Elephants and Pea Shooters

Here's side story with dedicated billfish angler, Dennis Kilroy. Dennis asked me to fish with him on the Mi Pistola. I offered to us my gear but he was clear he wanted to use his tackle for our day on the water. Dennis has a collection of vintage Penn gear, 30t and a 50tw internationals and Pen rods from the 70s. Most of these real were only half filled with 50lb. line. I scratched my head as we put out the spread, all top-of-the-line Black Barts, Zukers, etc. Dennis had mention that he landed and release a blue the day before and, "I asked on which rod?" He pointed to a vintage Penn Senator rod with a 30t International that must have been 40 years old, half filled with 50lb. braid and a short topshot of 50lb. mono. I then asked, "how long was the fight?" He replied five hours. Well, off to the grounds we went and sure enough we hooked into a 300lb. blue on the same rod. The photos tell the story of vintage light tackle on blue marlin...enjoy.

Pain

More pain

Pain

More pain

DONE!

The vintage rod

Big Tuna Arrive on the East Cape - May 19, 2014

The first big tuna of the season was landed yesterday...hopefully more to come.

Post by Van Wormer Resorts.

Albino blue marlin surprises anglers off Costa Rica; ‘Definitely not a typical day’

Extremely rare catch made after an hour-long fight off Los Suenos, Costa Rica. No Photoshop here, truly a unicorn of the sea. Read more...

BIG Wahoo Caught on a Ballyhood Banchee (Cowbell)

Caught on a Banchee (Cowbell) from Darrell at Ballyhood, this is one BIG WAHOO. 150 pounder landed by Austin Augustas fishing off Exuma Bahamas.

Here's the lure: http://www.ballyhood.com/32_oz_wahoo_banchee.htm

Pancho, the seal taxman taketh...

Hola Amigos,

Here's a little humor to take your minds off the slow bite on the East Cape. As if it wasn't tough enough, watch this video of Pancho, the very smart seal, snatch a dorado (mahi mahi) out of an angler's hands at the dock while a pelican watches with popcorn and soda (I'm joking about the popcorn and soda).

Here's the full article on Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/26/sea-lion-pancho-steals-fish-cabo-mexico_n_4166670.html

Buena pesca,

Mark

Yellowfin Tuna World Record Presentation at Long Beach Fred Hall Show

From IGFA Headquarters in Dania Beach , Florida:

After standing for 33 years, the All-Tackle world record for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) was first shattered by Mike Livingston on November 30, 2010 with a 183.7 kg (405 lb) catch, and then again by Guy Yocom on September 18, 2012 with a 193.68 kg (427 lb). Both fish were landed off the coast of Baja.

IGFA Trustee Mike Farrior and President Rob Kramer will present the latest yellowfin tuna All-Tackle World Record certificate to Yocom and his captain, Greg DiStefano, at the upcoming Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, California. The presentation will take place on the Ultimate Saltwater Experience Theater stage at 2 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2013.

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com

445lb. Yellowfin tuna caught off Mexico expected to be largest ever landed

If ever there was a holy grail, John Petruescu has found it and it lived at Hurricane Bank. 445 pounds of monster yellowfin tuna, it left everyone on the EXCEL stunned! John used a BHPtackle.com 25-foot 200lb Momoi mono wind-on leader and a lot of skill to land this outstanding trophy fish of a lifetime, the largest yellowfin ever caught on rod and reel. Way to go John!  Read the report or listen to the Captain's report here...

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com

Gyotaku Fish Prints by Lyle Brunson

For those of you not familiar with Japanese Gyotaku fish prints, Gyotaku (Japanese, from gyo "fish" + taku "rubbing") is a traditional form of Japanese fish printing or rubbing, dating from the mid-19th century, a form of nature printing used by fishermen to record their catches. In order to make a gyotaku print, one places the subject (e.g. fish, crab, scallop shell) on a wooden bench and paints one side with sumi ink. Next a piece of paper or other material is laid over the ink-covered fish. Finally, one rubs the material until there is the image of the fish on it. Modern gyotaku artists often substitute acrylic or other painting material for the traditional sumi-e,

Here is a video on Okinawa Gyotaku fish prints:

Lyle Brunson takes Gyotaku prints to the next level with his expertise in large game fish prints like marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo and roosterfish. He designs each print to the customer's preferences. You can go with just black ink for that traditional look, a light wash of color for billfish or something more colorful for species like dorado (mahi mahi). I can attest to Lyles skill and attention to detail, as my clients have been overwhelmed by the quality, artistry and craftsmanship of his prints. One other benefit to a fish print is you can fold in up and put it in a suitcase for the trip home. When you get home you can mount your print by following Lyle's detailed mounting directions...done. No waiting for two months for that fiberglass mount. Lyle's work really speaks for itself and I highly recommend his work.

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com 

Great Lost to the Saltwater Fishing World, Jose Wejebe Dies at 54

I just heard about Jose's passing and it rocked me to my core. I met him in 2005 at the Fred Hall Show and we talked tackle technology, lure design, etc. He struck me as a very technical angler, very much dedicated to new tackle technology and moving light tackle technical angling forward. If we all think back to the "old days" before braided lines, small high performance reels and butterfly jigs, they seem like the dark ages. As a guide and TV host, Jose took many of these new tackle technologies from Shimano, field tested them in South Florida and presented them to the world. My condolences go out to the Wejebe Family.

He was a true innovator, he elevated our sport and he will be missed.

More details...
http://www.sportfishingmag.com/news/jose-wejebe-dies-plane-crash

Buena pesca,

Mark

2000 Pound Great White Shark in Sea of Cortez

A great white shark measuring nearly 20 feet and weighing 2,000 pounds -- according to a  local report -- was hauled up Sunday by commercial fishermen in the Sea of Cortez near Guaymas.The massive predator was dead when it was brought to the surface in a net deployed by fishermen named Guadalupe and Baltazar, who were treated to the surprise of a lifetime when they saw what they had captured."We were amazed and immediately realized that we had a huge, dead, great white shark, and then we thought what are we going to do?," Guadalupe told Pisces Sportfishing, which is located in the resort city of Cabo San Lucas.There is some dispute about the size If, in fact, it measured six meters (19.8 feet), as Milenio News reported, it'd be one of the longest white sharks ever recorded.

The fishermen, who were aboard a 22-foot skiff, towed the behemoth two miles to the beach, where dozens of people helped drag it onto dry sand."Guadalupe and Baltazar swore they had never seen a fish this big before in their lives," the Pisces blog stated. "Even though on March 13 of this year, some of their fellow fishermen had also caught a great white, which had weighed 990 pounds."Adult white sharks were once believed to be rare in the Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of California, but scientists now believe parts of the gulf serve as a nursery for the species.

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com

The Story of Sushi

A great video on sustainable seafood. This is one to show the kids...


The Story of Sushi from Bamboo Sushi on Vimeo.

World Record Pacific Bluefin Tuna Caught

A 738-pound Pacific bluefin tuna described by angler Nathan Adams as a "fish of a lifetime" may also be the largest Pacific bluefin ever landed on rod and reel.

The catch was made aboard an 18-foot boat during a recent competition off Houhora in New Zealand. If it's approved by the International Game Fish Assn., it will set an all-tackle world record, replacing a 716-pound 8-ounce Pacific bluefin landed off Westport, New Zealand, in 2007.


Man, I wish we had bluefin in Southern Baja...

Buena pesca,

Mark

Monster blue marlin caught after 28-hour battle off Cabo San Lucas

From the watery desk of Mark Daugherty

An estimated 1,213lb. blue marlin landed on Sunday, September 25, 2011. The monster was hooked on a trolled lure at the 95 Spot by the boat Go Deep out of the Pisces fleet. Here is the full story...

 Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com

Chucky Van Wormer lands 168lb. Yellowfin Tuna

From the watery desk of Mark Daugherty

Chucky Van Wormer lands this monster 168lb. Yellowfin Tuna 7 miles in front of Hotel Punta Colorada. Chucky was fishing on the El Loco II with Captain Julio Cota and Deckhand Abram. "We hooked it on a Caballito with 40# line and it took over 2 hours to bring the beast to the boat" said Chucky, who was filming a television show at the time.

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com

NEW WORLD RECORD YELLOWFIN TUNA

From the watery desk of Mark Daugherty

From the docks of the San Diego Long Range Fleet, a new pending IGFA world record yellowfin tuna was landed by Mike Livingston of Sunland, CA. The SUPER COW weighed in at 405.2 pounds topping the current record of 388, 12 ounces held since 1977. Livingston fought the pending record fish for just under three hours on a Penn 30W filled with 100lb. PowerPro spectra, 100lb. SoftSteel Ultra and a 9/0 Owner Mutu circle hook on a sardine bait. The fish was landed on the 80-foot deluxe sportfisher Vagabond captained by Mike Lackey.


Mike Livingston 405.2-pound yellowfin from paul@fishingvideos.com on Vimeo.

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com 

BIG Blue in Sea of Cortez Almost Wins Bisbee Tournament

From the watery desk of Mark Daugherty

800lb. blue marlin landed in the Sea of Cortez almost wins the Bisbee Black and Blue Tournament.
Read more...

I tell all my clients, "YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR THE BIG FISH YOU HOOK, NOT THE FISH YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HOOK."

Check out Bisbee.com for the full story...

Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com 

My latest Great Fish June 11, 2010

Story by Jerry Hall/Fish With Me
Vancouver, WA

As we headed off shore, it was apparent we were in for a rough day on the Sea of Cortez, 75 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. There was a steady wind out of the East, which is not common for this time of year. It was producing swells of 4-6 feet with the occasional 6-8 ft. We were trolling three lures with a live bait rod at the ready. After about an hour of rock and roll, the skipper spotted the fish's tail on the surface. The deck hand responded and tossed out the live bait. As he did, the troll rod on my right bent over and the sound of the reel exploded. Upon setting the hook, I instantly realized the fish was of formidable size, as the fish stripped 300 yards of 60 lb. test line off the reel in less than 2 minutes. There were no jumps or opportunity to see exactly how big it was. The battle was on, though, and after 20 minutes, it jumped 3 times, then made another screaming run to the north. The deck hand poured water over the reel on three occasions to cool it down, as the fish made several long runs. I didn't have to worry about being over heated, given that when the boat backed down on the fish several times, I was showered with waves of salt water.

Because of the water conditions, it was impossible to remain standing, and I welcomed the fighting chair. The fish jumped several times and by now it was much closer to the boat and the runs were shorter. The fish and I had been engaged in non-stop physical exertion for 45 minutes, and, aware of the old adage that the longer the battle, the greater the odds that the fish will break free, I was on the alert for possible tackle failure. The deck hand donned his gloves as I got the fish closer to the boat on several occasions and its runs were now even shorter, but still intense. After 1 hour and 2 minutes, he was able to grab the leader at the swivel. We had made the decision to release this magnificent fish, but in an attempt to elude us it made a final lunge under the boat, ripping the leader out of the deck-hand's hand and--unfortunately--running into the boats prop, suffering three fatal wounds. Although I have always released these magnificent fish, in this case, alas, doing so was not possible.

However, many many pounds of meat were donated to the local food bank by Chris, owner of the Smoke House.