InTheBite

A Mate’s Pay

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mates on boat

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…]

Maria Magalhaes: Winning Top Angler the Second Year in a Row

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Maria Magalhaes

Photo courtesy © Los Sueños Resort & Marina | Pepper Ailor

“I had no idea I was going to win,” says Maria Magalhaes, who was named Top Angler Overall for the second year in a row at the 2022 Triple Crown Series. Magalhaes also took home Top Female Angler Overall.

[Read more…]

Captain Jimmy Loveland—An Industry Mover and Shaker

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Captain Jimmy Loveland. Courtesy Richard Gibson

By Carol M. Bareuther, RD

The first time I met Captain Jimmy Loveland was in the late 1980s. His brother Stewart, asked me to write a press release announcing the upcoming USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT), better known as the ‘Boy Scout’ tournament for its chief beneficiary at the time. What I thought would be a short straightforward fact-finding interview with Jimmy as we sat at the head of ‘A’ Dock in Red Hook, St. Thomas, turned into a four-plus hour education on the tournament’s rules. Not IGFA rules.

[Read more…]

Captain Brad Philipps Breaks Down the Guatemala Billfish

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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…]

The Pay Scale for Sportfishing Captains

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pay scale for sportfishing captains

By Scott “Fraz” Murray 

So 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…]

Captain Jack Morrow : Fishing Legend, Pioneer

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captain jack morrow

By Capt. Jeff Waxman

Capt. Jack Morrow came of age in Palm Beach, Florida during the heyday of Cat Cay and as sportfishing in the Caribbean came into its own. There are hallmarks among the cadre of Top Guns in our sport. It’s a bit like the fishing version of “masculine measurement.” It often goes a bit like this….

[Read more…]

Captain Paul Ivey: A Finer Storyteller Fishing Has Never Known

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captain paul ivey with a billfish offshore

Photo courtesy Thomas Kopper

ITB Staff

It’s hard to imagine a more colorful character on the fishing landscape than Captain Paul Ivey. Looking back on a career that spanned Florida, the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Venezuela and the Galapagos, Ivey’s recollections are delivered with characteristic New York flair. If you’re lucky enough to catch up with the old captain over the phone, you might as well be talking on the bridge of an old Bertram fishing Venezuela’s La Guaira Bank in 1988.

[Read more…]

Hiring the Right Boat Captain

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captain driving a boat

By Dale Wills

Hiring a boat captain is easy. Hiring the right boat captain is another story. Whether you’re succeeding in business or putting together a heavy caliber fishing team, one common thread is this: you’re only as successful as the people you surround yourself with. The process of hiring the right boat captain and crew is no different.

One question that’s frequently posed to me is, how can we as an industry better educate the new boat owner so the enjoyment of their purchase leads to a longer-term passion for boat ownership and sportfishing. We’ve all heard the worst case scenario of an owner selling the boat after two years due to the unforeseen (and often arduous) task of managing a revolving or dishonest crew?

Whether you are a mate or captain, understanding what it means to be a true professional is an integral part of our sport not only for your own career but the bigger picture of a thriving industry. [Read more…]

Keeping the Boss Happy: Advice from Veteran Captains and Owners

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By Jan Fogt

When it comes to pleasing the boss, all the usual applies. Like keeping the boat clean and well maintained, keeping meticulous maintenance records, reigning in any bad behavior on the part of the crew, being prepared for travel and trips, tournaments, etc. In other words, when it comes to the boat, the secret to longevity on the job would seem to be to keep the boss’s life as hassle free as possible while watching out for the bottom line. As most captains will attest, if you can manage all of the above while taking care of fishing, you’ve got a job for life.

[Read more…]

Young Guns: Capt. Abie Raymond

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Photo courtesy Kevin Dodge

By Ric Burnley

It’s not often that an aspiring fisherman gets the opportunity to be taken under the wing of a living legend. Yet long before meeting Bouncer Smith, a pioneer of several fisheries and one of the most outspoken captains in our industry, Abie Raymond knew all along that he would work on the water, only ever wanting one profession. The 32-year old captain was born in Miami and started guiding inshore trips by the age of 15.

[Read more…]