In Their Own Words is an InTheBite exclusive. This is the first installment. The series provides first person access to the men behind the boats.

Paul Spencer describes his approach to making boats and the evolution of Spencer Yachts from the beginning– a charter captain making a boat for himself– into what it has become today, one of the finest operations in sportfishing. As Spencer Yachts celebrates its 100th hull, Paul describes the company’s philosophy to the art and business of boat building.

The Best Learning Techniques for Captains and Mates

Like a career in business or entertainment, as a sportfishing professional you must stay relevant. Lawyers, doctors, counselors, and real estate agents must all attend something called continuing education credits to keep their licenses current. While there is nothing like this in fishing, that doesn’t mean that getting a fulltime job on a boat is an excuse to stop learning.... [Read More...]

Ritchie Howell Splashes Out of the Box 61’

Ritchie Howell recently completed a 61’ sportfisher and the result was a beautiful vessel that is currently fishing out of Los Sueños. There is, however, an interesting story to how the vessel came about. “I was building the boat for a customer from Venezuela. He was willing to take a chance with me. We wanted to design something exciting, something... [Read More...]

Captain Brad Philipps Knows his Billfish

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, this January. It had been a VERY slow... [Read More...]

Capt. Alex Rogers, Cabo San Lucas

Most days, Capt. Alex Rogers can be found chartering his boat, the Protocol, off the shores of Mexico's Cabo San Lucas where marlin are frequently seen, and caught, on these trips. Rogers' dogs, Rigger and Makaira, featured in "Boat Dogs," Oct/Nov. 2019, are also a common sight on the Protocol. Rogers chats with InTheBite about fishing in this area and... [Read More...]

Kona’s “Lazy Marlin Hunt”– A True BIG FISH Fishing Tourney

If you’ve been around fishing long enough to stay calm when a giant marlin materializes in your baits, one thing that strikes you is that they appear to be keeping up with your trolling speed with absolute ease - almost effortlessly. When you combine this visual with the astonishing bulk of the beast in your wake, it almost makes them... [Read More...]