Tsunami-Swept Yacht Rescue
Takayuki Nozawa – when this man’s boat was swept out to sea by the Japanese tsunami in 2011 he decided to make the rescue mission personal. Mr. Nozawa hired a helicopter to take him to where his boat had been swept by the tsunami and fearlessly plunged into the ocean while the helicopter hovered above his vessel. I can’t even imagine the adrenaline that must have been pumping through his veins as he looked down below at the ocean being disturbed by the blades from the helicopter. Nor can I imagine the overwhelming joy he felt as he climbed aboard his 57′ Betram named “Golden Bay”.
The water that Takayuki jumped into from 50 feet above was a chilling temperature of about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. “The cold so bad I think I die,” he said with a grin, “so I swim fast.” This man’s courage and dedication to bringing home his “home away from home” is something to truly be marveled at – tens of thousands of people lost their boats because they were claimed by the tsunami – this man refused to let his boat suffer the same fate.
To read the rest of the story Click Here.
Monster Florida Keys Swordfish – 683 Pounds!
April 3, 2012 – A monster swordfish weighing in close to the 700 pound mark was snagged this previous Tuesday off the Florida Keys. The fish was reported as being 107 inches long with a girth of 70 inches.
The fish was caught by Mike Driskell, the Mystique’s boat mate, who lives in Little Torch Key on a electric Shimano Tiagra reel. The fish striked a 5 pound bonito fish on an 80-pound braid about 30 miles to south of Marathon, Florida Tuesday afternoon.
The crew weighed the fish on a certified International Game Fish Association scale at Key Colony Beach Marina. This was the second swordfish weighing in excess of 500 pounds caught within the last 10 days and is believed to be the biggest swordfish ever caught off the Florida Keys during daytime hours.
Unfortunately, because the fish was caught on an electric reel it will not qualify for a state or an IGFA record. A 612.75-pound broadbill caught off Key Largo at night on May 7, 1978, will continue to reign as the biggest swordfish ever caught in the Florida Keys without an electric reel.
Daytime swordfishing techniques were only recently pioneered in the last decade and the professionals only continue to get better at it. “I tip my hat to all the guys who have pioneered this thing,” Rabito said. “It has paved the path for the younger guys and gives you great respect for those that went out there, spent a lot of time and experimented.”
Spectators at the weigh in were treated to complimentary swordfish steaks after all the measurements had been completed. One thing is sure – there are still some monster fish out there waiting to give a fight to a good angler.
Opening Day – Flounder Fishing
Captain Dave of http://www.captdaveonline.com located in New York –> New York Bight has reported that he and his guests had some great flounder fishing on opening day April 1, 2012. Captain Dave said “with the nice weather we had the fish never went into the mud.” Captain Dave sails daily for flounder fishing at 9 A.M. By the end of the day they had caught well over 50 fish and the biggest weighed in around 2.5 lbs. Captain Dave gave credit to their chumboy, Little Buffalo for his hard work and help landing all these fish and making it a successful day.
Captain Dave has years of salt water fishing experience and has tours that can fit anyone’s schedule.
Nautical Outfitters – Celebrating Ten Years online
Here is a great old time website that has served professional captains for well over a decade, Nautical Outfitters. Stacey Hudspeth, who has been the backbone of the company from the start, tells us that they have recently added many new items, including marine electronics and navigational tools. “In the past,” explains industry veteran hudspeth, “Nautical outfitters focused on high tech yacht boarding stairs, dock steps and luxury helm seats. Those items remain at the core of our website, however boaters of all stripes will find more items than ever on our pages. As always – we guarantee that we will beat any price on boat seating.”
Visit Nautical Outfitters today at http://www.Nautical-Outfitters.com
The Very Best in Marine Supplies, Helm Seats, Helm Chairs, Boat Seats, Boat Chairs, Boat Accessories and Boating Supplies
Proudly serving the commercial, governmental, and recreation marine & boat markets with quality marine supplies and boat accessories. Nautical Outfitters proudly offers helm seats, helm chairs, boat seats, boat boarding stairs, boat davits, boat leaning posts, marine live wells, bait tanks and more.
Yacht Boarding Made Simple. . .and Pain-free.
Tracy Internation Boarding Stairs
Sometimes, it takes a little pain to motivate design. Such was the case with Tracey International’s Boarding Stairs. Yacht captains and crew have long suffered pinching type injuries to their hands while wrestling unweildy boarding staris into their brackets. There hade to be a better way, didn’t there? The engineers at Tracy international, makers of some of the finest helm chairs ever built, thought so. So the developed a true “no pinch” design that easily allows a single crew member to put boarding staris, up to nine steps, into service with no pain.
In addition, the company’s patented “Quick-release Mounting Bracket System” makes these the easiest boarding stairs to handle in the industry.
Tracy International’s Boarding Stairs are constructed with anodized aluminum and stainless steel to withstand the marine environment and provide years of dependable service. 4 SS casters facilitate smooth contact with dock while the boat is free to move with the current and tide. The unique stowable design folds for easy storage. Mounting is quick and easy to two permanently mounted, self-locking, stainless steel catch pads that are provided with each unit. Optional second handrail is available for additional boarding security. Strength, durability and good looks make these stairs an added attraction to any captain’s boat.
For more information, contact Tracy International at 1 800 275 2436 or visit http://www.tracy-intl.com
When It’s Time To Get Serious About Storing Fish
Bonar Insulated 9 cu ft Container
Tank Depot is the ultimate source for serious fish storage and transportation. Offering the guaranteed lowest prices on insulated ice and dry ice boxes from Seaplast, Promens and Polar.
“There is just no other way to go,” explains Tank Depot’s Mike Stony, “if you are serious about preserving market quality fish. We sell these boxes to commercial fishing operations from coast to coast, of course. But more and more sporties are using them in order to preserve the quality of their catches. There is just no comparing these commercial-grade boxes with Igloo ice chests or even high end coolers, for that matter.”
Polyurethane foam insulation that helps keep product cold up to five days when properly iced. Corners designed with increased strength and molded-in handle areas make these boxes exceptionally durable. Many models are fork liftable.
Tank Depot boast the largest selection and guarantees anglers the lowest prices and best freight rate.
Contact Tank Depot at 866-926-5603 or visit http://www.Tank-Depot.com
Promens 9 cu ft Commercial Grade Insulated Container
IGFA Captains Program in 10th Year
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Captains Program is in its 10th year. We currently have 300 captains in 39 countries and territories plus 31 U.S. states. The program continues to grow with new captains signing up every week.
In order to qualify as an IGFA captain/guide, applicants must pass a written test, provide references, and pay a $150 annual membership fee.
Some of the first captains/guides accepted by IGFA under their new program include Red Bailey of St. Thomas; Al Anderson, Rhode Island; Juan “Tito” Martinez and Mike Benitez, Puerto Rico; Laurie Wright, Australia; Bouncer Smith, Miami Beach; Roddy Hays, United Kingdom; Ron Hamlin, Guatemala; Gene VanderHoek, Kevin Nakamaru and Rob McGuckin, Hawaii.
Benefits available to IGFA captains/guides include:
-
Official designation as “IGFA Captain”.
-
Official IGFA Captain I.D. Card.
-
Listing in IGFA World Record Game Fishes book by area and phone number.
-
Listing on IGFA web site.
-
Listing on “GO Fish” touch screen directory in IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum.
-
Listing on IGFA Mobile – the official IGFA App for iPhones and iPads.
-
IGFA Captain decals for boat and vehicle.
-
IGFA Captain embroidered patch.
-
IGFA Captain fishing hat.
-
Referrals from IGFA when inquiries are received pertaining to the captain’s area.
-
Authorization to use IGFA Captain Logo on ads, business cards, and brochures.
-
Discounts on ads in Special Travel Section of IGFA World Record Game Fishes book (50% discount first year, 20% discount after that)
-
Five (5) free IGFA annual memberships (value $200) to give to your best clients.
-
Quarterly Captain updates from IGFA headquarters.
-
Special e-mail news on items of interest to captains who have email. (For fishery management and conservation issues)
-
15% discount on IGFA catalog items and gift shop.
-
10% discount on scale certification and line testing
If you’re interested, learn more about the program here
Gigantic Sale @ Boat Depot up to 65% Off
BoatDepot.com, the fastest growing marine dealer in the world, is currently offering up to 65% savings on over 75 different items from top manufaturers such as Tracy International, Todd, Kodiak ProFlow Bait Tanks, Aquaworld Livewells, Pompanette and more.
Visit www.BoatDepot.com to cash in on these spring savings.
Transform an Old Center Console
The vast majority of center console boats produced these days feature leaning posts rather than old fashioned pedestal seats at the helm. Leaning posts are simply more comfortable and versatile.
Now owners of older CCs with pedestal seats that are past their prime can swap them out for a leaning post without any of the hassles formerly associated with this type of upgrade. Todd has developed a Universal Leaning Post™ which is, essentially, a pedestal seat replacement system. The brilliant part of this system is that is allows boat owners to utilize existing pedestal for installation Todd tell us that installation should take no longer that 10 minutes.
Before
After
Here’s a link to video showing how simple it is to swap old worn out pedestal seats for a new leaning post-
Trolley Fishing?
This is something completely new to me. I must confess that I had never even heard of this type of angling
Some of my early memories are of fishing with my dad and brother on Montrose Pier. In those days it was a common practice to fish from the pier with a “trolley”. That practice is far less common these days. The last time I was there was in the 70′s and even then I saw only a few trolley anglers. A trolley was quite a complicated setup. You needed a spider anchor, about 100 yards of anchor line, a 2-3 ounce trolley, a 6 foot long sturdy wood pole, a 6-8 foot long piece of fish line with a snelled hook every foot or so attached to 100 yards of fish line, and a “bell’. read more
