A Day on the 72-foot Viking Krazy Salts
Krazy Salts — Capt. Keith Greenberg
Custom Rods by Dru and Shimano reels keep Krazy Salt’s anglers connected to the fish.
The 72-foot Viking’s bridge command center features Garmin 3X touch screens.
A lunchtime appetizer features succulent Jersey shrimp and a popular crab dip. You can be sure that all the food on board is seasoned to perfection—with just the right amount of salt!
The “big-pitch” sits ready to go in a PVC tube fastened to the fighting chair. Best part? It’s custom wrapped with a Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Seasoning label. Additional pitch baits are situated on the tower leg rod holders wrapped in Krazy Salt’s labeling. The pitch baits are marinated and ready to be gobbled up.
Deckhand Luke Hickey likes to situate the next round of baits outside the bait cooler. “I like the baits to be ready to go and swimming as soon as they hit the water. Baits inside a cooler can take a minute to get flexible,” says Luke. Check out Luke’s rigging demonstration here.
During the course of the day, this bucket accommodates the ABU (already been used) baits. You just never know what’s swimming behind the boat and tossing an ABU could cause an FD—fish detour—away from the hooked baits!
Red Bull and Jagermeister is a winning combination to celebrate each billfish release. Warning! Fishing with Krazy Salt’s during hot bite can cause memory loss.
The whole team sits ready for action—well, almost!
The Krazy Salt’s team is always looking for a good laugh.
For more info on Krazy Salts Bait Brine & Salt, send us a message:
Tackle Tip Showcase: Captain Jeff Donahue, Hatterascal Hatteras 59 GT
The Hatterascal became Hatteras Yachts’ demo boat in 2019. The finely appointed 59 GT set out with Captain Jeff Donahue at the helm and mate Tyler Davis running the cockpit.
Fishing aboard a factory boat requires a diverse skillset — from kite fishing in Florida, live baiting in the Gulf and dredge fishing in the Northeast — not to mention the personability to showcase the brand and the boat to people far and wide. Last April, Captain Jeff and crew showcased the boat and some kite fishing tactics out of Sailfish Resort and Marina in Palm Beach.
Stickable, Removable Needle Quiver
Getting lines deployed quickly while kite fishing requires organization, coordination and skill. It also helps to keep track of your bait needles. This ingenious set up uses a wine cork glued to a suction cup. Simply run your bridle rubber bands through the open eye of the rigging needle and stick your needles into the cork. No more lost needles, no more scrambling for rubber bands.
Keeping the Baits in the Zone
Mate Tanner Holly keeps the baits in the zone. When deploying kite baits, the long baits go in the center and the short baits on the outside. With all the crew on the headsets, there is no more yelling when a fish comes up top.
Rigged and Ready
Two spools filled with rigged leaders are suction cupped to the wall of the cockpit. Each is full of hook/leader sets, all the same one atop the next. After releasing a sail, the team simply pulls off the next fully prepared leader. Each spool is labeled with hook and leader size. This time saving tip keeps baits in the water longer.
Portable Helium Source, Balloon Stowage
When you’re lucky enough to find a spring day that isn’t windy enough to blow the pelicans away, you might need some helium for your balloons. Tyler says the team gets theirs using portable helium tanks available at Wal-Mart (“You get about a balloon and a half out of each tank,” he says.) On the ride on the kites are tucked beneath cushions up top. On the ride between spots, they in the cockpit.
Drawing a Crowd
If you’re ever feeling lonely or just want a bunch of people to come talk to you, you can either bring a puppy to the beach or fillet a tuna around lunch time.
Bait Rigging Tips
Guatemala Ballyhoo Rig
Enio and Julio Morales
Allure II
Skill Level 3 star
Step 1. Secure your hook with floss as pictured. Make sure you leave 12-16 inches of floss to work with.
Step 2. (Not pictured) Secure your ½ ounce sinker to your ballyhoo.
Step 3. With a rigging needle, pierce the nose of the ballyhoo as pictured. The floss is used with your hook.
Step 4. Pull your floss down through the pierced hole and secure your hook as shown.
Step 5. Cross the floss ends through the eye socket a few times to secure the hook.
Step 5b. The floss will also cross under the ballyhoo’s gills.
Step 6. Next, stitch the ballyhoo a few times behind the gill plates as pictured.
The following rigging technique is used widely among the deckhands in Guatemala for rigging ballyhoo. As you can see, floss is used as an added measure against the dreaded Sancocho. Beyond its application for rigger baits, the popularity of fly fishing for billfish in Guatemala influences this technique. Hookless teaser ballyhoo are prepared in a very similar manner for use in fly fishing.
Finally, finish off the ballyhoo as depicted. The added floss acts as an added security measure to keep the ballyhoo’s head attached to its body.
Guatemala Marlin Belly Bait
Enio and Julio Morales
Allure II
Skill Level 3 star
This image shows off an additional aspect of the rigging talent of the dynamic duo known as the Morales brothers. This pitch bait was specifically designed for marlin, utilizing the larger 12/0 hook and the chugger lure accessory. The dolphin belly is simple to rig and a proven go-to bait when marlin show up. The bait is extremely durable and effective.
Kite Clip Fastener (Part 2)
Skill Level 1 star
Supplies needed: Small rubber bands for live baiting
Last issue, we showed you how to hold your kite clip using rigging wire. Take a look at this version that utilizes the small rigging rubber bands commonly used for attaching live bait. Use it as pictured and your clip will stay put!
Squid Swordie Rig
Capt. Matt Reed
Booby Trap
Supplies needed: Squid, Rigging Floss and Crimp
Captain Reed made a point to detail one of the final stages of rigging this excellent sword bait. Most importantly: slide a crimp down the leader after your final stitch near the mantle. Slide the tag ends into a crimp, secure it as pictured and then cut off the excess floss. The crimp will keep the squid from sliding up the leader before, during and after a bite. In other words, the bait is very secure.
Tackle & Maintenance Tips
Foam Reel Storage
Capt. Jeff Donahue
70-foot Hatteras, Hatterascal
Skill Level:
When it comes to interior design, rod and reel storage on a boat is commonly an afterthought. Capt. Donahue utilizes strategically-placed foam under the salon sofa to securely stow his arsenal of reels (as pictured). Captain Donahue purchased his foam from www.thefoamfactory.com and says “outline each reel and cut out the sections as needed.”
Cable Puller Trick
Capt. Kevin Deerman
74-foot Viking, Draggin’ Up
Skill Level:
When doing electronics upgrades, you’ll likely run new cables at some point. Running wires can sometimes be problematic. We recently had a tech on the boat who was having a hard time running a new cable in the buggy top of the tower. The main problem was that it was full on one side and there were no pull cords or cables on the other. His solution was ingenious. He tied his pull cord to a ¼” hex nut and dropped it into the empty aluminum pipe opening on top of the buggy top. Next, he took a strong cabinet magnet he picked up at the hardware store. From there, he was able to “walk” the nut through all the turns in the aluminum pipe with the cord attached. In doing so, he made a new run with room to spare. It’s also a good idea to tape the face of the magnet to keep from scratching your aluminum or paint. Want your teak deck to dry faster and cleaner with no fish scales? Next time you visit Home Depot grab one these Unger Squeegees. They connect to your standard brush pole and will help clean off all the hard to see fish scales.
Teak Squeegee
Capt. Tucker Colqhuin
72-foot Tribute, Huntress
Skill Level:
Want your teak deck to dry faster and cleaner with no fish scales? Next time you visit Home Depot grab one these Unger Squeegees. They connect to your standard brush pole and will help clean off all the hard to see fish scales.
Cover Board Seal
Capt. Jeff Donahue
70-foot Hatteras, Hatterascal
Skill Level:
This is an added step that Captain Donahue incorporates to the teak covering boards on Hatteras boats. The idea here is to stop water from intruding into the teak end grain. Water’s entry into the teak can ultimately leads to teak cracks. Each covering board is finished with a biscuit edge glued to the edge of the teak covering board. Then the edge is coated with epoxy as a final sealant.
Clip the Downrigger
Capt. Scott Fawcett
Offthechainsportfishing.com
Skill Level:
When running dredges from a center console, attaching flatline clips to your downrigger boom is a great way to get flatlines out into the clean water and provide a bigger footprint.
Wanted: Boat Maintenance Tips
Send your best tips and techniques to info@inthebite.com.
InTheBite Dock Talk: Rupp Marine’s Top Gun Outriggers
Everything you need to fish. Rupp Top Guns are the perfect outrigger for T-Tops, half-towers and hardtops. Rupp offers three patented models, all of them are easy to use, easy to service and made in the USA. Here’s an in-shop dock talk video with Rupp Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Ron Karpanty, giving us an inside look of the Top Gun product line.
Top Gun outrigging kits include any Rupp bolt-in Top Gun base, telescoping outrigger pole and a premium rigging kit. Check out this video with Branden Ziemba at Coastal Outrigging installing the Z-30 Top Gun, gear drive outrigger.
Hitting the Docks Now! – June 2019 Issue
June means summer. Summer means tournaments. Nothing says tournaments quite like InTheBite.
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InTheBite Dock Talk: White’s Tackle
White’s Tackle is a full service tackle store located in Ft. Pierce and Stuart Florida. The staff are knowledgeable anglers who’ve fished the globe learning the secrets from the best captains and crews, and will be glad to pass them on to you. For over 90 years White’s Tackle has been outfitting inshore and offshore anglers from all over with the best tackle and service imaginable. If you have any questions feel free to call the Fort Pierce Store at 772-461-6909 or the Stuart Store 772-266-4010 or send an email to: info@whitestackle.com
InTheBite Dock Talk: Grand Slam Sportfishing Supply
Have you ever wanted to know the most popular lures used around the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mid-Atlantic? Take a minute and listen in to Grand Slam Sportfishing Supply owner Jim McGrath as he showcases the best lures for 2019. Lures include the recent World Cup and the Mid-Atlantic winner. Don’t wait and order yours today!
Diamond Fishing Products Introduces New High Speed Trolling Weights
Diamond Fishing Products is proud to introduce its’ NEW ‘Hoo Hunter High Speed Trolling Weights
Computer designed and high-seas tested, these revolutionary weight-forward weights drastically improve lure performance at speeds up to 20 knots (and even faster).Their ballistic shape runs straight and true with no vibration and far less bubbles than standard weights.
Available in 5 sizes – 16oz, 24oz, 32oz, 48oz & 64oz
3 different models – un-rigged, rigged on 1000lb test stainless cable with a 300lb test Diamond ball-bearing snap-swivel and our custom ‘Hoo Hunter Pro-Rig.
The Unrigged and Pro-Rigged weights are made with a heavy-duty brass tube through the center to keep the weights running straight and true for many seasons of hard use.
