Learn about Kable Keeper, a new dockside accessory designed to make boating life much easier. In this Dock Talk episode, Alec Miller explains the products key functions that include keeping your shore power cord on your boat, out of the water, and all your marine utilities organized.
For more information, head over to www.kable-keeper.com
Team Shockwave awarded the 2018 Blue Marlin Grand Champions over the weekend with a 795.6lb Blue Marlin caught by angler Austin Blakeney, Cheers to Capt. Marco Gaona & the team!
Wynsong, 66’ Viking, takes the Hardware!
The 14th Annual Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic, presented by H&E Equipment Services, the second leg of The Gulf Coast Triple Crown Championship, is now in the record books. With a fleet of 46 boats, ranging in length from 32′ to 95′, our participants fished for a total purse of $662,400.00, plus trophies and prizes.
Our festivities started Tuesday evening, May 29, with our Dock Party, sponsored by our host facility, Cypress Cove Lodge & Marina. Everyone enjoyed the boiled shrimp, smoked pork, and of course, the bread pudding. A good time was had by all. Wednesday, May 30, was our official Registration Day, Captains Meeting, and Kick-Off Party. As usual, we were slammed with last minute arrivals of boats due to the weather that came in over the Memorial Day weekend. Acme Oyster House lived up to their reputation at our Kick-Off Party, sponsored by our friends at Le Beouf Towing, with seafood pasta, oyster bar, fried fish and all the trimmings. Thank you Acme and LeBeouf Towing!
Thursday, May 31, started a little slow (as a result of too much fun Wednesday night maybe?). Optional entries closed at 11:00 am with a total purse of $662,400.00. Father Gerry Stapleton from St. Patrick’s Cathedral of Port Sulphur, Louisiana visited to continue our tradition of the Blessing of the Fleet. At 1:00 pm, boats departed for the river, the rip, rigs, Mississippi Canyon and Green Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico, led by Chasin Tail an 80′ Weaver, with owner John Engquist of H&E Equipment Services and Captain Clayt James and crew.
The phones started ringing early Thursday afternoon with Carrie Gerber-Collins, fishing on the 64’ Tribute, Cut N Run, calling in a White Marlin release at 4:38 pm. This was followed quickly by Jr. Angler, Ryan Cooper, age 15, fishing with his dad Scott Cooper on their 37’ Freeman catamaran, Triple C, calling in a Blue Marlin release at 5:55 pm. Maybe the bite was going to be good. Next, owner/angler John Engquist, of H&E Equipment Services, our Presenting Sponsor, fishing on his 80’ Weaver, Chasin Tail, with Captain Clayt James calling in a Blue Marlin release at 6:25 pm.
Friday, June 1, our phones started ringing at 8:13 am, with Team Reel Addiction, Rocky Jones’ 56’ Viking, with Captain Scooter Porto reporting a 111” Blue Marlin in the cockpit for angler Tyler Massey, and heading to the scales. When they weighed in at Cypress Cove Marina, it tipped the scales at 545 lbs. Then, the phones started blowing up with 18 more Blue Marlin releases, including Captain Robbie Doggett on the 95’ Jim Smith, Relentless Pursuit, with owner Dennis Pasentine having 3 Blue Marlin releases and multiple boats with 2 releases. Also, Second Wind, a 68’ Viking with Captain Marlin Brown and owner Mitch Jurisitch calling in a boated 110” Blue Marlin for angler David Schaefer heading to the scales. Second Wind’s Blue Marlin weighed in at 488.9 lbs. At 6:30 pm, A Work of Art, a 92’ Viking with owner Art Favre and Captain Ron Woodruff called in a 117” Blue Marlin for angler Kevin Courville, but they chose to stay out fishing and come in on Saturday. When A Work of Art came in, their Blue Marlin weighed in at 521.3 lbs.
Saturday, June 2, started out a little slow until the 66’ Viking, Wynsong, owned by Will Wilson with Captain Allen Staples calling in a hook up for angler Zach Tokheim. All they could say is it a BIG one. 5 ½ hours later, Wynsong, reported a really fat 117” Blue Marlin in the cockpit! During Saturday, the 70’ Viking, Done Deal, with sponsor/owner Jon Gonsoulin and Captain Jason Buck had called in 2 Blue Marlin releases for Jon’s daughter, Katie Gonsoulin (another gold cap special). Wynsong backed in and their Blue Marlin weighed in at 699.3 lbs to take over 1st Place, putting Reel Addiction in 2nd Place at 545 lbs, with A Work of Art coming in with 3rd Place at 521.3 lbs. in our Blue Marlin Division.
| Wynsong 1st Place Blue Marlin 699.3 lbs | $90,450.00 |
| Reel Addiction 2nd Place Blue Marlin 545 lbs | $46,170.00 |
| A Work of Art 3rd Place Blue Marlin 521.3 lbs | $119,520.00 |
Our Release Division, sponsored by Release Marine, ended with the following standings and all winners receiving custom inlayed step boxes from Release Marine:
| Relentless Pursuit 1st Place 1500 points | $105,300.00 |
| Wynsong 2nd Place Release 1500 points | $40,230.00 |
| Chasin Tail 3rd Place Release 1000 points | $49,770.00 |
Our Dolphin Division saw some nice Dolphin weighed in for this early in the season with the following standings:
| Money Shot owner/angler Ross Sampey | 1st Place at 44.9 lbs | $5,175.00 |
| Snafu angler Bart Barre | 2nd Place at 39.7 lbs | $3,105.00 |
| Carib owner/angler Larry Wireman | 3rd Place at 38.0 lbs | $2,070.00 |
Our Tuna Division ended with the following standings, with Wynsong again in the money:
Wynsong angler Pickett Reese 1st Place at 156.4 lbs $27,000.00
Relentless Pursuit angler Mike Akiu 2nd Place at 115.0 lbs $58,770.00
2×4 angler Chris Scott 3rd Place at 94.7 lbs $2,520.00
| Triple C Youth Angler Ryan Cooper | 1st Place at 40.3 lbs | $8,595.00 |
| Crawgator angler JD Dugas | 2nd Place at 32.6 lbs | $2,565.00 |
| Crawgator angler Mike Butler | 3rd Place at 28.7 lbs | $1,710.00 |
Our Top Billfish Boat Award, the Bob Potter Memorial Award went to Team Wynsong with 3 Blue Marlin releases and a 699.3 lb Blue Marlin for 2199.3 points. With the Top Billfish Boat Award came an invitation to fish the Offshore World Championship in 2018 in Quepos, Costa Rica, produced by Marlin Magazine and Bonnier Corporation. Top Captain and Top Mate trophies, in Memory of Benny Collins, were presented to Captain Allen Staples and Mate Caleb Brown of the Wynsong. Congratulations goes to Team Wynsong taking 1st Place Blue Marlin, 2nd Place Release, 1st Place Tuna, Top Billfish Boat, along with Top Captain and Top Mate prizes, winning them a total of $157,680.00.
Our Top Money Boat was Relentless Pursuit, taking 1st Place Release, and multiple Tuna jackpots for a total purse of $164,070.00.
Our Top Female Angler Award, sponsored by The Roosevelt Hotel of New Orleans, went to Katie Gonsoulin, fishing with her dad, Jon Gonsoulin on their 70’ Viking, Done Deal, with 2 Blue Marlin releases for a total of 1,000 points.
Our Top Youth Angler Trophy, in Memory of Jim Peachey, was awarded to 15 year old Ryan Cooper, fishing with his dad Scott Cooper on their 37’ Freeman, Triple C. Ryan had a Blue Marlin release, a White Marlin release, and 1st Place Wahoo at 40.3 lbs, along with a 33.9 lb Dolphin.
All our winning Captains received Mustad gift bags with loads of prizes from Costa Sunglasses, Professional Sports Shop, comefishla.com, Squidnation, CAZA Offshore, and the Billfish Foundation. Our 1st Place winners, along with Top Female Angler, Top Youth Angler, also received custom remarked prints from our Official Artist Steve Goione, gorgeous custom logo Orca Coolers, in addition to their Mustad and Costa gift bags. Our Top Captain and Top Mate also received custom logo Orca Coolers, in addition to their Mustad and Costa prize bags.
Saturday evening, Acme Oyster House put out their spread again of wonderful Cajun food and desserts, hosted by our friends at Florida Marine Transporters. Thank you Acme and Florida Marine Transporters!
Sunday morning, our Awards Breakfast was hosted by our Presenting Sponsor H&E Equipment Services with food by Cypress Cove Grill–thank you Charlotte and Rene!
1st Place Blue Marlin Wynsong
Top Billfish Boat Wynsong
Top Captain and Top Mate Wynsong
1st Place Release Relentless Pursuit
Our fleet had a good bite with 26 Blue Marlin releases, 4 White Marlin releases and 2 Sailfish Releases, with 4 boated Blue Marlin.
We would like to thank our wonderful sponsors, new and old participants, and the staff of both Cypress Cove Marina & Lodge and Venice Marina along with our tournament staff for a wonderful week in southern Plaquemines Parish! See you in Venice next year or trolling the rip. Thank goodness Tropical Depression Alberto went East! Best of luck to everyone fishing the Gulf of Mexico tournament circuit this summer!
Thanks everyone,
Steve Thomas Tournament Director
by Capt. Jen Copeland
Some say commercial fishermen make the best fishermen: because they are just, well, fishy. At age seven Mark DeCabia began as most fishermen do, fishing with his father. Surrounded by commercial fishermen as a boy, he and his father would go tuna fishing with friends. As Mark neared his teenaged years, he found himself frequenting New York’s commercial tuna boats – eventually landing himself a deck job at age 13. “My dad would drive me to the dock each morning at 4:00 a.m.,” says Mark. “By the time I was 15, I knew this was the only thing I wanted to do for a living.”
Mark’s father was concerned his childhood love would falter, so DeCabia promised he would go to (and finish) college, “just in case.” Four years later, with a degree in Business Management and Fisheries Science from the University of Rhode Island, Mark took a job on the Canyon Runner out of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “I started off running the boat in Miami,” he recalls. “I remember going eight for eight on sails, with a double header of swords that same night.” After a first day on the job like that, it’s no wonder that Captain Mark DeCabia hasn’t regretted a single moment since he began his fishing career.
Then 18-year-old Mark DeCabia became “Captain Mark DeCabia” – earning his ticket just one week before taking the helm of the Canyon Runner. He was working deck on a charter boat called Reel Action when a blood infection took his captain out of the game, forcing Mark to run the boat for the remainder of the season. “I was basically fed to the sharks,” he laughs. “I threw up every morning before the first ten trips I ran by myself.” Mark’s nerves finally settled, and 16 years later, he confidently splits time between Stuart, Florida and Long Island running the 52-foot Viking express called the Rebel.
“I still fish the same spots today I did as a kid,” says Mark, “but I use totally different techniques.” His modus operandi may have changed, but it has all been for the better. In 2014, DeCabia placed first in the Hamptons Offshore Invitational and placed second in 2015 in the same tournament. 2016 got him the second-place tuna award at the Montauk Canyon Challenge, and he followed that up with the MCC top boat trophy in 2017, all on the Rebel.
DeCabia’s hard-charging, private boat outlook runs a close parallel with his commercial fishing – which he still does today. “I’m the first one to the boat every morning, and the last one to leave every night, whether I’m fun fishing, commercial fishing, or tournament fishing,” he tells me. “In this business, if you’re not first, your last.” With few good, private jobs available, you must stay focused and positive to keep yours.
Mark says he is “over-prepared and confident, always staying three steps ahead” whether blue marlin fishing or targeting bait. “I try and remember on any given day there could be five guys standing on the dock waiting to take my job.” So, “when it’s time to ‘punch in’, it’s 110% until the boat is safely secured and clean.” This outlook is rooted in his dad’s advice – which Mark has taken very seriously.
With rock star influences such as Gina Lisa’s Danny Scotti, Canyon Runner’s Phil Dulanie and Northeast tuna legend Cookie Murray, I’d say whatever DeCabia took from these guys is worth its weight in gold. Scotti has been on the Gina Lisa for 31 years and is Mark’s go-to for “private” advice – like how to approach the owners when it comes to the boat. Dulanie, although he refused to give up any of his fishing “secrets,” showed Mark how to fix most of the problems that occur on a boat.
“These are the fixes you could never read from a book, they were real-life situations,” Mark points out. When looking back, Mark is smart enough to realize that the lessons these guys taught him were more valuable than any fishing secret he could ever been given. And as for Cookie, the man who he has emulated for most of his life, Mark is just happy to be competing with him head-to-head these days.
With all the different professional philosophies floating around in the world of sportfishing, this fact remains: we are only as good as those who teach us. For Captain Mark, his philosophy is plain and simple: the safety of his passengers and condition of the boat comes first, the owner’s enjoyment follows a close second, because without them, there is no boat job, and “everything else is minor.”
Confident, trustworthy, endowed with good communication skills and an ability to adapt from commercial to private and back again, 34-year-old Captain Mark DeCabia will no doubt have some young gun naming him as an influence in the years to come. They say love what you do, and Mark is a believer… “I always want to be the first out of the inlet and the last to come home because when you love something, it’s not really work.”
Good luck to the China Time crew headed to the Bahamas this morning for the Baker’s Bay Invitational. Big thanks to Captain Mike Croke and Shawn Caravelli for delivering over our magazines!
Congratulations Capt. Kevin Dunn and the Ragin Cajun crew, winners of the 2018 Viking Key West Challenge.
Click here for the full list of final results.
Current standings for Day 1 of the Viking Yachts Key West Challenge:
View the full Leaderboard here:
https://reeltimeapps.com/live/tournaments/2018-viking-yachts-key-west-challenge/leaderboards
This year’s 55th Annual Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tournament was definitely one for the books. Over the course of the two-day event, twenty-two of Florida’s top teams departed from Palm Beach, battling wind speeds up to 30 mph to release hundreds of sailfish. Despite the unruly conditions, the 2018 Buccaneer Cup presented great fishing!
The top finishing boats were Viking 68 taking first, Two Cats in second, and trailing in third, Sandman. The InTheBite Top Captain Trophy Cup was awarded to Captain Ryan Higgins, who lead the Viking 68 to victory.
The following photos show the action…
The 60 Minutes of Big Game Sportfishing! Enjoy the latest insight on Viking Yachts, the premiere sportfishing boat builder based out of New Gretna, New Jersey. Listen in to hear about Vikings latest expansion and plans for the future, new models, buying trends and the role Captain and Crew play in the new build process. How many boats do you think Viking Yachts services in a year in its Riviera Beach, Florida service center? What’s Vikings future focus? Enjoy the great interview.
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