The Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show was in full swing and not much to report this week with the Captains Cup. Check out this profile on the Weez in the Keys crew who is having one heck of a year fishing. They finished Ranked #2 in the International Division for 2014.

Capt. Chris Zielinski

Weez in the Keys, 58 Merritt/CATs

Home Port: Islamorada, FL

Wins to Date: Bermuda Release Cup, 1st Place; Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, 2nd Place; Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, Heaviest Marlin; Total 1300 Pts.

Tackle: Penn 130s on custom rods spooled with Momoi IGFA 100-pound test

Capt. Chris Zielinski and his team on the Weez in the Keys had a great season this year in Bermuda where they chose to target blue marlin on heavy tackle. Here are his keys to success.

In The Spread

“I’m fortunate that Andy Moyes is my first mate so we pulled a five-lure spread of his custom lures: two short, two long and one on the shotgun, with synthetic dredges from the cockpit and mudflap/lure teasers from the bridge. We got bites everywhere in the spread but the two most productive lures seemed to be the [Moyes] J-Boy and Plunger. The head shape and style was definitely more important than color but we got a lot of bites on blue and pink and also black. We rig our lures with single Hays hooks in 10/0 and 11/0 on 600-pound cable.”

Technique
“For us, our success starts with [owner] Scott Robins. He understands the commitment, both time and financial, that it takes to be successful. Scott knows the boat, he knows the fishing and he’s in it 100 percent. From a fishing standpoint, something we do that someone else might not is to constantly adjust the pulling point and angle on the lures. We do this on every tack all day long, adjusting where each lure rides on the wave. We’ll choose a spread based on the sea conditions and change out a few colors but more important is that they are performing the way they should be. That means making little adjustments all day long. Our presentation is never static.”

Capt. Chris Zielinski, Weez in the Keys, 1300 Points

• Bermuda Release Cup, 1st Place, 500 Pts.
• Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, 2nd Place, 300 Pts.
• Sea Horse Angers Club Billfish Tournament, Heaviest Marlin, 500 Pts

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