bertram31.com

How true is that?

Sounds like its written by someone with white marlin envy. Maybe just too upset they can't play with the boys in the pond.

Generally it takes a little more skill and understanding to get good at the white marlin fishery, the deuce bags are generally the guys that drive over top of the boat that's actually fighting a white marlin cause they hope to catch a tuna fish.

The simple act of billfishing is what made our boats reputation in Florida the Bahamas and Gulf fisheries. To post anything negative to our boats heritage should be considered sacreligious.

Probably originally done by a center console owner that fished for whites with 150lb leader and 50w's and hadn't caught enough tuna to realize they aren't the hardest fish to catch. If your having a hard time catching maybe its time to go sharking.

See 10 whitey's in a day and tell me how many you caught, bet its less then 4 unless you've got a good team. Remember anyone can drag plastic and think they are a genius. Go 8 for 10 on whites and your finally fishing as a team.

Thanks for a look at small thinking.

Now now JP I was invited a few years ago to go White marlin fishing on a couple million Viking Sportfishing boat. These guys entered a few tournaments; but had yet to boat a fish. They had plenty of knock downs buy no hook ups. They said bring nothing just all your fishing knowledge.
I showed up and we pushed off. I asked to see the ballyhoo that said were all rigged and iced. What they had were factory rigged ballyhoos on wire leaders. I said to myself well ok; but I could have done a better job. I then then asked for there hook file. The response was "those are brand new hooks what in the world do you need a hook file for"? Now I knew why they had knockdowns and no hook-ups.
Yes lots of douche bags fish for white marlins from million boats.

Oh by the way we went two for two that day. The first one was the biggest white I have ever seen.

Lot's of knock downs and 2 for 2 hmmmmm. That should read 2 for lot's.

Lots of hard working people including me fish for whitey because they are challenging. There is an entire industry devoted to it in the Carolinas, VA and MD, and they don't even kill a single fish. Ever watch a professional team fish for whites or sailfish? Most crews will never be on par with these groups. Sounds like you fished with "the more money then brains group" that's a shame for you.

I've spent my whole professional career catching tuna for other people now that I can fish for me I like to watch billfish in the spread, me and my crew work hard to catch them. So I guess that makes me a douche bag as well.

who dosen't like to catch billfish?

They taste great. I love to smoke them.

You want to watch a cockpit crew work as a team? Go fly fishing for Pacific Sailfish at Tropic Star or Guatemala. These guys troll hookless baits and tease the fish right up to the transom so you can cast to them. They ask whether you're right or left handed when they set out the teaser baits and outriggers. It's like an orchestrated symphony gliding around the cockpit that gets even better when you have a big leaping fish on your flyrod.

Or you could just come down to Islamorada in the winter.
Obviously some boats outshine others, but we've got some well oiled sailfish machines down here.
I've got a few on fly (I tied), just fun fishing... but we know the drill for sure... the 20-dropper loop live ballyhoo teaser off each corner, the 12wt in a bucket- line stripped, fly ready. Cast behind the fish, strip set, hold on, clear the line and get it on the reel.... AAiiiiieeehhhhhh, love backing down hard on a walkin sail, trying to make that large arbor do it's job, and not loose a finger in the process. Good shit.

Happy '11 ya'll!... 12:02 Jan 1st 2011.

Brewster,

You are correct they are awesome smoked, and don't forget big brother blue. If one happens to die it is fair game in my book. But I'm certainly not out to meat fish em.

Buju,

I go down every year to fish out of plantation key, having family there for the winter is a good thing. The boats in that neighborhood do a fantastic job... good crews.. good capt's.. good fishery. Shame to watch the charter fleet dry up the last few years.

Walter,

I can fish boats with great crews anywhere. I need to be the guy that owns a boat with a great crew, this is the difference between could have beens, should have beens and has beens, always strive to be better. Perfection is always the objective anything less is failure.

Like I said I guess according to the video Russ posted I'm just another douche bag. When I move to NC it won't be for the tunas, it will be for the May blue marlin bite and the Sept moon.

Sorry If the white marlin cartoon offended any one. it was not intended for that purpose. Now that I am living in NC, I also fish for them.I happen to like the by catch of mahi more, they happen to my favorite eating fish. that said maybe Pat would like to take down this post...Thanks Russ

it's the truth or like Jack Nicolson said " You can't handle the truth".
All I want is one of those $80K jobs with the Billfish Foundation and get all paid trips to fancy tourneys.

JP I don't think I called you a d-bag. These guys were. More money then brains. I have seen lots of that at the Canyon Club. These guys did not have a hook file. Luckily I have one on my multi-tool. The owner's son got the first fish. During the fight the fish made a run at the boat and the guy stopped cranking. Thought the fish came off. I was screaming crank crank crank right in his ear. Don't think he was use to that. I think the cartoon was aimed at these folks; big boat big money and little experience. Guess I am just jealous I can't afford the big boats.

Russ,
The cartoon is fine, don't sweat it.

I'm not sure but it seems to me that the cartoon was done by some peta type group or those who think those of us who hunt and fish kill indescriminatly or for fun or to prove we pee standing up.

Its just the opposite. The best hunters and fisherman I know care deeply about their environments and about the game they go after and if fishing for Marlin or Sails are very careful unless they do want food about not injuring the fish.

Proper skills are needed to boat a fish without injuring it or killing game with one good shot without the game suffering.

The problem is anyone with a gun or boat buys gear and figures the great white hunter instincts are born to them when it couldn't be farther from the truth for 99.98% of people.

I don't fish as much as most here, but do hunt and get quite angry as JP does at the jug head Rambo types hunting deer with a semi auto with the tags still on their clothes and smelling of the soap and softener they were washed in.

I don't mind new people wanting to learn, but you have to pay your dues and be respectful of those that came before you.

Money never did and never will buy class.

i dont know much about bill fishing and the intricacies of the culture surrounding it but one thing i am ABSOLUTELY sure of is this. you dont need a large boat and a million bucks to be successful at it. a 31 foot boat works just fine.

Or in Pats case, just a jon boat and small engine.

Success lies with skills, not equipment.

bruce...its the same with every endeavor. there's always a group of idiots that think they can jump the learning curve. ive seen stuff in the backcountry skiing that gets people killed." but i have all the right equipment"!

I learned that one in grade school, when Air Jordans first came out.
Begged and pleaded Mom for a pair. Finally got 'em about a year later. Couldn't understand it- I still couldn't slam dunk... Thought it was the shoes?
Thats what the adds said, and they'd never lie.
Think were dealing with a generation of people raised on advertising. If ya buy this, then you can do this, better than them.... Thats how our current "president" got into office. He had a better ad team than the other guys. Sold himself better, talked a better game.

Sorry for the tangent...

I've got a few Sails on that flats skiff I'm restoring... on crappy Penn GTI's on equally crappy Penn Slammer boat rods.
Good friend has caught Blue Marlin on a yoyo from a sailboat near Great Isaacs.
The gear and boats sure help, but they guarantee nothing.

There's an old guy in Grand Cayman who has won several of The Cayman Islands Marlin Tournaments in his 16'7" Boston Whaler center Console fishing alone. It's a little more than the boat and the equipment.

walterk wrote:There's an old guy in Grand Cayman who has won several of The Cayman Islands Marlin Tournaments in his 16'7" Boston Whaler center Console fishing alone. It's a little more than the boat and the equipment.

"old man and the sea" by earnest hemingay

Good white marlin teams are awsome to watch. They are very good at what they do and have a very high skill level.

Bruce wrote:Or in Pats case, just a jon boat and small engine.

Yup, goes back to the late '80s, but shor 'nuff, here's one of several sails caught aboard my multi-million daller yacht "Offshore Jon Bote One". All 14 foot of her...

Also happened on a summer day when none of the "Big Boys" caught squat. Who needs a bigger boat to catch 'em?

It was the first sail caught on the jb and the only one I intentionally harvested.

That is an offshore boat if I ever saw one.

Dang Capt. Patrick... on a Ambassaduer 5500c to boot? Looks like it... almost brings a tear to my eye.
Dead boat, or were ya fighting and steerin?
Although, a dead boat like that moves around pretty good when a sail is towing ya.

Yup, dead boat and 5500C loaded with 17# Trilene green, 40# short Jenki snook leader, 7" fresh rigged baby ballyhoo, pink skirt... 60 ft of water north of the Jupiter cut.

Would run south about 10 miles, pick a depth, cut the engine & start the drift north. Within as little as 20 min the boat would be acting like a bait magnet, sorta' like a personal FAD.

Hardest part was getting the fish to break the surface. Had to resort to really beating on him before he'd go ballistic. Needed him in the air just so the few big boats around would know I was playin' with something other than a bone head.

Fun day...

Nicely done Capt... Fun day for sure, great memories no doubt.
I like how you've got the rig parked on Yacht Club Road too.
I've done the same drift technique out of Lake Worth inlet on my buddie's old as the hills, water saturated 17' montauk. Fun stuff.

I used to use nothing but Ambassaduer 6500 and 5500 for tarpon and snook. Then I started to expand my swedish reel aresenal and found that any of em made past around the mid/late 90's were good for 1 tarpon- thats it. Burnt up 8 of em in one spring season. The Ambassaduers from the 80's were great, not much plastic in em. Had 4 older 6500's that I sent in for service- they must not have had the parts anymore, and sent me 4 brand new 6500's. Man was I pissed off! That was the day I went and bought my first 2 Shimano 400 Calcutta's...

The rumor around here is that Pat used a cane pole with sewing thread and a crayon picture of a bait rig on the end.
The fish bit cause he was afraid of Pat diving in after him and just knocking him out.

The pole and reel in the pic was used because he didn't want people to realize just how bad they suck at fishing.

Come on now...that is a funny clip!

Did I mention we get to fly flags...it just don't get better then that!



What makes it so funny is just how seriously we can take ourselves...me included.

Capt. Pat

Would have been better if you had a slip between two 50 footers. Would love to see their faces as you docked between them with the Sail laying in the boat.

Tony Meola wrote:Capt. Pat

Would have been better if you had a slip between two 50 footers. Would love to see their faces as you docked between them with the Sail laying in the boat.

I would expect One of Two Reactions...

The 1st being pure excitement, disbelief followed by congratulations.

The 2nd would be Pure Avoidance...just make believe he's not there.