InTheBite

In The Yard- 44′ Rybovich Restored

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Ten months later and the 44′ Rybovich Mar Sal is restored. Mark and Sally Williamson of Fort Myers, Florida have taken delivery of their dream. “I just couldn’t be happier. I would highly, highly recommend A and J Boatworks for any major restoration. I just can’t say enough about Steve and his team and all of the of the subcontractors,” beams Mark Williamson. “Every contractor did what he said he was going to do and more. Mr. Nguyen of Nguyen Yacht Refinishing and Derek Lynds of Custom Yacht Works who handled all of the carpentry, I was very pleased with the overall quality of his work.”

“We were over time and over budget, but what the hell. I have redone a couple of boats before and knew what I was getting into,” Williamson describes. “Everybody always reads these stories and wonders how much do boat projects cost. The boat was done for about 45% of the cost of a new Rybovich.”

What all went into the overhaul? Just about everything. “We put in new diesels, new generators, new wiring– everything mechanical in the boat is new. From the thru hulls to the electronics to the showers. The outside was all repainted. In fact, the only thing that was not repainted was the forward area. We revarnished and refinished everything- new latches, new fixtures, new shower. We refinished everything, but the structure itself was in very good shape,” says Mark Williamson of his newly finished project.

“Plans now? We’re going fishing, baby! Fishing and cruising with my wife,” Mark explains happily. As he described how the boat came together, we could practically hear his smile over the phone.

Stbd Side. New bow rail, curtains and paint

All new decks, helm chairs, rocket launcher, plumbed live well, cushions

Original hard top

Engine room looking aft port side

engine room looking over port engine

New Cummins QSC, 600 hp

Oct 2016

To check out the article we published during the refit in October 2016 Click Here 

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Mid-Atlantic Triple Play

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by Ric Burnley

It’s Monday. The weather is hot and calm. We’re trolling 50 miles off Virginia Beach when a marlin appears in the spread. “Right long rigger!” the captain yells from the bridge.

It’s Tuesday. The weather is hot and calm. We’re slow trolling live bait along the edge of Norfolk Canyon. A hole opens in the ocean and one of the baits disappears in a violent strike. “Right long rigger!” the captain hollers.

It’s Wednesday. The weather is hot and calm. We’re pulling teasers and dredges east of the 100-fathom drop. A single angler stands in the cockpit holding a long, thin fly rod. “Right teaser!” the captain screams.

Mid-Atlantic marlin fishing is so hot that anglers are catching fish every way possible. And it only takes a simple spread for small-boaters to get in the game. From trolling plugs to pitching flies, if you like marlin fishing, just head to Maryland, Virginia or North Carolina this summer.

 

Plugging Away

Marlin show up off North Carolina’s Outer Banks as early as April. Big blue marlin are the first sentries to pull into the warm Gulf Stream water rushing along the 100-fathom curve off Hatteras. Anglers leaving Hatteras Inlet can hit the hot spots like the Rock Pile, Big Rock and peaks and canyons along the 100 fathom drop. May and June are the best times to score big blues.

A hungry blue marlin cannot turn down a blue and white Ilander skirt and horse ballyhoo but tournament rules prohibiting J-hooks in natural baits have had anglers experimenting with large plugs and circle-hook rigged pitch baits. A typical plug spread would include small plugs on the long riggers with larger models on the short riggers, flat line and shotgun positions. Teasers draw blue ones into the spread. Most crews run a squid chain with an Ilander trailer on one side of the boat and a huge plug on the other. Keep a circle-hook rigged Spanish mackerel ready to pitch at a window-shopping blue marlin.

One advantage of using plugs is they allow the crew to troll faster than they can with a spread of natural baits. The skipper can cover a lot of water at nine knots looking for a hungry blue one. All it takes is four to six 50- and 80-pound rod and reel combos and a couple teasers, perfect for small boats and enthusiastic anglers. As the season progresses, white marlin and sailfish join blue marlin off Hatteras by late May. These fish will fall for plugs, but most crews switch over to a spread dominated by small ballyhoo on a circle hook, along with squid teasers and dredges.

 

Troll Pro

By early summer, white marlin and blues will mix with dolphin and tuna patrolling the edge of Continental Shelf from Oregon Inlet, North Carolina up to Ocean City, Maryland. Captains look for marlin wherever warmer water crosses structure carrying bait and billfish. By late summer and early fall, gangs of white marlin follow schools of bait south on eddies swirling along the Shelf. This is when the fun begins.

Trolling small ballyhoo on circle hooks in between teasers and dredges is the go-to tactic for white marlin. Tournament pros have honed the spread and the tactics down to its most effective and efficient form, which is an easy fit for a small crew in a small boat. While the big-boys push million-dollar rigs packed with every advancement in bait and tackle, their tournament spread still consists of four small ballyhoo, two teasers and two dredges.

The philosophy revolves around a circle hook. Circle hooks save lives. Scientific research has proven that marlin caught with a J-hook have a greater chance of dying after release so anglers have switched over to circle hooks in an effort to help prevent the death of billfish that are intended to be released at the end of the fight. But the switch to circle hooks also requires the angler to be on his A-game. As soon as a marlin shows up, the angler must respond by dropping the bait back to the marlin. To keep things simple, skippers only run four rods. When the bite is firing and competition is hot, the anglers will hold the rods in hand, reels already in freespool, and wait for a shot.

There are several ways to rig a ballyhoo with a circle hook. Scientists who study circle hook marlin fishing have determined that using floss to lash the hook to the ballyhoo’s head provides the best hook-up ratio. But most of the pros use a small swivel and light wire to attach the hook to the bait. They argue that the swivel gives the bait better action. However the baits are rigged, a prepared crew will have plenty onboard. Pro mates will rig 100 ballyhoo and tie an equal number of rigs before leaving the dock.

 

Rig ‘Em Up

The rig is simple. Start with a 30-pound class two-speed reel spooled with 30-pound mono and matching rod. Use a Bimini and no-name knot to attach a 24-foot piece of 80-pound clear mono leader punctuated with a 100-pound ball bearing snap swivel. Add a five-foot leader of 60-pound fluorocarbon with a surgeon’s loop on one end and a 6/0 to 7/0 circle hook on the other. Keep a couple rods rigged and ready as pitch baits and always have a heavier 80-pound class combo ready with a whole Spanish mackerel to throw at a big blue one.

Marlin pros reason that running four lines allows the crew to focus on fewer baits while the fish are drawn to the boat by teasers and dredges. Most boats run squid chain teasers with nine-inch squid in a chain punctuated with a large ballyhoo behind a Ilander skirt.

Things get crazy when pros build a dredge. Tournament anglers with deep pockets and high ambitions rig dozens of large mullet on multi-level teasers peppered with rubber squids, artificial ballyhoo or mudflaps—rubber fish silhouettes. Serious crews fishing for fun will replace the mullet with natural ballyhoo behind a Mylar skirt. For anglers with limited time and resources, a dredge of rubber squid or ballyhoo is simple to use and easy to store.

Regardless of the dredge and teaser components, pros carry a variety of sizes and colors to match the bait and weather conditions. On a sunny day, go with lighter colors. On dark days use a darker mix. When the fish are focused on squid, use squid. When the marlin are corralling sardines, swimbaits or ballyhoo usually work best. Teaser squids should also be switched to tempt finicky marlin. Green and pink are most common colors, but blue, white and natural teaser squids are also popular.

The system revolves around marlin coming to the dredge or teaser and the anglers reacting quickly to put a hook-bait in front of the fish. When the marlin hits, put the reel in freespool, point the rod tip at the water, wait for the fish to run off with the bait and swallow it. When the line starts to scream off the reel, slowly push the drag lever up and come tight on the line. Done correctly, a white marlin will explode out of the water.

With one fish hooked, put the boat in a turn towards the fleeing fish, bring the inside baits up and make a circle in hopes of tempting a second or third bite. There is nothing in sportfishing as exciting as catching white marlin on circle hooks. This is a perfect game and the sport of kings.

 

Get Live
Marlin love live bait. That’s no secret. Anglers all over the world (including the mid-Atlantic) target these fish on live baits. While the tactic is forbidden in most tournaments, slow-trolling live baits can produce incredible numbers of fish.

The tactic is even more simple that trolling. The best action is centered on the southwest corner of Norfolk Canyon. That’s where anglers mark huge schools of tinker mackerel on the bottom. Drop a five-hook mackerel rig (long-shank hooks with surgical tubing) to the bottom and bring up several tinkers at once (tinkers will stay alive in a large, circular livewell but small tuna tubes work best to
keep the baits lively). Be sure to have rigged baits in the water while catching more bait; marlin will often follow the tinkers to the surface looking for an easy meal.

The mackerel is bridled to a circle hook and dangled from the flat lines and long-riggers. Slow-troll the baits just fast enough to keep them on the surface. Pull two squid chain teasers without trailers so the teaser floats on the surface.

Circle the bait marks and keep an eye on the lines. A marlin will often take a live bait like a trout rising to a dry fly. When the fish bites, take the reel out of gear to allow the marlin to swallow the large live fish. Many times the marlin will come out of the water with its mouth open trying not to choke on its mistaken meal. Marlin hunt in packs, so expect multiple bites and bring a lot of marlin flags. Anglers fishing live baits often return with 10, 20, even 50 flags flying.

 

Fly Time

One of the most difficult and most thrilling ways to catch a marlin is on fly rod. The boat pulls teasers and dredges to attract the marlin. When a bill shows up, the captain takes the boat out of gear and the angler uses a heavy fly outfit with shooting line and a large, gaudy popper fly to entice the marlin.

The slow reel and whippy rod make it impossible to chase the fish down, so the angler fights from a mostly dead boat. Connected to five feet of electric fish fighting and jumping and running, the

angler feels every aspect of a white marlin’s spastic and noble personality. It takes a lot of skill and even more luck to fool a finicky marlin with just hair and feathers. But when the two come together, the payoff is as thrilling as any experience on the water.
Whether using plugs, ballyhoo, live bait or fly rods, marlin fishing requires simple tackle and easy tactics; perfect for newbies and seasoned pros alike. But don’t be fooled, even if the gear and tactics are basic, whites, sails and blue marlin offer the ultimate challenge. However a crew chooses to chase white marlin, there is no better place in America to encounter epic action than along the mid-Atlantic region in late summer.

 

Sidebar 1

 

Marlin Masters

Get in touch with these captains to get down with mid-Atlantic marlin fishing.

 

Maryland

Capt. Anthony Matarese, Reel Chaos, www.mmhunting.com, 609-685-0704

Capt. Jon Duffie, Billfisher, www.ocsunsetmarina.com, 240-372-8117

 

Virginia Beach

Capt. Randy Butler, Rebel, www.rebelsportfishing.com, 757-932-0036

Capt. Pat Foster, Waverunner, www.vbsportfishing.com, 757-377-5018

 

Oregon Inlet

Capt. Jason Snead, Dream Girl, www.dreamgirlcharters.com, 252-255-8037

Capt. Brian Leonard, Swordfish, www.swordfishobx.com, 757-236-5000

 

Hatteras

Capt. Rom Whitaker, Release, www.hatterasrelease.com, 252-986-1031

Capt. Dan Rooks, Tuna Duck, www.tunaduck.com, 252-216-6160

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New Tackle For 2017

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Hello friends,

Here’s a look at the latest new products which won awards at the annual ICAST show(Trade Show for Fishing Tackle). Each year we attend the show to stay informed on the latest news, trends and equipment in the fishing industry. Although the show tends to be 75% related to freshwater fishing, its still interesting to see all the latest tackle in the industry. You’ll see most of the new tackle start to hit the shelves this fall and early 2018.

Best of Category

Boating Accessories – Yeti Coolers, LoadOut Bucket. Info: http://yeti.com/

Boats and Watercraft – Bote, Rover. Info: https://www.boteboard.com/

Eyewear – Costa, The Sunrise Mirror Lens. Info: https://www.costadelmar.com/

Footwear – Huk Performance Fishing, Attack. Info: https://www.hukgear.com/

Giftware – The Catch and Release Print Shop, Fish Prints Actual Size. Info: https://prints.fish/

Lifestyle Apparel – Frogg Toggs, Prym1 Series Pilot II Jacket & Bibs. Info: https://www.froggtoggs.com/

Technical Apparel – Frogg Toggs, Sierran Transition Wader. Info: https://www.froggtoggs.com/

Electronics – Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc., Solix 15 Chirp Mega SI GPS. Info: https://www.johnsonoutdoors.com/

Fishing Accessory – Yeti Coolers, Panga Duffel. Info: http://yeti.com/

Fly Fishing Accessory – Simms Fishing Products, G3 Guide™ Stockingfoot Wader. Info: https://www.simmsfishing.com/

Fishing Line – Pure Fishing Inc., Berkley Fireline Ultra 8. Info: http://www.berkley-fishing.com/

FishSmart – Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle, 2017 Flounder Sample Pack. Info: https://www.eagleclaw.com/

Kids’ Tackle – 13 Fishing, Ambition Combo. Info: http://www.13fishing.com/

Tackle Management – Daiwa Corporation, Tactical Backpack. Info: http://www.daiwa.com/global/en/

Terminal Tackle – Trapper Tackle, Trapper Round Bend Treble. Info: https://trappertackle.com/

Freshwater Hard Lure – Okuma Fishing Tackle Corp., Savage Gear 3D Topwater Bat. Info: http://savage-gear.com/

Saltwater Hard Lure – Rapala, X-Rap Magnum 40. Info: http://www.rapala.com/rapala-lures/

Freshwater Soft Lure – Lunkerhunt LP, Prop Series. Info: http://www.lunkerhunt.com/

Saltwater Soft Lure – LiveTarget, Hollow Body Mullet. Info: https://www.livetargetlures.com/

Fly Reel – Pure Fishing, Inc., Pflueger Supreme QRS Fly Reel. Info: http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/

Freshwater Reel – Shimano American Corp., Curado K Baitcasting Reels. Info: http://fish.shimano.com/

Saltwater Reel – Shimano American Corp., Sustain Reels C4000/5000. Info: http://fish.shimano.com/

Rod & Reel Combo – Lew’s Fishing Tackle, Mach Crush Speed Spool Combo. Info: http://www.lews.com/index.php

Fly Fishing Rod – G. Loomis, Inc., IMX-Pro Fly Rod. Info: http://www.gloomis.com/

Freshwater Rod – 13 Fishing, Fate Black. Info: http://www.13fishing.com/

Saltwater Rod – St. Croix Rods, Legend Tournament Inshore. Info: http://stcroixrods.com/

 

First Runners-Up

First Runner-Up – Boating Accessories – Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc.

Product: Talon Shallow Water Anchor – 15 ft

First Runner-Up – Boats and Watercraft – Live Watersports

Product: Live L4Expedition – Realtree Edition

First Runner-Up – Eyewear – Maui Jim Sunglasses

Product: Kanaio Coast Style #766

First Runner-Up – Footwear – Simms Fishing Products

Product: Challenger Mid Boat Shoe – Waterproof

First Runner-Up – Giftware – L’il Sucker Products, Inc.

Product: Insulator

First Runner-Up – Lifestyle Apparel – Simms Fishing Products

Product: SolarFlex® Armor Shirt

First Runner-Up – Technical Apparel –  Simms Fishing Products

Product: Contender Insulated Jacket 

First Runner-Up – Electronics – Lowrance-Navico

Product: Lowrance HDS Carbon 16

First Runner-Up – Fishing Accessory – Rapala

Product: Mag Spring Pliers

First Runner-Up – Fly Fishing Accessory – Phoenix Inventors, LLC

Product: The SimpliFLY

First Runner-Up – Fishing Line – Rapala

Product: Sufix 832 – Coastal Camo

First Runner-Up – FishSmart – Adventure Products, Inc.

Product: EGO Kryptek S2 Slider Landing Net – Medium Clear Rubber

First Runner-Up – Kids’ Tackle – Anything Possible

Product: Steinhauser Tangle-FREE Pocket Combo

First Runner-Up – Tackle Management – Plano Synergy

Product: KVD Signature Bag

First Runner-Up – Terminal Tackle – American Tackle Company

Product: JIGSKINZ “ProSkinz Color Series”

First Runner-Up – Freshwater Hard Lure – Rapala

Product: RipStop

First Runner-Up – Saltwater Hard Lure – Yo-Zuri America, Inc.

Product: Hydro Minnow LC

First Runner-Up – Freshwater Soft Lure – LIVETARGET

Product: BaitBall Spinner Rig

First Runner-Up – Saltwater Soft Lure – Chasebaits Australia

Product: Smash Crab JNR

First Runner-Up – Fly Reel – Zebco Brands

Product: Van Staal VFHD 8-10-12 Wt

First Runner-Up – Freshwater Reel – 13 Fishing

Product: Concept Z

First Runner-Up – Saltwater Reel – Pure Fishing

Product: PENN International VI – 50VISW

First Runner-Up – Rod & Reel Combo – 13 Fishing

Product: Fate Black and Origin FB Reel

First Runner-Up – Fly Fishing Rod – St. Croix Rods

Product: Imperial USA

First Runner-Up – Freshwater Rod – G. Loomis, Inc.

Product: CONQUEST Bass Rods

First Runner-Up – Saltwater Rod – Lew’s Fishing Tackle

Product: Tournament Performance TP1 Inshore

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Blue Marlin Fishing Chronicles – Captain Mike Lemon

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Blue Marlin Fishing Chronicles

Chapter 1. Originally published in InTheBite,  April/May, 2015.

Captain Mike Lemon – North Drop Expertise, St. Thomas.

Describing fishing as long periods of boredom followed by frantic seconds of action was probably first written by a blue marlin fisherman. Who in their right mind enjoys riding around the deep blue ocean for hours on end, happy with just one encounter of the ocean’s apex predator- the blue marlin? Imagine yourself in the cockpit of a sportfisher looking aft at a boat wake and prop wash; lures and teasers bubbling for hours with no encounters. It’s boring!

Next you see a boat backing down, hooked up with a blue jumping across the surface. You can’t help but wonder what the other guy is doing to be successful? If and when you do get your shot, you better give yourself the best opportunity to succeed and understand why the long wait was worth it. To help you be more successful we delve into the techniques of top marlin skipper Captain Mike Lemon, who opens up with some very helpful tips for your summer marlin fishing season.

Mostly gone are the days exclusively trolling big lures with big hooks and heavy drag for marlin. And while “drag and snag” still has its place on some very good boats, those words are certainly not echoed up and down the docks like in years’ past. The changes have more to do with releasing fish using circle hooks and dredges. Whether you’re fishing in St. Thomas, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, the mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean, today’s blue marlin fishermen are dredge and teaser fishing.

Captain Mike Lemon, who ran the record-breaking Revenge, fished the blue marlin-rich waters of the famous North Drop out of of St. Thomas for 30-plus years. To know captain Lemon is like knowing one of your high school science teachers- very knowledgeable and uniquely different in his approach. Like all good captains who are open to change, Lemon started using the dredge in 2011 after declaring, “I saw too many good fishermen trying it not to give it a shot.”

The Spread

Captain Lemon’s standard North Drop spread is one dredge, two bridge teasers, two short rigger teasers and two long riggers with hooks. With trolling speeds anywhere from 7.5 to 8.5 knots, Lemon uses a light six-arm “Zing” brand dredge equipped with six mud-flap style teasers and a bowling pin teaser positioned in the center to create more of a swerving action. Lemon also points out that his dredge is controlled from the cockpit.

“Our dredge is positioned around the second wave, with the bridge teasers around the third wave,” he says. “With the dredge on the second wave I always felt that we had ours way too far back and probably raised some fish to it but didn’t know it. I wish I could see it better but a lot of that is training yourself to look there.”

The Tease

Lemon goes on to say, “When we raised a marlin on a bridge teaser, the first thing we did was wind the dredge up. Then one of the mates or anglers on the teasing side would crank the short rigger in near the initial bridge teaser position. I do this for a couple reasons but mainly to be in a better position for a back up shot should the fish not get hooked on the pitch bait. Pulling the short rigger in is also much easier to keep clear of a crazy fish getting tangled in the spread after coming tight,” says Lemon.

He points out the importance of paying attention and understanding how the marlin is teasing. “I try to do as much as I can to provide my angler with an “anticipated” bite versus a “surprise” bite on the pitch,” he says. “To help with this, I’ve learned not to tease the marlin all the way up to the transom and yank the teaser away to see when and where the marlin shows up again. In an ideal tease, the angler is listening and seeing what is going on and most of the time visually picking up the fish. I’m teasing by hand versus using the electric bridge teaser reel and I like to get the marlin teased just past the first wave before we present a bait– then I pull the teaser away as the pitch bait goes back.” The goal is to have the marlin smoothly transition to the pitch in a more predictable manner versus a now you see now you don’t approach. It’s important that the angler can see what is going on and get a softer bite versus a unpredictable crash bite.

Captain Mike also feels that it’s his role as the captain to eliminate any surprises on the pitch bait and adds that pitching natural baits with a well-orchestrated tease are the best combination for success. “Keeping the fish far enough from the transom area helps me communicate what the fish is doing and helps the angler in seeing the fish,” he says.

Unique Rigger Execution

Another unique aspect to Lemon’s approach is how he likes to keep his short riggers in the same halyard position once a marlin is being teased and then cleverly transfers the short rigger tease over to his bridge teaser with the help of his crew. To do this takes practice and timing. On Lemon’s command, the mate controlling the short rigger basically teases the marlin right into the bridge teaser. When Captain Lemon gives the “clear” command, the short rigger is reeled in quickly and cleared and the marlin is left seeing the bridge teaser without really knowing the short rigger teaser was changed.

Again, the goal here is to communicate and control the tease before the final transition to the pitch bait. Seeing the marlin for both angler and captain is a huge advantage. “Having control of my bridge teaser and hand teasing has worked well for us,” adds Lemon. Many crews like to pull the halyard down close and get the fish coming in closer to the corner but Lemon says he likes to keep the fish outside the alley in cleaner water for better visibility.

Captain Mike Lemon is one of the top blue marlin fishermen in world– with well over 1,000 blue marlin released so far. Do yourself a favor and incorporate some of these tried and true techniques into your spread the next time you are fishing the North Drop! You’ll be the boat backing while the others are watching– you guessed it – the boat wake, the prop wash and the bubbling of the lures and the teasers.

 

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Finding Birds: Is The Latest Radar Technology Right For You?

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High resolution March issue article here

By Steve Katz

Recently I visited a 68’ sportfish. The vessel had received many helm upgrades. The control station was a beautiful helm with four large flush-mounted glass style monitors. Upon powering on the system, I witnessed a modern GPS chart plotter in high definition. In contrast, I also found a blurry radar image from a system introduced over 10-years ago that had been adapted (not well) to work with the new screens.

Since it appeared that cost was not an issue, I asked how this happened. The captain explained that the previous captain was familiar with the old radar and knew how to use it. He therefore demanded it remain during the electronics upgrade. It seems the prior captain didn’t want to learn a new radar system! There are many captains and owners who prefer to keep using the hardware they know. That said, the advantages to using modern electronics are worth the effort to take the time to learn!

Radar Basics: Applications

Let’s review why we use marine radar:

  • Collision avoidance is the number one feature of marine radar. An educated radar user can use the displayed radar image to avoid a collision with land, other fixed objects and other vessels at sea. This use of radar is not just for nighttime use, it can be used anytime and can help locate and identify targets.
  • Regulatory compliance. The international COLREGS and the USCG Navigation rules (small white book) both require the use of “all available means” –including radar if equipped– to determine if a risk of collision exists.  
  • Radar can be used for passenger safety to help identify threats or uninvited vessels approaching or traveling nearby.
  • Radar can be used to locate distant storms and help provide the captain with information necessary to safely navigate through or around a storm.
  • Radar can help measure distances to other objects such as land masses, aids to navigation, other ships, and storms. Radar can also confirm the ship’s location against a chart plotter display.
  • Ship’s radar can signal a radar beacon (racon). When triggered, a racon transmits information back to the ship’s radar display about the racon feature. Often this information can be used as a navigation aid to identify a landmark or buoy.
  • Radar can activate SART (Search And Rescue Transponder). SART devices are used to locate a survival craft or distressed vessel by displaying a series of dots on a rescuing ship’s radar display.
  • Most importantly for ITB readers, RADAR CAN FIND BIRDS!! (We are looking for birds since birds may congregate near the same baitfish that are part of the gamefish diet.)

A Radar Overview

Before we get into the fun stuff on finding birds with radar, let’s review ARPA and MARPA, echo trails, VRM and EBL, magnetrons and solid state radar.

 

ARPA–automatic radar plotting aid– is a feature of commercial radar systems where the radar system automatically acquires and tracks targets (other boats) near the vessel to aid in collision avoidance. The ARPA system reports the other vessel’s range, bearing, target speed, target direction (course), CPA (closest point of approach), and TCPA (time of closest point of approach), safe or dangerous indication, and often includes a proximity alarm. Larger boats and commercial ships are required by IMO (International Maritime Organization) and other standards to have and use the ARPA feature on their radar. While the ARPA feature is found on commercial radars, Furuno offers it on many of its recreational radar packages as well.

 

MARPA— Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid—is very similar to ARPA but includes fewer features. MARPA is currently found on most of the recreational radars. The major difference is that with MARPA, targets need to be manually selected and often a smaller number of targets can be tracked simultaneously. Note, for MARPA (or ARPA) to function accurately, a heading sensor is required. On a pleasure boat, often the heading sensor from an existing autopilot may be integrated. If not, a stand-alone heading sensor may be required.

 

The ARPA/MARPA feature is often underused by pleasure boaters. It is a great feature to use to enhance your situational awareness, especially when traveling or operating in any kind of restricted visibility. If not familiar with this feature, try it out on a clear day when you have time to experiment at the helm. Learn how to set your system up to acquire targets and see how the system alarms you when a target gets too close.

 

Echo trails

Echo trails are a safety feature which provide colored historical “trails” behind a target vessel. These trails are shown on the screen in a different color to help you quickly and easily identify moving targets and potential collision threats. The trails provide a visual depiction of the vessel’s course.

 

VRM and EBL

Variable range markers (VRM) and electronic bearing lines (EBL) allow you to move the radar display cursor over a vessel or point of interest to view the instantaneous measurement of distance and bearing to vessels or land.

 

Magnetrons

We all hear about the magnetron inside the traditional marine radar but what does it do and why worry about transmits hours? A magnetron generates the radio pulses (radar energy) that are sent out from the marine radar antenna. After thousands of hours, the magnetron’s performance can be diminished. It is usually a slow degradation, starting with symptoms of reduced ability to acquire distant targets.  If this happens, the radar’s magnetron can be replaced to restore the radar’s original performance. The design and technology behind the magnetron radar dates back to the 1940s military use. It wasn’t until the 1980s that radar became affordable for pleasure boats.

 

The Latest in Radar Technology

Recently, a new radar design has been made available to pleasure boats. Known as Solid State, Doppler, CHIRP or FMCW radar these new radars do not operate with magnetrons.  Each of the major manufactures has their own name for the solid state technology radar—names include the Furuno NXT, Garmin Fathom, Navico Halo and Navico broadband 3G/4G and Raymarine Quantum. Most manufacturers offer this technology in both open array and dome styles.

The new solid state radar systems offer some advantages. These include:

  • From a maintenance and service issue – there is no magnetron to replace and no performance decrease as the radar operational hour’s increase.
  • Great short range performance – some of these systems can show fine details such as finger piers inside a busy marina while 20 feet away.
  • The radar is instant on, no warm up time before transmission.
  • Low RF (radio frequency) emissions, safer for humans in the transmission beam.
  • Solid state radar systems can indicate whether a target is moving toward or away your vessel using Doppler with programs such as Furuno’s “Target Analyzer” and Garmin’s “MotionScope.”

There are also a number of drawbacks to the new system. These include:

  • Long range performance may not be as good as with a magnetron.
  • Solid State systems are not as good at finding and tracking birds as magnetron style radar.

The continuous development of solid state hardware and software should eventually allow these modern radars to exceed all performance aspects of magnetron radars for pleasure boat use.

Finally… How to Find the Birds

Using your radar to find birds is very useful when fishing. Long time captains can tell you they can easily manually tune their radars to find birds. Some newer radar users rely on the automated settings, often called “bird mode” by the manufacturers.  Whichever method you choose, finding birds requires the ability to increase the gain and reduce the clutter of the controls.

For manual users, set your range to medium or long. Next, increase the gain until you flood the screen with blanket of small specs, then back off the gain just a bit. Leave the AC rain and AC sea clutter off. Flocks of birds will look like dense reoccurring noise and not a solid target.  It is best to practice this when you can visually see the birds and compare what you see to what the radar shows. It can take some practice adjusting your range, gain and clutters to get a picture that defines the birds. Your radar power, antenna style, mounting location, screen resolution and other factors can influence the settings and ability of a specific set-up to effectively see birds at a useful range.

If your radar has an automatic “bird mode” setting, it’s worth a try. This option is an easy way to get the settings quickly adjusted. According to the manufacturers, there is more to this feature than just a gain pre-set. There is also a software algorithm that works in the background to adjust the radar settings to best identify birds.

The best type of radar to find distant birds is a large high power open array– a 25kW with a 6’ array is the most typical radar found on tournament sportfish boats. Certainly less power and size will work, just not as good or as far. The narrow beam width of the open array and high transmission power is what allows the radar to pick up small fast-moving, distant targets such as birds.

Some captains have been able to easily tune and use modern solid state radar to target birds, even using the new dome style radar on smaller boats. The radar height off of the water and the bird’s height off the water are limiting factors to the distance birds (or any object) can be marked.

Conclusion

Whether using your radar in the darkness of night to find your way or to locate birds on the horizon during a tournament, your boat’s radar is one of the most important pieces of equipment on the bridge. Everyone uses marine radar in different ways. Just as there are a variety of uses for radar, there are many different skill levels of radar users. What is universal, however, is that there are some important safety and fishing features of radar that all captains should know about. Take the time to learn your system and keep it in operating performance.

 

 

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Captain of the Year Costa Gulf Division– Capt. Devin Potts, Sea Mixer

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Captain Devin Potts is the Captain of the Year in the Costa Gulf Division.  Potts, who runs the 66′ Spencer Sea Mixer, is based in Orange Beach, Alabama. Captain Devin received the award at the 2017 Orange Beach Billfish Classic.  Potts and first mate Jared Quick weighed a 366-pound blue marlin in the tournament, taking second place in the tournament. The story leading up to how they caught the fish is a good one, which Potts was generous enough to relate in the video.  Congratulations Capt. Devin.

The Sea Mixer in her shed in Orange Beach, Alabama. Awesome.

Devin and Lindsay Potts. A family affair.

Potts and first mate Jared Quick.

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Lyon’s Pride and Reel Addiction Win Big In Orange Beach

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2017 Orange Beach Billfish Classic Results

Blue Marlin
1st- Lyon’s Pride- Angler Riley Satterfield with a 431.6lbs.
2nd- Sea Mixer- Angler Christopher Davis with a 388.4lbs.

Catch and Release
1st- Reel Addiction
2nd- A Work of Art
3rd- Gunnslinger

Tuna
1st- Done Deal- Angler Katie Gonsoulin with 502.4lbs.
2nd- Team Supreme- Angler Chuck Morris with 174lbs.
3rd- Relentless Pursuit- Angler Josh Jones with 151.8lbs.

Wahoo
1st- Lolita- Angler Doug Womac with 41.2lbs
2nd- Triple C- Angler Scott Cooper with 39lbs

Dolphin
None Where Caught

Top Lady Angler
Katie Gonsoulin on the Done Deal

Top Junior Angler
Dalen Johnson on the Gunnslinger

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Video: New 2000 lbs. Dredge Swivels from Diamond Fishing Products

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National Sales Manager for Momoi and Diamond Fishing Products John Drouet shows off the new 2000 lbs. and 1000 lbs. dredge swivels. Also, check out the new live bait rig one of his friends designed. This video was filmed on location at the Custom Boat Shootout.


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