By Captain John Crupi
It doesn’t make a difference whether you need one or ten 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?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. January 11, 2022—Costa Sunglasses, manufacturer of the first color-enhancing all-polarized glass sunglass lens, appointed industry veteran John Acosta as its Vice President of Marketing. With more than 20 years of experience in the outdoor and fishing industries, Acosta will oversee Costa’s global marketing efforts creating a consistent brand experience in every channel of its business.
Acosta brings a deep knowledge and connection to the fishing industry, as well as experience in branding, storytelling and grassroots marketing to his position. He joins the team as Costa comes off a year of record growth and looks ahead to the new year with a continued commitment to support its core community of anglers and water enthusiasts, while also growing the brand globally and in the outdoor market.
“We’re looking forward to working with John to not only continue expanding our brand globally, but to engage more directly with our core fans – the anglers, adventurers and explorers who live to be on the water,” said Justin Cupps, Senior Vice President at Costa. “Of course we’ve joked about how fitting his last name is (Acosta), but honestly, having John come on board – with his considerable talent, energy and industry reputation – is a huge win for Costa.”
Before joining Costa, Acosta served as the Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at Major League Fishing (MLF) where he was responsible for brand building and strategic partnerships to elevate the MLF brand and its platforms. Prior to MLF, Acosta served as the Director of Marketing for Bass Pro Shops for 12 years. In that role, Acosta was responsible for all broad-reach marketing initiatives — media, sports, entertainment, partnerships, sponsorships, brand marketing and content — helping to elevate the national profile of the Bass Pro Shops brand as it became an industry-leading outdoor retailer. John also spent time in various leadership positions at ad agencies in Chicago, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Boston and Springfield.
“At first I was bummed to hear Acosta was leaving Major League Fishing. He was a big part of the team,” said Casey Ashley, professional bass fisherman and Costa pro. “I was kind of thinking ‘who stole our guy?’ Then, I heard he was going to be a part of the Costa team and I couldn’t have been happier. I’ve been a part of the Costa team for a long time and it’s a family of hard working people that are passionate about what they do. I think he will fit right in.”
“Costa is such an incredible brand. Their commitment to building the best products, topped with their widespread efforts to protect waterways, fisheries and coastal communities, makes it a dream opportunity,” said Acosta. “With interest and participation in fishing growing right now, it’s an exciting time for the industry and brand. I’m honored to jump in amongst such a talented team.”
By Captain Nick Gonzalez
Kite fishing has been met by a number of innovations over the last 10 years. Electric kite reels have gotten faster, more reliable, and easier to use. To compliment these kite reels and increase efficiency, light, high-speed conventional reels with smooth drags and high gear ratios came into the market. A number of different rod manufacturers began making excellent rods with soft tips and moderate backbones that are ideal for kite fishing. In addition, circle hooks became mainstream and a number of different manufacturers make chemically sharpened circle hooks that are tournament legal and very affordable.
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 Capt. Justin Drummond
By Nichole Osinski
Mid-April and the guys in Texas are already at it again, this time with yet another pending Texas state record giant bluefin tuna. The giant was caught just one year after the previous record was set raising the bar for anglers once again in the Gulf.
The story, retold by Capt. Justin Drummond, starts early on Tuesday, April 14, on the 64′ Spencer Quantified as the team headed out of Port Aransas in search of a very specific fish—the bluefin tuna.
2021 68th Light Tackle Tournament Winners
CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION
CANYON LADY 1st
VINTAGE 2nd
SMALL CHANGE 3rd
SEMI PRO DIVISION
PRINCESS LILY WITH TOP LADY ANGLER, Dawn Samuels
TOP JUNIOR ANGLER:
COLE BATES on the VINTAGE
FIRST RELEASE DAY1:
SMALL CHANGE
FIRST RELEASE DAY 2:
SMALL CHANGE
DAILY DAY 1: VINTAGE
DAILY DAY 2: CANYON LADY
TOP MATE AWARD: MORGAN TOLBERT AND RYAN KEANEY – CANYON LADY
TOP CAPTAIN WHITICAR PERPETUAL LEGACY AWARDED TO:
JAMIE DILLER ON THE CANYON LADY
TOP OWNER JOE LEHNER PERPETUAL LEGACY AWARDED TO: JAMIE DILLER ON THE CANYON LADY
By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie
I’ve witnessed a few crew changes over the last several months on some pretty nice sportfishing boats. Let’s face it, crew turnover is inevitable. Sometimes a mate will take a job opportunity to try his luck at the helm. Other times a mate will be fired or quit for one reason or another. Maybe an owner will fire his captain and mate at the same time hoping for a fresh start. Whatever the circumstance, it is a small world in this business. At times like these, it seems everyone has an opinion or theory on why so-and-so got fired or quit. It becomes quite dramatic, akin to the Housewives on the Waterfront with all the dock talk.
It’s that time of year again and if you’re anything like us there are still gifts that you need to get. So to make it a little easier our editors compiled some of our favorite finds that anyone who enjoys the water and outdoors will love.
The Pelagic Icon Hoodie offers an updated Pelagic logo design on their newest Black Fish Camo print with a hood to protect from the elements and front and back Icon logos. The perfect solution for those crisp days.
By Scott “Fraz” Murie
Safety—It’s not just a word, it’s an action. People in our profession sometimes get too comfortable in our routines and forget what could happen in a split second. It probably won’t, but what if it does? Offshore boating accidents can happen and unfortunately do happen.
By Elliott Stark
“You know, that’s something that’s really, really important. Sometimes, it just doesn’t cross people’s minds,” says Capt. Jimmy Waller of Orange Beach, Alabama. Waller, whose nickname is “PeeWee” runs his 60’ Big Adventure. The topic of fishing etiquette touched off something special for Capt. Jimmy. “We have been cobia fishing, spotted a fish and had people on jet skis pull up to the boat and ask us what we are doing. One time it happened in a tournament. We were working a fish and had a guy and a girl come up to us on a jet ski. They pulled up to us and said, ‘Ahoy!’ You can’t make this stuff up. This will be my 36th year in the charter business. I’ve seen everything from pornos being made in the salon to just about whatever you can imagine.”
