of Gonzaga Bay. 

The post Fishing for Golden Grouper in the Sea of Cortez appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

Battle a bruiser bluefin tuna on stand-up tackle. Flick a fly to a tailing redfish. Troll, jig, live-line, cast—choose your preference. North Carolina’s Crystal Coast serves it all up on a picturesque platter.

This region spans 85 miles of coastline from Bogue Inlet to the Cape Lookout National Seashore, which forms the southern portion of the famed Outer Banks. Salt marsh dominates the sounds and bays that separate the mainland from barrier islands.

The seasonal bounty begins in winter, when giant bluefin tuna to 800 pounds swarm menhaden schools in 40 to 50 feet of water within sight of the sand. Anglers target them using live baits or troll with fresh horse ballyhoo. Farther offshore, wahoo to 90 pounds migrate. Captains look for temperature breaks where bait stacks up like Pez candies.

“We actually get a good run of wahoo all year long,” says Capt. Mark Henderson, whose family operates the Liquid Fire tournament fishing team, Liquid Fire Sportfishing guide service and Troll the Edge TV show. “Some are 80 to 90 pounds this time of year (winter). Some are closer in with the king mackerel, eating live baits. Between November and January, there’s no telling what will be out there.”

Spring offshore means 25- to 70-pound yellowfin tuna trolled up with ballyhoo, Henderson says. Anglers start at the 60-fathom line and work out farther. Savvy captains carry bottomfishing gear in case the offshore bite lags.

Bigger mahi feed at weed lines starting in April, and billfish—including sailfish and blue and white marlin—mix into the June lineup. Not coincidentally, the region’s multimillion-dollar Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament lands in mid-June; this year’s 65th-annual event spans June 9-18.

King mackerel, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, and cobia add even greater variety to the spring abundance, with some species lingering through summer. However, September and October mark the prime months for kingfish numbers in 45 to 85 feet of water.

The inshore marshes and sounds swarm with redfish, spotted seatrout and black drum. Anglers target redfish year-round, casting artificial baits to tailers on the right tides. During the latter part of the year, slot fish can be caught along the beaches. The best speckled trout bite happens from December through February. The fish feast on well-presented live shrimp or mud minnows.

While fishing might be your primary goal, take a day off to experience the Crystal Coast’s spectacular terrestrial beauty. Take a ferry from Harkers Island, Beaufort or Morehead City to explore the Shackleford Banks; search for the wild horses that still graze the barrier island. This herd descends from Spanish stock brought to North America in the 1400s. Visit the 163-foot Cape Lookout Lighthouse dubbed “Diamond Lady” for its black-and-white pattern.

On the mainland, take in the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, where you’ll find artifacts from Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship captained by the infamous pirate Blackbeard. The region also features the Civil War era Fort Macon and the North Carolina Aquarium.

At the end of the day, enjoy some seafood at Morehead’s Redfish Grill or maybe Beaufort’s Clawson’s restaurant. To sample some craft beer, visit one of the region’s five craft breweries, or if your taste runs to harder spirits, try the Bogue Sound Distillery.

Whenever you choose to visit the Crystal Coast, you’ll find fish abundance, timeless beauty, and a still-enthralling pocket of real coastal wilderness.

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Scientists know a lot more about marlin, sailfish, and spearfish than they used to, thanks to tournament anglers who go to the trouble and expense of tagging and releasing billfish. By participating in the IGFA Great Marlin Race, established in 2009, these anglers have taught the world a great deal about where and how these magnificent fish live.

It’s no small commitment; individual anglers or their teams foot the $4,000 bill for the satellite tags. But these people are accustomed to going all-in for their sport.

Committed Anglers and Conservationists

“Recreational anglers are sponsoring the tags and deploying the tags, and they’re obviously a crucial element of this,” said Bruce Pohlot, Ph.D., conservation director for the International Game Fish Association. “These are people that are heavily involved in the tournament world and the billfishing community. There are people out there that are so interested in these fish and the future of this fishery that they’re willing to lend support in this way. It’s the cornerstone of program.”

That includes people like Tony Huerta, owner of the 58-foot Lo Que Sea out of Fort Pierce, Florida. Huerta sponsored the tag on a 300-pound blue marlin, caught by angler Andrew Brady, that won the race last year. From the time when the fish was caught, during the 2021 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in North Carolina, until its tagged popped off and began transmitting data 240 days later, it swam nearly 8,000 nautical miles.

That’s how the “race” works: the fish that travels farthest from where it was tagged is the winner. Huerta’s marlin zig-zagged around a bit off the New England continental shelf, then swam clear across the Atlantic, south along the coast of Africa, and back west, losing its tag 800 miles east of French Guiana.

The program began as a partnership between the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament and Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford University in 2009. The IGFA came on board in 2011 and expanded the event to tournaments (and non-tournament tagging) around the world. Today, the race is sponsored by Costa Sunglasses, AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, EdgeWater Boats and Release Boatworks.

Important Fishery Science

What can be learned from knowing where a fish has traveled? Enough for eight peer-reviewed studies and counting. Tagging shortbill spearfish for the first time ever revealed the species dives to hunt overnight and hangs closer to the surface during the day—exactly the opposite of most billfish, which hunt by day and hold near the surface at night. Another study, done by Pohlot while earning his doctorate at the University of Miami with Dr. Nelson Ehrhardt, examined how daylight (or even a full moon) affects the activity of sailfish in the eastern Pacific.

Nineteen tags were deployed in the 2021-2022 race, providing info on 17,471 nautical miles worth of travel. We know that Huerta’s marlin, for example, at one point dove nearly 1,500 feet.

Knowing where billfish go provides important data for conservation and regulation. There’s no commercial fishery for billfish, but they often end up as bycatch in the tuna and swordfish fisheries–sometimes reported to regulatory agencies, sometimes not. Knowing that marlin or sailfish are in a particular jurisdiction can help governments write enforceable rules. Great Marlin Race data were used in writing the 2012 Billfish Conservation Act, which outlawed the importation of billfish to the U.S.

More Participation on Deck

“(Billfish) are managed, but we’re still missing a lot of information about them,” Pohlot said.
The 2021-22 race included the Big Rock, Custom Shootout (Abaco, Bahamas), White Marlin Open (Ocean City, Maryland), White Marlin Invitational (Beach Haven, New Jersey), Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Labor Day Invitational (Orange Beach, Alabama), Master Angler Billfish Tournament (Southern California), and the Bermuda Triple Crown.

“In 2023 we will be adding more tournaments to the list, and we also have other events not affiliated with tournaments,” Pohlot said. “In fact, many of our tagging events are among private fishing clubs or part of grants we get.”

Another advancement for the race would be tags that stay with the fish longer before popping off. Pohlot wondered where Tony Huerta’s marlin ended up after a full year.

“If we had had the full 365 days, I would have loved to see if the fish went back to North Carolina, or if the fish would go to the Dominican Republic or the Bahamas,” he said. “We just don’t know.”

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Few sights are more inspired and inspiring than scores of flying fish suddenly bursting from the water, beating their tails furiously across the surface, taxiing for takeoff. Their “flights” are a unique sight known well to bluewater anglers, but if you look beneath the surface, so to speak, you’ll find that flyers are just plain cool in so many ways.

Flying Fish Do Not Fly

We’re talking about fish, silly, and fish don’t have wings, since fish — rather like pigs — can’t fly. However, one type of fish sure can glide like champs, and do so with fins evolved to serve as wings. Flying fishes’ pectoral fins are long, reinforced affairs that when locked open sure do look and act like wings, catching air and using the very same aerodynamics to stay aloft for long periods.

Flying Fish with Two or Four Wings

Flying fish really have no wings. But you know what we mean when talk about their “wings,” so check out the four-winged versions. That is, of at least 40 species worldwide, some have evolved secondary wings with pelvic fins, which are located behind the pectorals. Although smaller, the pelvic fins are still larger than would be normal and extend out just like the big pecs. The benefit, of course, would be additional lift. The effect, particularly when seen from a boat running offshore, looks for all the world like flying fish with four wings.

How Flying Fish Take Off

In terms of what in scientific circles is known as functional morphology, the flyer’s tail stands out. The forked tails of most fishes are homocercal, so they’re symmetrical with top and bottom lobes being mirror images. Take a look at the flyer. The fancy term for its tail is hypocercal. That’s because its ventral (lower) lobe is considerably longer than the upper lobe. The function of this comes into play when the speedy little devils start swimming fast beneath the waves for blast off as soon as they break the surface tension. Needing more speed to get airborne, that longer lower lobe gets cranking (to which any angler having watched flyers bursting out of the water can attest) for the needed thrust to catch air. Oh, and their ventral surface (their belly) is flattened to better catch air when aloft.

Flying Fish are Small and Speedy

Streamlined, torpedo-shaped flying fish can swim at speeds in excess of 35 mph. (They swim with their huge pectoral fins pressed tightly against their sides, not out, so they remain hydrodynamic.) For such a small fish, that’s a lot of speed. But they need that speed, requiring considerable velocity to break surface tension when they ascend for flight.

How Far Can Flying Fish Glide?

Yes, poor Wilbur and Orville Wright’s historic flight of 120 feet can’t hold a candle to flying fish, which have been known to glide more than two football fields in a single flight. And if you want to figure touch-and-go flights — wherein flyers on a glide path come into contact with the water just enough to start beating their lower tail until fully airborne again — they’ve been known to manage to glide about a fifth of a mile before finally returning to the water. And when they catch a good wind, they can glide up to 20 feet above the water (and hope no large seabirds are watching).

Flying Fish Glide Like Birds

That’s right: Actual flying fish have been tested in a wind tunnel. No, they weren’t alive, since wind tunnels use wind and not water. But Korean scientists essentially stuffed fresh flyers to retain body shape and affixed their fins open, then did the math. Their testing showed great efficiency, making them as capable gliders as are many birds.

Flying Fish Are Attracted to Lights at Night

Flying fish love to fly into bright lights at night. This is not a secret, at least not to sailboaters who travel the open ocean at night with lights on, and to other boaters offshore at night. The little fish will explode out of the water to land on decks. Thor Heyerdahl, in his famed Kon-Tiki journey, describes picking the fish up many mornings for breakfast. You can find videos online, such as Matt Watson’s crew during an Ultimate Fishing Show adventure, catching incoming fish in midair at night, using dip nets or even simply with hand grabs.

World-Record Flying Fish

Yep. There is one. A world record. From the records kept by the IGFA, we know that in June 2016, a chap by the name of Jim Bohary, set the record for the largest flying fish ever caught and registered officially: a one-pound Exocoetus volitans, aka tropical two-wing flyingfish, common in all tropical oceans. But I would be remiss not to  point out that Jim’s record is a fragile one, since flyers do get considerably larger. A monster of two pounds is hardly unthinkable. But how the heck do you catch one? Read on.

Hook and Line Fishing for Flying Fish

That’s right. I mean, these things do have to eat. And yeah, lots of what they eat is rather planktonic and not what an angler can bait a hook with. But they also eat critters larger than that, so sabiki hooks will fool them. However, finding a school milling around for a sabiki drop is, well, unlikely. No problem. Slow troll through an area where you know they’re hanging out. You can see a video where a Vanuatu charter crew catches flyers one after the next by simply trolling little hooks with two-inch soft plastic tails on light mono leaders.

Eating Flyingfish for Dinner

Sure, flyers make fantastic baits. That’s why most anglers of the American persuasion want ‘em. But the fact is, it’s not only predatory fish who find them right tasty. In most areas of the world, the value of flying fish ranges from a delicacy to a staple. For centuries, they’ve been an important food source for Pacific islanders, often heading just past reefs at night to spear them by torchlight. They’re reputedly quite tasty, and the source of tobiko, the crunchy, bright orange flying fish roe of which Japanese are so found in their sushi.

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