InTheBite Editors’ Top Story Picks for 2020
As we say goodbye to 2020 and look to 2021 with hope and excitement for new things to come, we can’t do this without looking back at the significant stories of the year. Our editors curated the top five stories that had a significant impact for us and our readers. These are the features that motivated, educated and took us away to wide open waters for the time we were reading. We hope you enjoy.
1. How the New Texas State Record Came to Be
In a very direct sense, the pending new Texas state record bluefin tuna was a victim of the coronavirus.
Whether or not fish can actually catch this disease, who the hell knows, but the trip that resulted in greasing the biggest bluefin in the history of the Lone Star State was the result of being cooped up in the house awaiting the virus to run its course. Captain Robert Nichols, who runs the Rock Mama, a 55’ Hatteras based out of Galveston, Texas was gracious enough to tell us all about this fish of a lifetime.
2. Two-Minute Warning: Pay Scale
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.
3. The 2019 Captains of the Year
The InTheBiteCaptain of the Year Cup presented by Hatteras is the world’s foremost competition for professional sportfishermen. The world’s only quantifiable metric for comparing the tournament success of captains, winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. The Cup is composed of five divisions that span the sportfishing world: East Coast, Florida, Gulf Coast, Hawaii and International.
We look back on the 2019 winners who pushed past challenges, beat the odds and showed us what it takes to be the best.
4. Steering You Straight: The Scoop on Steering
What type of steering system do you have? While most sportfish crew would answer hydraulic, there are many variables today that differentiate the design, components and operation of a vessel’s steering system. Learning about your boat’s system can assist when it comes time for maintenance, ordering repair parts and performing bleeding (more about this later).
5. Four Captains, 20 Tips for Better Live Bait Fishing
Live bait is both the best bait and the worst bait. Nothing entices a fish to bite better than a wriggling and writhing forage fish dangling from the hook. Nothing gives anglers more trouble than catching, keeping and rigging livies. That’s right, you can’t live with live bait, and you can’t win without.
The Fine Art of Live Baiting
Captain Wade Richardson’s long time mate Herbie deploys this bite-sized treat. Perfect for a black, a blue, sailfish, dorado, roosterfish or cubera.
By Elliott Stark
Live baiting is founded on a very simple biological concept. Since the very first time two fish swam in the ocean, the big ones have been trying to eat the little ones. In spite of the simplicity of the precept, live bait fishermen represent one of fishing’s most secret of societies. Fine tuning their presentations, crafting marlin bites that are as intimate as they are spectacular, the captains who have perfected the fine art of live baiting have long been viewed as secretive and mysterious.
Tournament Rules and Opinions: Everyone’s Got Them
Weekly blog: The September Issue
The September issue of IntheBite recently hit the docks. We are proud of this issue, as we are proud of most all of them. Why are we proud of IntheBite?
The issue includes a breakdown of how top captains use live bait to effectively target large black and blue marlin. The article is called “The Fine Art of Live Baiting.” It is true that you may have read articles about live baiting before, but we believe that this article is one not to be missed.
IntheBite is different. We pride ourselves on providing real substance for real fishermen. “The Fine Art of Live Baiting” breaks the approach to and philosophy of live baiting. We have interviewed four top captains who are expert live baiters. We interviewed two veteran captains from Hawaii who are recognized by their peers as some of the Aloha State’s best. Together these to captains have nearly 50 years of charter experience and have landed blue marlin upwards of 900 and 1,000 pounds on live bait respectively. We have also interviewed an American captain with 15 years of experience live baiting in Panama. To top it off, we interviewed with a Gulf Coast captain whose effective use of live baiting has paved the way numerous top tournament finishes in the past several years.
Who are these captains? What are their secrets? Can the addition of live baiting to your fishing arsenal put your program over the top? The answers are in the September issue of IntheBite. Subscribe today.
As a bonus you will also learn the ins and outs of the latest safety equipment, dredge fishing secrets of top professionals, and the mate’s guide to social media.
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