In addition to having released over 29,000 billfish (placing him in exclusive company with Capt. Ronnie Hamlin, Capt. Chris Sheeder, Capt. Brad Phillips, and perhaps only a few others), at last count Carter has weighed in eleven 1,000-pounders, eighteen IGFA World Records, a Fantasy Slam Five – five billfish species in one day, a Super Grand Slam in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the 2006 AFTCO trophy for the most tagged and released billfish in the world. Over four decades he has traveled to eight countries and captained seven different boats, so it is safe to say that very few captains in the world of sport fishing 26 BDoutdoors.com
can match the experience, knowledge and expertise of Capt. Carter when he spoke of Mag Bay. This is literally a “fishing proving ground,” where it is likely your crew will hook more fish in a week or two than they normally see in most areas in a fistful of seasons.
There are trophy fish cloaked in daunting challenges in this unusual fishery. Boats and crews, stunned by the sheer volume, often think that triple-digit scores are what it’s all about. Many
captains/owners wisely treat Mag Bay more like “Billfish Bootcamp” and use the opportunity to fine-tune their fishing techniques on a variety of tackle – light, heavy, spinning and fly – experimenting with their boat handling, cockpit management and fish finding capabilities. Baja’s virtual aquarium, Magdalena Bay, is 131 miles long, is protected by five barrier islands – Isla Creciente, Isla Santa Margarita, Isla Magdalena, and two unnamed islands to the north – and is double the size of San Francisco Bay.
