InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

A Fishing Story from the Miss Annie

April 13, 2022 By InTheBite Digital Editor

fishing on the miss annie

By Barry Weshnak Miss Annie owner

When I was eight or nine years old my dad started taking me fishing off Long Branch pier in Long Branch, New Jersey for fluke during the summer and at night during the winter for ling and whiting. It was so cold that the nylon line would freeze between the water and the reel.  We drank a lot of hot chocolate and enjoyed our fishing time together. In my teens, my future brother-in-law, Frank, me and a buddy of ours who had a wooden skiff with an outboard motor fished off Monmouth Beach for stripers. The love of saltwater fishing took root as a family affair.

Frank and I always had small boats with outboards, and we caught fluke, blues, sea bass, etc. inshore in N.J.  He and I are still the best of friends and enjoy our fishing time together. When we were in our 30s, Jack Meyer who owned the original L&H, a 56’ Monterrey, invited us down to Singer Island, Florida to sailfish. That was the beginning of my fascination with sportfishing.

fishing on the miss annie

Thereafter, I took trips to sportfish in Baja catching striped marlin and to Tropic Star Lodge in Panama catching black and blue marlin,. There was a dream week in Quepos, Costa Rica with my son catching Pacific sails, rooster fish, etc. and a Bermuda trip with my family and team to catch blue marlin. I caught a spearfish and blue and white marlin in the Bahamas and swordfish off Ft. Lauderdale and Atlantic sails out of Singer Island to pretty much fill out my billfish card.

I had the honor and pleasure of fishing with some of the best captains back then, including Billy Black, Barry Dudas, Joe Drosey, Greg Bogdan, Big Al Fields and others. We caught sailfish in Florida, marlin, tuna, wahoo and mahi in the Bahamas and tried our hand at some big-time tournament fishing out of Ocean City, Maryland, Cape May, New Jersey and Marsh Harbor. From age 10, my son, Michael, and I spent many wonderful times fishing together in Costa Rica, Key Biscayne, Ocean City, Brielle, New Jersey, Singer Island and The Bahamas. Irreplaceable experiences together that he will share with his children soon.

fishing on the miss annie

Photo: Leonard Bryant Photography

It was time to buy my own sportfish, a 2005 52’ Viking Convertible, the Miss Annie. Once I bought the boat in 2006, I was very fortunate to put together a fishing team that remains together to this day. Randy Yates, Greg Bogdan, Mark Donahue, Frank Napurano and I have become a seagoing band of brothers. We established a tournament schedule that included the major sailfish tournaments in South Florida during the winter, each of which we have won at least once, the Bahamas in the spring.

This included the Bahamas Billfish Championship Series in which we won every leg at least once, and the over-all in 2010 and during the summer in Charleston, Cape May and Ocean City where we won the Tuna Tournament and finished in the money a number of times in the White Marlin Open and the Mid-Atlantic Tournaments. Over the 14 pre-Covid years, we finished in the money 45 times including “…the largest sailfish release prize ever…”  in the Operation Sailfish Tournament and won 14 of these major tournaments. We haven’t gotten the golden ring in Maryland or Cape May yet, but we will be back reaching for it again this summer. 

Best of luck and tight Lines.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: Adventures, Featured Stories, Fishing Tagged With: billfishing, boat owner, fishing, marlin, miss annie

    Recent News

    International Game Fish Association Announces 2023 Tommy Gifford Award Winners

    Dania Beach, FL—The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) today announced its 2023 Tommy Gifford Award winners, an annually bestowed accolade that recognizes captains, guides or crew members who have made extraordinary contributions to r … [Read More...]

    Costa Rica’s Largest and Richest Fishing Tournament

    Quepos, Costa Rica—The 7th Annual Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament makes Costa Rican and Central American sportfishing history two years running! With a record-setting 94 teams and 553 anglers catching and releasing 1,131 billfish for more than $ … [Read More...]

    A Taste of Sportfishing: Blue Crab Claw Rolls

    By Holly Hearn of Game Girl Gourmet Blue water and blue crabs. These two things pair beautifully in the case of this blue crab claw roll. The rolls are light, sweet, savory and just a little bit spicy. This makes them the perfect lunchtime … [Read More...]

    The Masters Celebrate 60 Years in Style

    Costa Rica never disappoints; calm seas, a world class fleet and fast billfishing for 30 Master Anglers who gathered together at Los Suenos on January 24th for the annual boat draw. Veteran anglers welcomed five "freshmen" into the club and after … [Read More...]

    Pelagic’s Vaportek Fishing Shirt

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B32l2Wwscak Check out the video to see why Pelagic’s Vaportek is the lightest and most breathable fishing shirt. The Vaportek Fishing Shirt features full-length fine-mesh vented panels that allow for optimal airflow … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite current cover image

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2022, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    COTY / ITB Cup Logo

    News

    • Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      It’s Not Over! The Viking Yacht Company and the marine industry’s grassroots campaign to stop the advancement of a proposed 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard continues into 2023. And now, thanks to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), we have a tool at our disposal that makes it super easy to make your voice heard. In one click, send a pre-written letter... [Read More...]

    • Old Salt: Capt. Eddie Herbert

      Old Salt: Capt. Eddie Herbert

      By Carol M. Bareuther, RD The moon and stars shone brightly in the pre-dawn night as Capt. Eddie Herbert started the engines on the 80-foot Merritt Reel Tight. His destination, the Virgin Islands’ North Drop. Reel Tight owner Jim Lambert Sr. took his passion for fishing seriously. He wanted to be first off the dock so he could catch and... [Read More...]

    • Splash Report: Bayliss Boatworks' Overtime

      Splash Report: Bayliss Boatworks' Overtime

      Every boat built by Bayliss Boatworks is a truly custom project. In the case of Overtime, the newest 67’ 6’’ build to hit the water, the sportfisher is the weapon of choice for a Cabo-San-Lucas-based program. With the help of the experienced captain and owner team, Bayliss Boatworks designed a sportfishing yacht unique enough to meet the demands of conquering... [Read More...]

    • First Build: Jarrett Bay's Sensation

      First Build: Jarrett Bay's Sensation

      By Nichole Osinski "If you’d asked me when I was 16 years old if I was going to build a boat, I would have told you you’re crazy," says Jarrett Bay Founder and President Randy Ramsey when recalling his 30-plus year career in the boat building industry. But to understand how the company has risen to where it is today,... [Read More...]

    • InTheBite Christmas Gift Offers

      InTheBite Christmas Gift Offers

      In addition to the other products listed below, InTheBite is offering two amazing holiday gift deals: a free gift subscription and a hat, shirt and sticker bundle. Act now before the offer ends on December 24th at midnight! Christmas Special: Hat, Shirt & Sticker Bundle (While Supplies Last) Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the fisherman in your life?... [Read More...]

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2023 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.