Owning a boat is undoubtedly expensive and that last check you sign before driving your new boat home is just the tip of the iceberg. Budgets are in the eye of the beholder as operating costs can vary greatly depending on how many days, weeks or months the boat will be in use and also how extensive your travel or tournament participation will be.
Photo courtesy Will Drost
By Ric Burnley
When I was young, my father gave me some great advice: “Let the tool do the work.” I was probably yanking on a hook with my pliers or trying to hack up bait with scissors when Dad gripped my wrist, looked in my eyes, and told me to stop fighting my tools. Since then, I’ve been a tool geek.
By Captain Kevin Deerman
Two things constantly changing our industry are technology and innovation. Fishing will always be fishing, but with all of the advancements there are many more crews traveling farther, faster and more comfortably and easily than ever before.
By Captain John Crupi
It doesn’t make a difference whether you need one or ten boat crew, the difficulties surrounding finding and keeping them are the same. Where do you start the search, how do you know which one to choose, what makes them stick around for the long term?
This year we’ve said goodbye to some amazing people in the sportfishing industry who will be missed. To remember them in our own way we put together a memorial you can watch. And if there is anyone we missed please let us know so that we can include them.
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.
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…]
Wiring a nice blue marlin is just one of the highlights for a full-time deckhand.
ITB Staff
It’s been called ‘the toughest job you’ll ever love:’ being a world-class mate on a top-flight sportfishing boat. These guys are the unsung heroes of the team—while the captain and anglers can take all the fame and glory they can handle for a tournament win or running 250 charters a year, the mates quietly go back to work, cleaning the boat and prepping for the next day. It takes a special kind of person to consistently perform well in this environment.
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.
