InTheBite

Mag Bay Marvel

By

striped marlin feeding on bait ball in mag bay

Photo courtesy Gary Graham

A long-time west coast secret, the incredible fishery that is Mexico’s Magdalena Bay is attracting ever increasing international attention. With ever more traveling operations exploring the fishery, we’ve turned to Baja expert and longtime Mag Bay angler Gary Graham to provide a full report on the fishery, how to get there and what to expect.

By Gary Graham

Located on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula – approximately 800 miles south of the California border – Magdalena Bay is protected by five barrier islands. Spanning some 131 miles, with most of its shore lined with mangroves, this is the largest bay on the West Coast of the peninsula. An extraordinary habitat, the plankton-rich environment attracts sardine and shrimp with other baitfish which in turn attracts a diversity of sea life. The astonishing offshore fishery stretches approximately 100 miles out in front of Magdalena Bay, from the Thetis Bank north of Cabo San Lázaro, down to below Punta Tosca at the southern end of Santa Margarita Island.

[Read more…]

A Fishing Story from the Miss Annie

By

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.

[Read more…]

Making the Long-Range Offshore Trip

By

boat trip in the gulf

By Capt. Adam Peeples

With today’s high-tech center consoles, multi-day trips are becoming more prevalent as the load carrying capability, range, and creature comforts continue to improve. Planning a long-range trip aboard an open fisherman requires a multitude of inspections, safety checks and logistical considerations, but with proper attention a trip over the horizon can be both rewarding and productive.

[Read more…]

Captain Brad Philipps Breaks Down the Guatemala Billfish

By

guatemala billfish

Photo courtesy Mark B. Hatter

By Mark B. Hatter

“We know more about the moon than we know about the habits of billfish.”

Brad Philipps, captain, owner and operator of the charter boat Decisive and Guatemala Billfishing Adventures, introspectively remarked as we sipped whisky and smoked Cuban cigars on the rooftop of his Casa Philipps in Antigua, in January of 2020. It had been a VERY slow week, yet under the uncharacteristic circumstances, we raised and released more sailfish using fly tackle than any other boat in the fleet.

So, I am not so sure about Philipp’s moon and billfish remark.

[Read more…]

Charter Boat Confessional—True Tales from the High Seas

By

The Bali Hai headed offshore. Photo courtesy Jim Callas

By Jim Callas

As a young deckhand, I had the opportunity to fish with some really awesome guys—one of whom was a fellow by the name of Capt. David Russell. Russell was fishing on a boat called the Bali Hai and was a pretty cool guy. We got to talking one day and he basically hired me on the spot for some reason and soon we were fishing every day. The Bali Hai was what was referred to as a Navy Crash boat or
AVR boat. AVR was an acronym for “air, sea rescue.” These old wooden boats were built for the navy and resembled a PT boat from WWII. Built out of double diagonal mahogany planking, powered by twin Ford Lehman diesels and had a reverse sheer line. The old AVR boats came in two sizes: 44 feet and 63 feet—we had the 44 foot version.

[Read more…]

Laundry Line – A Guide To Flying Fishing Flags

By

fish flags

On the starboard halyard, billfish flags are to be arranged by species significance.

ITB Staff

It was long before social media revealed daily fishing reports that fish flags were used to publicly announce one’s success on the water. History credits The Tuna Club of Santa Catalina for the introduction of fish capture flags that were oversized and colored so nearby boats could be alerted to tuna, swordfish and marlin landings.

[Read more…]

Returning to Normal in Marsh Harbour Bahamas

By

Abaco Beach Resort Marina

By Dale Wills

I recently returned from a visit to Marsh Harbour, Bahamas for the Production vs. Custom Shootout run by legend Skip Smith. This was my first time returning to the islands since Dorian devastated the Abacos in September 2019. I stayed at the Abaco Beach Resort and the marina looks better today than it ever did. The new tournament scale is awesome and I’d bet a giant sea monster couldn’t tear it down as it is now made from steel beams. If only that precious ground under the scale could talk. I have fond memories of big marlin and boats backing under it to celebrate.

[Read more…]

Lesson Learned: Stuck at Sea

By

jupiter inlet

Photo courtesy Chad Pinder

By Chad Pinder, as told to ITB Staff

I was a mate out of the Square Grouper in Jupiter aboard a 6-pack boat. In March 2018, we had a charter a family of four plus a regular. The day went as planned and we started out bottom fishing then a little storm cell came through. As the seas got bumpy people started to drop from seasickness.

[Read more…]

Gallery: Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown, Leg 2

By

Leg 2 of the 2021 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown may have wrapped up but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still reminiscing about the great time we had. From traveling with the Jaruco team to catching up with the Uno Mas winners, the tournament was just another silver lining for 2021.

[Read more…]

InTheBite Editors’ Top Story Picks for 2020

By

As we say goodbye to 2020 and look to 2021 with hope and excitement for new things to come, we can’t do this without looking back at the significant stories of the year. Our editors curated the top five stories that had a significant impact for us and our readers. These are the features that motivated, educated and took us away to wide open waters for the time we were reading. We hope you enjoy.

1. How the New Texas State Record Came to Be

820 bluefin tuna hanging from Pelican Rest scale in texas

In a very direct sense, the pending new Texas state record bluefin tuna was a victim of the coronavirus.

Whether or not fish can actually catch this disease, who the hell knows, but the trip that resulted in greasing the biggest bluefin in the history of the Lone Star State was the result of being cooped up in the house awaiting the virus to run its course. Captain Robert Nichols, who runs the Rock Mama, a 55’ Hatteras based out of Galveston, Texas was gracious enough to tell us all about this fish of a lifetime.

Read more…

2. Two-Minute Warning: Pay Scale

two guys exchanging moneySo many times, I’m asked about how much a captain should get paid. Sometimes, I’m asked by the captain and sometimes I’m asked by the owners. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason on what a captain should or shouldn’t make.

Back in the day, there was an unwritten rule that a captain should make a grand per foot. I don’t know who came up with that…but it was ignorant.

Read More…

3. The 2019 Captains of the Year

The InTheBiteCaptain of the Year Cup presented by Hatteras is the world’s foremost competition for professional sportfishermen. The world’s only quantifiable metric for comparing the tournament success of captains, winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. The Cup is composed of five divisions that span the sportfishing world: East Coast, Florida, Gulf Coast, Hawaii and International.

We look back on the 2019 winners who pushed past challenges, beat the odds and showed us what it takes to be the best.

Read More…

4. Steering You Straight: The Scoop on Steering

What type of steering system do you have? While most sportfish crew would answer hydraulic, there are many variables today that differentiate the design, components and operation of a vessel’s steering system. Learning about your boat’s system can assist when it comes time for maintenance, ordering repair parts and performing bleeding (more about this later).

Read More…

5. Four Captains, 20 Tips for Better Live Bait Fishing

Live bait is both the best bait and the worst bait. Nothing entices a fish to bite better than a wriggling and writhing forage fish dangling from the hook. Nothing gives anglers more trouble than catching, keeping and rigging livies. That’s right, you can’t live with live bait, and you can’t win without.

Read More…