The earliest known inhabitants of the Pacific crafted eyeless hooks from bone and shell with impressive elegance and ingenuity. A variation of the primitive methods employed in lashing hooks to line, the snell knot is widely favored across global fisheries. Creative anglers keen on advancing their collection of skills continue to perfect the craft with the latest iterations preventing tackle failure at traditional breaking points.
In early 2018, sportfishing legend Capt. Bart “Black Bart” Miller passed away. Bart left behind a lure company bearing his name and a list of marlin fishing feats that will likely never be duplicated. Miller was a veritable legend in the sportfishing industry and InTheBite is proud to have published some of Miller’s perspective. Here, from the archives, is one such piece.
Skill Level – 2 star
Genius Level- 4.5 out of 5 star
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By Peter B Wright
How important is the color of a lure to a billfish, a tuna, or any other large pelagic game fish?
For fish, especially those living in shallow water or staying near the surface, color vision can be hugely important for many species, including everything from small bait fish to giant marlin and tuna.
Consider mahi-mahi, almost certainly they would never have developed their outstanding coloration if they were not also gifted with color vision. This is a major part of what makes them, and all those gorgeous little tropical fish often collected and found in glass tanks and aquariums, so special.
Deep Apparel — Deep Apparel has joined up with country Superstar Kenny Chesney to raise awareness and dollars for Ocean Habitat and Conservation through his No Shoes Reefs project. Deep is adding a recycled fiber to the No Shoes Reefs T-Shirt via their new Eco line. We couldn’t be happier or more fortunate to align with No Shoes Reefs.
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to help make a difference for the future. We all share this passion for the ocean and are willing to do whatever we can to help preserve it. No Shoes Reefs recycled T-shirt is just the start” – Deep Team No Shoes Reefs is a grassroots project for Kenny Chesney that came to life one sunny day in Jacksonville,
Florida as Kenny and his friends from CCA floated over two concrete structures that were sunk 18months prior to this sunny day. As the boat floats over the fish finders went crazy and depth finders turned bright red showing that the St Johns River had two new living reefs. And Kenny along with Pat Murray, President of CCA proclaimed these as the first “No Shoes Reefs!”
Now today, No Shoes Reefs continues to help ocean conservation groups like our new partner, The ReefBall Foundation through Kenny’s voice, his collaborations with brand partners to raise awareness and dollars through sales of exclusive products, and along with his very own “No Shoes Nation” that is over a few million strong looking to help keep the oceans and any/all waterways healthy for generations to come.
This is No Shoes Reefs, an everchanging group of brands, ocean conservationists, and people wanting to join Kenny one Reef at a time!
Deep boiler plate … DEEP has simple roots, comfortable clothing that performs under stress but has the clean look you could grab a beer in. BOAT TO BAR (VERB; DEFINITION; THE SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITY TO LEISURE WITHOUT THE CHANGING OF ONE’S OUTFIT).
Apparel can be purchased through the Deep Apparel website by clicking the link below:
Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.
InTheBite caught up with Trista Evans, VP at Hooker Electric, who chatted with us about what’s new at the company and what products are going into the Valhalla boats from Viking Yachts. Hooker Electric was at the 24th Annual Viking VIP Boat Show at the Viking Service Center in Riviera Beach, Florida.
The event took place on January 31 and February 1.
Peter “Captain Pete” Bilardello is a retired electrical engineer who has more than 50 years of business and technical experience. He is the founder and president of 4 Reel Services Inc. and 4 Reel Products Inc. Peter also holds a master’s 100-ton captain’s license and a commercial pilot’s license. According to Peter, after his retirement, he “decided to do something more important with his life — do more fishing!”
“Our newest product line is 4 Reel Cleaner. We’re just expanding our product lines and reaching out to more people.”
In 2004 it all started when a local tackle shop asked if he knew how to fix a fishing reel.
“While this started out as a “keep busy” vocation, it soon grew into a sizeable business. So much for retirement! Now 4 Reel Services is a service and warranty center for most major brands and we receive and service reels form all parts of the world.”
If there wasn’t enough to do with his so-called retirement, Peter explains that he developed a new cleaning product: 4 Reel Cleaner. After trying many cleaners currently available with disappointing results, he then founded 4 Reel Products Inc. and developed his own brand of “non–toxic cleaning products that not only cleans reels, but also rods, tackle, fishing line and so much more.”
“To me, the fishing industry is a unique collection of people from all walks of life and experiences. It’s one of the only sports where everyone is equal and experience wins the day. Everybody has their story and it’s fun to listen to all the tall tales.”
Editor’s note: This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Looking for that last minute gift? InTheBite Publisher Dale Wills created a new line of Release Ruler belts. The latest creation is the Marlin Release Ruler belt. “They are just another way to show one’s passion for marlin fishing. In addition to a useful true-to-scale ruler, which captains and mates are always needing, the belts also contain the formula for estimating marlin weight and some useful identification tips. We also included the HUGE section at 20 inches – the holy grail for a grander measurement at the base of the marlins tail,” says Wills. MSRP $34.99.
