They say that timing is everything in life, and the same is true with fishing. First, you have to find the time itself—a few hours to cast your rod. Second, you need the right combination of timing, skill, knowledge and luck to have a great day on the water.
Continued on Boston Page 1
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The rewards of a catch made while sight fshing go well beyond the satisfaction of landing the fsh. Take every opportunity to observe fsh in their natural habitat. To maximize success, an angler should take in as much information while on the water as possible.
By Capt. John Luck
Regardless of your target species, tackle of choice, or home waters, actually seeing the fsh is not only highly enjoyable but one of the best learning experiences an angler can have. It leads to a detailed understanding of fsh behavior.
Te sight fshing angler gets to see fsh react to everything around them, from the lure, bait, or fy presented to them, to the actual structure of the waterbody they live in. Recognizing their cues of interest or disinterest becomes applicable for species in both fresh and saltwater. Obviously remaining as quiet as possible, making sure that you have a good vantage point and during daylight hours having a good pair of sunglasses are all vital to your success. My personal favorite is the Bajio Tech Angler Collection due to their ultra clear polarized lens.
Sight fshing enables an angler to have more control over the outcome and allows you to adjust your bait and techniques to ensure a strike.
Sight fshing isn’t just about catching fsh; it’s about understanding their behavior, engaging with the process, and enjoying the thrill of spotting your target underwater. So next time you’re out on the water, keep your eyes peeled—you might just discover a whole new dimension to your angling.
I hope you fnd this article informative! If you have any other requests or questions, feel free to ask. Tight lines.
Contact Capt. John Luck at luckydogman@msn.com.
It seems the farther south you go, the tougher the fsh get. Tis holds true in the South Pacifc. If you’re looking to go head-to-head and toe-to-fn with some of the toughest fsh out there, Fiji is a great bet.
Tese fsh are aggressive, fast and strong, and with a fortress built of line-cutting sharp edges, the fsh start with the advantage. Tis is a great place to target giant trevally (GT). Although it is still far away, Fiji is a great alternative to the Seychelles, and it is a destination that ofers amenities for anglers as well as their non-fshing companions. I fshed out of Savusavu, a large remote island that requires an additional hour-long fight on a small plane from the international airport on the main Island. Te remoteness means less fshing pressure, but the island still ofers luxury accommodations. As fshy as Fiji is, it doesn’t get much fshing tourism. It’s a diving and resort destination that happens to ofer amazing fshing. Summers feature a great yellowfn tuna and GT bite, and winters hold marlin and wahoo. I was there during a transitional phase into winter (seasons are reversed there), and there were plenty of resident fsh to target including GT, which is what I was afer. Immersion Fiji is the most experienced guide on the island, and Michael can handle anything from topwater for GT to massive yellowfn and even spearfshing or a cool waterfall getaway.
Te GTs are unquestionably an apex predator and the top quarry. Tese are very aggressive, strong and smart fsh that you need to be battle ready for. My weapon consisted of heavy spinning gear with 100-lb. braid, 150-lb. leader and 350-lb. terminal tackle. When a GT explodes on a 7-inch popper, there is no question that it’s game on. It’s like a bowling ball being dropped from a third-foor window, followed by hooking your line to a semi truck. With drags set at 20 pounds, the fght is as much on the fsh as it is on you. Any less drag would result in countless breakofs in the reef. Te fght will tax your strength, and be prepared for some heartbreaks. Tere is no doubt that topwater fshing for these guys exceeds the hype.
Another fsh that will blast your popper is a Pacifc Spanish mackerel, also known to the locals as walu. Similar looking to our kingfsh, this is one of Fiji’s most prized table fare. It’s much whiter, fakier meat than our mackerel and is a staple in Fiji’s national dish Kokoda (pronounced ko-con-da), which is a ceviche with fresh coconut cream. Tey ofen blow a plug completely out of the water, and they also hit deep trolling plugs, which makes for a nice break
By Will Schmidt
from casting. Long strong runs and crazy aerial attacks make this another great fsh to come across as you search for GTs.
You can also downsize to a foating stick bait for additional topwater action. Smaller, yet aggressive and strong fsh like red bass, bluefn trevally, emperor fsh and other reef dwellers provide plenty of exciting action on the surface.
If giant trevally are on your hit list, Fiji is an amazing destination that fully delivers. Te locals could not be more inviting and friendly, the water is unbelievably clear, and the islands are as peaceful as they are beautiful. It’s truly a trip of a lifetime.
Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about fshing for three decades. For information about fshing Fiji, contact Immersionfji.com.
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THATCH MAGUIRE, EDITOR AT LARGE
Snook are a great inshore/near shore species to target. Teir predator style bite and their world class fght make them truly worthy of the gamefsh title, but catching a snook or targeting snook can be challenging. While there are countless fsheries that hold snook, narrowing down the best area is not an easy call. Given that snook season opens on Florida’s east coast September 1st here are a few tips that will pay of in planning a successful snook fshing trip; one that nearly ensures your success.
First and foremost, where are you most likely to catch snook? Tat’s not a trick question. It’s the frst question you should answer before planning your snook fshing expedition. My snook fshing eforts have led me to believe that the Jupiter Inlet on Florida’s East Coast is the most reliable estuary for easily accessible snook for beginners. My catch ratio over the many years that I have fshed the Jupiter Fla. Inlet suggests that the primary species in and around this pristine inlet is snook. Day in day out, if you catch a fsh in the Jupiter Inlet it will more than likely be a snook.
Te next important question for a successful trip is what to use as a bait or lure? For the most predictable success I strongly recommend live bait. Te bigger the better. Pilchards are my number one live bait, but croakers and pinfsh work well too. Keeping your live bait lively
and healthy is a chapter in itself. Changing your water regularly and adding aeration are key essentials to prolonging your bait’s life. Tere’s nothing worse than getting on top of the bite and discovering your bait is dead. We’ve all done it, but don’t let it happen to you.
Next on the check list is tackle. You’ll want to scrap the light tackle approach for Jupiter Inlet snook. Medium to heavy or you’ll invariably lose the big ones. I recommend a 20-pound braid with at least a 40-pound leader. Circle hooks are a good consideration if you’re experienced in using them. Nothing less than a #4. You better have a heavy-duty landing net too because some of these monsters just won’t ft into some of the more modest nets. Te next important question is the easiest to answer. Where in the Jupiter Inlet do I fsh for snook with predictable results? Answer- just about anywhere! Obviously, docks are a great hiding place for snook, and night fshing will normally produce the best results around docks with lights or shadow lines. Flip a big pilchard under a dock light in Jupiter Inlet and watch what happens. You’re about to be tested because you’ve got to horse them away from the pilings or you’ll be kicking yourself for days. Tis is where the braid comes in handy. It’ll allow you to win that battle more ofen than not. But everybody loses that battle from time to time. Seawalls are also a good source for targeting snook. Tey’re cruising the seawalls constantly so just be patient and let your live bait do all the work.
You can use live shrimp if that’s all you can get, but your species catch will not be predominantly snook. You’ll catch a fair amount of junk fsh in Jupiter with live shrimp. I personally don’t want to confuse the efort with all that inferior action, and you don’t have to travel to Jupiter for that catch.
George K. Regan, Jr. Publisher
Boston Edition
It wasn’t hard, on a recent gray morning along the edge of Quincy Harbor, to imagine what the young man might be thinking. Tall, straightbacked, round cap upon his head, the collar of his peacoat turned up against the wind, hands thrust into pockets, his eyes fixed on the far blue Atlantic horizon. Forged by experience, he now contemplates what lies ahead.
About 25 years old, his face belies a maturity above and beyond. His stance suggests a confidence earned through duty and sacrifice, his serious demeanor, a readiness for whatever his future service
brings. A senior second class petty officer in the United States Navy, he has already lived, and will live again, the life of “haze gray and underway” -- the traditional saying within the service branch that means sailing aboard surface warships to fulfill a mission at sea, far from the safety of a shore post.
His next stop may be aboard a destroyer in the English Channel, providing fire support for the first waves into Normandy – perhaps a ship built right here on this piece of land where he now stands. Or he may be on the deck of a carrier in the Pacific, directing dive bomber
pilots launching to hunt a Japanese battle group. Years later, having left his hometown upon hearing a new generation’s call to duty, he may be stationed on a cruiser deterring the aggression of a Cold War enemy. Or even, in more recent times, sailing for the Persian Gulf, a projection of power in the war on terrorism.
His next stop has been all of these things.
He is the Lone Sailor, a tribute to the men and women who have served or are serving as part of the United States Navy’s mission to protect freedom, fight tyranny, and ensure the safety of the world’s oceans. And on the humid morning of Friday, August 9, on the Boardwalk off Victory Road in Quincy’s Marina Bay neighborhood, he was welcomed to his newest home port by dozens of active duty and retired veterans, civic leaders, and local residents. Seven feet tall, cast from bronze, the Lone Sailor Statue
– brought here by the United States Navy Memorial Foundation – is the centerpiece of the city’s new Navy Park at Squantum.
“He has done it all,” the US Navy Memorial states about the Lone Sailor. “Fired weapons in war, provided humanitarian assistance in far-away lands, been attacked by the enemy and defended our freedom. He has made liberty calls in great cities and tiny villages where he was a tourist, ambassador, adventurer, friend and missionary to those less fortunate. His shipmates remember him with pride and look up to him with respect.”
Quincy’s Lone Sailor is the 19th such statue dedicated by the US Navy Memorial in locations around the world. His brother sailors stand sentry in such spots as the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the World War Two Valor in the Pacific Monument at Pearl Harbor, where he greets visitors on their way to the USS Arizona Memorial; and gazing out to the ocean, as all sailors must, from a promontory over Utah Beach on the Normandy coast, one of the places where the liberators of Europe landed 80 years ago. The Navy Park at Squantum is the first New England location to host the Lone Sailor. The location -- the former site of the Victory Destroyer Plant shipyard
Staff, added.
The Navy Park at Squantum will also become home to the bell from the third USS Quincy, a heavy cruiser built at the Fore River Shipyard and given its name after the second Quincy was destroyed in the Battle of Savo Island in the Guadalcanal campaign, with the loss of 370 sailors, on August 9, 1942.
and Naval Air Station Squantum, where fighter pilots were trained, and not far from the former Fore River Shipyard -- is fitting.
“Today at this historic site we celebrate Quincy’s vital contributions to shipbuilding and to the training of Naval aviators,” United States Marine Corps General (ret.)
Joseph Dunford, who emceed the memorial event, said.
“But most importantly we celebrate the long line of Quincy natives who answered the call to serve, whether as a shipbuilder or as a sailor in uniform,” General Dunford, a Quincy native himself who went on to serve as Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Recalling that sinking that occurred 82 years, to the day, before the Quincy dedication, Father David Campo, a Lieutenant Junior Grade and US Navy Chaplain, spoke of the nature of courage while remembering the loss of the USS Quincy during his opening prayer.
“ ‘Courage,’ in the words
of US Navy Chaplain Joseph Conway, two years later, ‘is fear having said its prayers,’ ” Father Campo, also a Quincy native, recalled. “Taking his own medicine, after offering Mass for his Marines right before invading Guam, Chaplain Conway was killed in action with the Marines in his assault craft. He was found with his chalice box tightly gripped to his chest. We could all keep God close to our chest now days.
“On this day we have the solemn dedication of the Lone Sailor as a reminder of the sacrifices of all Navy personnel, from those about the USS Quincy 82 years ago today, of what tremendous bravery God has given to those putting everything on the line. Let us also ask God to continue to raise
(Continued from Page 2)
up brave men and women to defend us, since freedom is never truly free.”
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch noted his city’s revered military history, including the shipyards, the air station, and the numerous Army and Navy commanders who hailed from the city.
“It is our job to be the preservationist, the conservationist, to tell those stories to future generations,” Mayor Koch said. “And this will be forever here as a living outdoor museum.”
Among the many notable veterans from Quincy honored at the event were Vice Admiral (ret.) Colin Kilrain and Rear Admiral (ret.) Stephen T. Keith. Four other US Navy admirals were honored posthumously: Vice Admiral John Ready, Rear Admiral Bartholomew W. Hogan, Rear Admiral Giles C. Stedman, and Rear Admiral Forrest B. Royal. All are memorialized in carved stone plaques erected in the Navy Park.
Honored, also, were retired naval aviator and Vietnam POW Richard Stratton; and, in memoriam, former Quincy Sun Editor Henry Bosworth, a US Navy World War II veteran, and Charles Francis Adams III, who served as Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover.
Also recognized, and in attendance, were two centenarians: former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti, 101 years old, who served during World War Two in the Navy’s elite amphibious unit that was the precursor of today’s SEALs, and Mildred “Millie” Cox, 100, one of the first women to join the Marine Corps who later worked for Quincy Public Schools and the city’s Veterans Services while raising a family in the city.
“When I was a young Marine, I never dreamed that I would be standing
here 80 years later on this hallowed ground in the company of heroes,” Mrs. Cox said. “This distinction today has to be the highlight of my very long life I accept it gladly for all women warriors past and present. We were always capable. Someone just had to recognize that.”
Recalling the years she and her husband spent raising six sons and a daughter in Quincy, Mrs. Cox remembered “when the neighborhood kids wanted to rag on my kids, they’d say, ‘Your mother wears combat boots!’ And my kids would say, ‘You’re damn tootin’!”
Other speakers included Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, who remembered the service of her father, a 22-year Navy veteran, and US Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-Massachusetts), who remembered
the advice given to him by “salty old Navy veterans” in his days a young iron worker at the General Dynamics shipyard in Quincy.
“They drilled into every welder in that shipyard the importance of what we were building and reminded us of the serious consequences of any mistake or deviation from the high standards that they set,” Congressman Lynch recalled.
Those high standards of shipbuilding, upheld across all the decades and two World Wars on the shores of Quincy, Massachusetts, built the vessels that carried countless brave young men into battles far from home. Many never returned. All are embodied in the solemn gaze and determined jaw of the Lone Sailor, forever now a sentinel on the historic shore, looking out, as all sailors must, to the sea.
By Captain John Curry
Hey it’s that time of year again! The end of the summer is near, but the beginning of the False Albacore run is upon us and I love it. Nothing gets my clients more fired up than the long drag screaming runs of Albies on light tackle, fun stuff. Let’s take a look at some strategies that may help you smile for the camera with a wiggling Albie a little more this season. There is a basic formula to targeting any species and it’s based on four premises. They are; When- Where-How-What. So let’s break it down in that sequence.
#1: When
Well for most of us we know it’s around the 3rd week of August that we begin to see consistent numbers of False Albacore in our Cape Cod waters. Of course our neighbors to the south in Rhode Island will have a run sooner than we will and I always look for those reports before to get a jump on the run. Yesterday was August 9th and while guiding in Nantucket
Sound for Blues we encountered a small pod of Albie’s, or where they Atlantic Bonito, hard to tell they were up and down quick. Anyways, the main timing for our run is the last week in August and the first half of September. The main indicator is two factors, bait and water temp. Right now we have 70-71 degree water temps in Vineyard and Nantucket Sound’s with slightly higher temps in Buzzards Bay. False Albacore like 72-78 degree water temps. Keep that in mind and monitor those on Rutgers. edu/seasurfacetemps. The second indicator is of course bait. They aren’t here to enjoy our beaches, they are here to feed and fatten up before they turn right and head back down to the Carolinas and Florida for the winter. Right now we have bait and plenty of it! Peanut Bunker, Silver Sides and Bay Anchovies are everywhere on the south side.
#2: Where
Pretty obvious that I’m talking
in general terms Buzzards Bay, Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds in regards to locations. However, we need to think of our approach in more specifics if we want to get more hook ups. Sure some days it’s as easy as drop the boat in and fire up the motor and look for birds. Grab a chart of the area you plan to fish and a tide report. Look for contour lines with rips and channel bars where bait will be flushed as the tide moves and plan to fish those areas instead of just heading out with a pair of old binoculars. For our south side Cape waters the rule of thumb most years is the fish will start to really heat up around Craigville Beach then as the run progresses and the days get colder end around Cuttyhunk Island.
#3: How
Light tackle that’s how. This isn’t a troller’s game. Put away the umbrella rigs and head down to Falmouth Bait & Tackle and have Christian and the guys set you up with a light tackle spinning outfit. I use a 7’ medium-fast action Star rod paired with a 3000 series Shimano reel and 15 pound Power Pro braid main line. On the business end use 20 fluorocarbon leader of at least 6’ long. Long casts are the name of the game and you need a high speed reel. Trust me you will cast as long as you can on one side of the boat only to have fish pop up 10 yards away on the other side. A Biologist I once ran into at a bar on the
Outer Banks told me that False Albacore swim so fast that they can only see a lure that’s at least 20’ in front of them. This means when you see fish cast way in front of the direction you think they are going and reel like hell.
What do you throw at these “funny fish” that one day will smash whatever is on your line and the next day ignore you like a buddy who owes you money? This get’s us to the subtitle of this article. I like to use two main types of baits, soft plastics and metal or “epoxy” type jigs and surface baits like poppers. In my experience False Albacore will take soft plastic baits like the 6” Hogy in white, pink and green in the early stages of the run. I feel like they are keyed in on Peanut Bunker and the softer baits mimic them more. A new bait on the scene this year is the Hurley Lure Co. “Mini Squidder”. It’s about 4” long and can weigh up to an ounce with a built in hook , should be a killer bait. The 3” Skid Stik by Fishin Magician is also a solid choice in the early to mid part of the run. As the run nears its middle to end stages and the water starts to cool you cannot go wrong with the Hogy Lure Co. Epoxy Jigs. The olive and pink colors are usually what’s on my leader and they cast a mile. Load up on these great local lure companies and you will be very pleased with the results.
Coastal Angler Magazine, Boston
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Club Meeting:
Plum Island Surfcasters meets on the third Tuesday of each month. On September 17, 2024 we will have Alan Caela presenting Sight Fishing Striped Bass.
Check our website (www.plumislandsurfcasters.org) for more details on upcoming events.
Salisbury, MA Senior Center (behind the fire station), 43 Lafayette Rd (Route 1), Salisbury, MA 01952.
Meetings at 6:45 pm | Fishing seminar at 8:00 pm Free for all club members. $5 admission for Non-members
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THE ORIGINAL SCENTED LURE
By Tracy Patterson
Maguire’s frst work is a compelling, fast read. His style is like a mix of Hemingway with a sardonic blend of Hunter S. Thompson. I couldn’t put it down...
Ben Martin Editor in Chief Coastal Angler Magazine “ ”
Confessions of a Fishaholic, by Thatch Maguire, is a hilarious and irreverent look at one man’s quest to catch fish in spite of life’s annoying interferences. You’ll travel with this awkward adventurer as he risks home and health to pursue his passion for fishing...regardless of the consequences. Anglers of all expertise levels will immediately identify with why his addiction is incurable. This book defines the blurred line between passion and obsession.
Tournament angler Lee Ann Powell recently set a new IGFA world record with a 10 lb. 3 oz. bass caught on 10 lb. test. She was fshing (for fun) with her friend and charter captain Dalton Smith on O.H. Ivie Lake in Texas when they noticed a school of fsh on their livescope. Powell was using a Damiki jig with a 3 inch Fluke dipped in Spike It Chartreuse Cajun Dip N Glo. According Powell, “Once the big bass took the lure the exhausting fght to bring the monster bass to within netting distance required me to constantly adjust and reset the drag with my record catch going deep each time it neared the boat.”
Afer fnally netting it, Powell says they put the fsh in the live well and headed out to fnd a set of certifed scales to weigh it. Te requirements for registering a potential world’s record fsh are stringent and Powell says she almost missed her window/timeline for submitting her catch for authentication by the IGFA.
About the IGFA: Te International Gamefsh Association is a non-pro organization committed to the conservation of gamefsh and the promotion of ethical angling practices through science, education, record keeping and recognition of outstanding accomplishments in the feld of angling.
We salute the IGFA’s decision in January 2014 to create a separate category for female anglers, opening up thousands of categories for new World’s Record opportunities.
When it comes to spooling up your reels, the options are endless. For some this can be a bit overwhelming. Hopefully in this article I can help you understand what diferent kinds of lines are used for and what line strength is the best choice for you.
Te three main types of lines are monoflament, fuorocarbon and braided lines. Each has its pros and cons in diferent situations. Monoflament line foats, fuorocarbon sinks and most braided lines also foat.
I rarely use monoflament for bass fshing, but it does have its perks for a scenario or two. When throwing big heavy glide baits, I ofen spool my reels with a very strong 25- to 30-lb. monoflament, as it is very strong and much less prone to breaking on the cast when I am casting a large bait. I also ofen use mono for is a short leader when throwing a topwater bait with treble hooks. I attach about a foot of mono leader to the end of my braid, and it is less visible while also foating to keep a topwater working naturally.
Something to note about monoflament is it’s very stretchy, making it hard to drive the hook of many diferent lures into the mouth of a fsh, especially if you’re using straight mono and have a lot of line out. Te more mono you have out equals more stretch.
I use a lot of fuorocarbon in my arsenal
TYLER WOOLCOTT
of bass-fshing set ups. Tis line has virtually no stretch, it is more abrasion resistant than most other lines, and it is also a clearer line than anything else, making it harder for fsh to see. Unless I am fshing around extremely heavy cover, where braided line is needed to pull the fsh out, pretty much every reel
I use has fuorocarbon on it. I use anywhere from 10- to 20-lb. fuoro, depending on water clarity, types of cover, and the type of lure I am fshing. Braid also serves me well in many diferent applications. Having virtually no stretch, being very strong and extremely thin compared to other lines of the same strength, and outcasting every other line made are just a few perks of braid. Te downside of braid is it’s basically tiny thin rope, meaning if you are around clear water fsh can probably see it attached to your lure. In some cases, you will need a leader attached to the end of your braid.
Every single spinning reel I own is spooled with braid, which helps them cast better and operate much smoother than if they were spooled with the other kinds of lines. Typically, I’ll use 10lb. braid and attach a few feet of a fuorocarbon leader in a size of my choice to the end to keep it stealthy. I have 30- to 50-lb. braid on all my topwater treble hook baitcaster rods to make extremely long casts. When fshing around heavy grass and vegetation, I also use braid, typically in 50- to 65-lb. test. Tis strong line allows you to get the fsh out of the mess and into the boat. With your lure being in the grass, you can get away with using a thick braid, as the fsh won’t see your line around the vegetation.
Hopefully this helps you understand the diferent lines better and helps you put a few more fsh in the boat.
Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfshing.com.
September’s fshery in the Florida Keys can be unpredictable as we transition into autumn at the end of the month. Cooler northern waters will begin to push fsh back into their southern migration, while we maintain our usual summer species.
It’s always a sweeter deal running ofshore when the mahi are still around, giving more opportunities to diversify the fsh box. Tey will begin to phase out throughout the next several weeks, making this month the last month of the year to reliably target them.
Swordfsh and blackfn tuna are also excellent fuel-burn justifcations this month. With fewer boats on the water, the trafc at the Marathon humps will be less chaotic for targeting tuna.
Te reef fshing is always a good option. Te snappers are snapping year-round and seasonal harvest for black and red grouper are still open.
Tis is a great opportunity to dive for lobster as well, as the water will still be warm, but the excitement over opening season has died down. Te beginning of lobster season can turn our waters into an absolute zoo. It’s unnerving to even
By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon
suggest going out during that time and throwing yourself in the mix of that mayhem. Tat hype seems to gravitate mostly towards the mini season in July and the few weeks in August.
Each year when the kids are back in school, the Florida Keys takes a massive hit on tourism. We will experience the slowest time of the year over the next few months.
Although this may be a difcult time for working locals, it’s something to be enjoyed by our visitors. Te prices of accommodations will be as low as they get, restaurants will have ample seating, service will be quick, and best of all, no trafc!
Te furry of summer boaters trailering their rigs down from all over the country will have stopped, making both road and water trafc much more pleasant. Te fshery will experience less pressure, creating a mecca of hungry fsh, for those who are able to get out there.
Being in the middle of hurricane season likely
However, it’s a great time to make an impromptu trip, knowing you won’t have a problem fnding cheaper accommodations and availability for fshing charters.
Hurricane season may seem daunting, but there is more than enough notice ahead of any major storm. Locals are always diligently watching the weather for the frst sign of any potential disturbance and will be able to help you make decisions when booking last minute trips.
While September maybe be our slow season for tourism, that does not apply to our fshery. Come take advantage of having paradise all to yourself.
Capt. Quinlyn Haddon guides with Sweet E’Nuf Charters based out of Marathon, Florida Keys. www.captainquinlyn.com; IG: @captainquinlyn
Amemorable
beach moment: You’re basking in the warm sun, toes in the sand, letting the gentle turn of the foam-capped waves lull you into a state of complete relaxation. As your eyes scan the endless horizon of blue on blue, you’re rewarded with a school of dolphins making their way across the sea.
There’s no denying their signature shape as they leap from the water. If you don’t see anything else extraordinary the rest of day, you can take solace knowing you’ve witnessed one of nature’s most playful and human-like creatures in their natural habitat.
Why not re-create that special moment with our Balinese Dolphin Pendant? We’ve captured two dolphins mid-jump in sterling silver crafted in the Balinese style. Tucked between these beloved sea mammals is a full carat of shimmering blue topaz. Made by some of Indonesia’s finest artisans, this pendant is an absolute steal at JUST $29! That’s what we call our Stauer IMPOSSIBLE PRICE!
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Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Enjoy the Balinese Dolphin Pendant for 30 days. If it doesn’t pass the test swimmingly, send it back for a full refund of the item price.
Limited reserves. This pendant is already one of our best sellers this year. A full carat of genuine blue topaz set in .925 sterling silver for this price is as rare as a dolphin sighting. We cannot guarantee availability for long. Call today! This offer is limited to the first 1,900 responders to this ad!
Jewelry Specifications:
• Made in Indonesia
• Blue topaz and .925 sterling silver
Balinese Dolphin Pendant (1 carat)
$299 $29* Save $270
*Special price only for customers using the offer code.
Chain sold separately.
One carat of shimmering blue topaz set in sterling silver for ONLY $29
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“Just lovely! Would recommend it as a purchase. Thank you STAUER.” — Mary L.
An angler trolling for striped bass hauled in a 127-pound, 6-ounce Arkansas state record paddlefsh on June 15. Te monster fsh came from Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas, and it crushed the existing record of 118 pounds.
Mike Schleeper inked his name in the record books while trolling brooder minnows, which are large shiners, about 30 feet deep near a point on the 28,000-acre lake. His friend and fshing buddy Tom Mayberry was there to help during the 45-minute fght.
“I’ve been fshing for stripers up here for about 13 years, and I’ve had the chance to catch some stripers over 30 pounds, but this was diferent,” Schleeper said. “It didn’t strip line and stop in surges like big stripers do, he just sort of pulled the rod down and kept going. I couldn’t turn him, so we had to follow him with the trolling motor for about the frst 20 minutes.”
Once Schleeper did manage to sway the fsh in his direction, the fght continued for nearly another half-hour.
“It was a 45-minute fght altogether,” Schleeper said. “I’d thought maybe it was a really big striper, but then we could fnally see it a little bit. It looked like a giant catfsh at frst, but as we got it closer to the boat we realized what it was.”
Te giant paddlefsh had been hooked in one of its pectoral fns incidentally while the anglers were trolling. Snagged fsh ofen don’t count toward state records in many states, but paddlefsh are accepted because these fsh do not bite lures—they eat plankton—and catches on rod-and-reel are almost exclusively the result of snags.
When Schleeper and Mayberry fnally got the fsh to the side of the boat, they ran into a snag of their own.
“Our net wasn’t big enough for the fsh,” Schleeper said. “Tom wrestled with that fsh for a while trying to fgure out a way to get it in the boat. At one point I told him to just cut the line because it wasn’t worth it. Tom was adamant that we needed to get that fsh in and report it.”
Schleeper agreed with Mayberry and they fnally worked a rope through the fsh’s mouth to hoist it aboard.
“As soon as the fsh fell to the bottom of the boat, the hook popped free,”
Schleeper said. “We got really lucky.”
Paddlefsh are the oldest surviving animal species in North America according to fossil records. In fact, paddlefsh predate some dinosaurs (300 million years). Females may spawn only once every 4 to 7 years.
A recent regulation passed by the AGFC allows a limited, permit-based snagging season for paddlefsh in the White River portion of Beaver Lake from the Twin Bridges Access to the Lake Sequoyah Dam April 15-June 15.
Te world-record paddlefsh weighed 164 pounds, 13 ounces. It was caught by Chad Williams at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks in March.
For more giant fsh, go to coastalanglermag.com.
