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 recreational angling through innovation, leadership or outstanding accomplishments in their trade.
Hiring a Captain For Your Center Console?
By Adam Peeples
As a current owner or prospective owner of a high-performance center console, hiring a captain may not be something that has been a consideration for the term of your boat ownership. After all, one of the main benefits of owning a center console is the relative ease of operation of such a vessel in relation to a sportfishing yacht. The operational costs, maintenance and general upkeep of most center console fishing boats are a fraction of that of a modern sportfishing yacht. So why would hiring a captain be worth thinking about?
Life After A Fishing Captain
Charles “Charlie” Hazouri employs thermal imaging technology in his career today as a marine surveyor. (Photo/Charles Hazouri)
By Carol M. Bareuther, RD
Manning the helm of a sleek sportfisher while hunting big billfish and lots of ‘em is a living-the-dream job come true. Every morning, the horizon’s the limit on what might bite that bait or be teased in by that lure. Likewise, every day is a bucket list adventure, and every night brings dreams of the next day’s record catches and bragging rights. Sometimes, though, life takes a turn. It might be voluntary. Terry Robinson, who captained Tyson’s Pride for over two decades and is now Bass Pro Shop’s saltwater specialist, wanted to spend more time ashore with his wife and son. Other times, a career change comes after the hard knock of a curve ball.
Good Captains and Great Captains
By John Crupi
Do you motivate and manage those around you? Do you inspire others to care and take pride in their work? Do you lead by example?
I believe one of my greatest accomplishments and rewards is seeing those that have worked under me move forward and thrive in what is becoming an increasingly competitive industry. I would never take credit for their achievements, but I hope that my leadership and mentorship played a role in their path to success.
Help Wanted: The Captain’s Complex Job Description
Photo courtesy: Simrad
By Elliott Stark
As much as we’d like to take credit for a great idea, longtime subscriber and boat owner Mr. Saeed Almaktoum provided the inspiration for this article. Saeed sent us a note suggesting such an editorial regarding role ambiguity after reading the 2019 Captain & Owner’s Guide.
“I have a background in the aviation business. If I leave one company to go to another, the standard operating procedures are the same—even from one country to the next. The expectations and the job description are almost identical. We have standard operating procedures and guidelines for every employee to know what is expected of them,” he says. “Strangely, when it comes to boating, a multimillion-dollar business, I could not find a guide that defined the expectations that a boat owner should have of his captain.”
Elizabeth Arn To Achieve Junior Blue Marlin Record
From left to right, Second Mate Chase Travers, Capt. Randy Baker, Capt. Scott Murie, First Mate Stephen Hall, Elizabeth Arn and Jonathan Arn.
By Zachary Granat
On May 31, 12-year-old Elizabeth Arn reeled in a 624-pound blue marlin off the coast of São Vicente, Cape Verde. Her catch will mark the new pending world record for the Female IGFA Junior Angler category.
Her angling was “outstanding,” says her father, Jonathan Arn. Upon getting a bite from the marlin, Elizabeth pushed the drag up to 25 pounds to ensure it was hooked solid. Then, she backed off the drag and moved the rod and reel into the fighting chair.
Beyond the Deep: Diana and Joseph Allbritton
Diana, Joseph and Tripp together onboard the Fishing Tripp.
By Zachary Granat
“He looked at boats the way most guys look at women,” says Diana Allbritton of Charleston, South Carolina about her late husband, Joseph. But he had eyes only for her.
Almost four years after his death in a private plane crash headed to the Bahamas on Oct. 25, 2018, Diana remembers when she first visited his bachelor pad in 2006.
Continuing a Sportfishing Legacy with Michael Lamb
Hard work and devotion are keys to success in any venture, and this fisherman credits his mountain roots and rural upbringing to success in business and on the water pursuits. More than 50 years since his father’s Island Rover was given a second chance in Andros, savvy angler, entrepreneur, husband and father Michael Lamb has been diligently working toward keeping his family’s dream alive through his own Island Rover, a 58-foot Merritt with glistening gold leaf lettering adorning the natural teak transom.
Boats Sunk for Artificial Reef in Memory of Capt. Patrick Price
By Zachary Granat
Last year, on Sept. 6, 2021, Capt. Patrick Price passed away after a battle with COVID-19. This month, the MCAC Artificial Reef Fund honored him by sinking two artificial reefs off the coast of St. Lucie County.
Two boats, the 65-foot Spirit of Palm Beach—renamed the DayMaker—and the 98-foot Last One—renamed the Capt. Patrick Price Reef—are now underwater. After about six months of planning and a delay in February, the organizers settled on the days of May 15 and May 16.
A Mate’s Pay
New Lines
By Ric Burnley
A good mate is worth his weight in gold. From wiring a blue marlin to serving cocktails, the second in command on a professional sportfishing boat has many jobs to master and many people to please.
So, how do you quantify the value of excellence? How do you compensate a person for unwavering dedication, extensive technical knowledge, a crushing physical toil and a winning attitude? Paying a mate what he’s worth would quickly run most operations out of financial resources. With all the adventure, excitement, drama and sheer fun of professional fishing, at the end of the day, it all comes down to a wad of cash passed from the fisherman to his best friend on the water. [Read more…]
