Purchase HERE

Jose was not only a great angler who conquered most feats that we all dream of doing one day, but he was also a dedicated environmentalist. As a kid growing up Jose’s show was the first saltwater show that really caught my eye, I had little access or help to get started with the sport but watching his show gave me so much insight into all aspects of the fishing world which really sparked my interest and caused me to pursue my career in the fishing and marine industry.  Jose really set the bar for future fishing TV programs to be entertaining as well as informative.

This was his story…

Odyssey Trolling Thunder Marine Dual Purpose battery has both massive starting power and amazing deep cycling capability — up to 400 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. With twice the overall power and three times the life of conventional marine batteries, the ODYSSEY battery is ideal for trolling, starting, and for powering the many on-board electronic accessories common in today’s boats and recreational vehicles.

“I recently receive a few pairs of these and I’m thinking that I will never buy boxers from anyone else. These are truly incredible. Who would have thought to take the technology tha companies have been putting into high performance fishing shirts and putting them into a pair of boxers. They are insanely comfortable and breathable.” Kyle Ondrey

Purchase them HERE.

Three groups of anglers will be joining me (each of them will be there for several days).  All of them are Galapagos veterans and we expect another great year.  The first group includes Peter Bordes, Peter Sabo, and tow of their buddies (rookies).  The second group includes Paul Stevens, Alan Lapes, and Melissa Stevens.  The final group is Steve Palmo and Mitch Wergiles with whom I have spent many, many days in exotic places chasing big fish.

My very close friend Pete Santini has been on the island for a few weeks already and has a great feel for the bite.

I am bringing some really cool gear with me including the latest big game rods from Penn, all the new Yo-Zuri lures, and a wide variety of Moldcraft, Islander, and Black Bart marlin lures.

The word is that the Marlin bite has broken wide open at the Santini Bank.  My first fishing day is Thursday, so stay tuned!

Buying Plastic Squids

Our custom teasers use only Moldcraft squids.  These are tough, durable, easy to rig, and come in a wide variety of colors.  We typically build daisy chains consisting of either five 9″ squids or seven 6″ squids.

Daisy Chain Colors

If I had to pick only two colors I would pick pink (the Moldcraft pink contains metal fleck and is beautiful) and natural.  However, there is not need to limit yourself to just those two colors.  Click here to find a Moldcraft dealer near you.

Squid Teaser Materials

The list of materials is very simple and you can get them from a variety of sources.  It is critical you use te best possible materials.  These teasers are designed to be used by themselves or with a lure or rigged natural bait behind them.  The front of the chain has a Mustad ball bearing swivel so that any twist is not transmitted to the teaser line.  The rear of the chain has a Mustad ball bearing snap swivel so that lures, other teasers, or rigged natural baits can be attached.

9″ Squid Teaser Materials

• 5 – 9″ Moldcraft squids
• Spool of 400lb Yo-Zuri HD Fluorcarbon leader
• 4 – 2.2mm single sleeves (used for stops)
• 4 – 2.2mm double sleeves (used for the front swivel and rear snap swivels)
• 5 – Plastic beads
• 1 – 300lb Mustad ball bearing swivel (front)
• 1 – 300lb Mustad ball bearing swivel with snap (rear)

6″ Squid Teaser Materials

• 7 - 6″ Moldcraft squids
• Spool of 200lb Yo-Zuri HD Fluorcarbon leader
• 6 - 1.9mm single sleeves (used for stops)
• 6 - 1.9mm double sleeves (used for the front swivel and rear snap swivels)
• 7 – Plastic beads
• 1 – 200lb Mustad ball bearing swivel (front)
• 1 – 200lb Mustad ball bearing swivel with snap (rear)

Squid Teaser Assembly

The following steps are required when assembling the teaser.  It is critical to slide all the components in place before doing any crimping. 

1. Spool out 6-7 feet of leader, but do not cut it at the spool
2. Slide on a squid (head first), a plastic bead, and a single sleeve
3. Repeat step 2 for all the remaining squids EXCEPT for the last one
4. Slide on the last squid (head first) and two double sleeves
5. Pass the leader through the snap swivel twice while making a knot (see video)
6. Pass the leader back through both double sleeves
7. Push the double sleeve closest to the snap swivel as tight as possible against the loop and crimp it
8. Position the second double sleeve so that it acts as a spacer so that only the snap portion of the snap swivel protrudes from the squid
9. Twist the leader material between the two sleeves and crimp it
10. Slide the last squid tight up against the bead and position the next single sleeve to provide the desired spacing (typically one and a half squids) and crimp
11. Repeat step 10 for all remaining squids
12. Cut the leader off the spool leaving 3-4 feet in front of the first squid (this will allow for future re-rigging if needed)
13. Slide on the remaining two double sleeves
14. Pass the leader through the swivel twice while making a knot (see video)
15. Pass the leader back through both double sleeves
16. Push the double sleeve closest to the swivel as tight as possible against the loop and crimp it
17. Position the second double sleeve two inches from the first sleeve, twist the leader material between the two sleeves and crimp it

Squid Teaser Inspection

Because teasers take so much abuse from long hours of being dragged behind the boat it is critical to frequently inspect the connections where the leader passes through the swivels.  This is the single most frequent cause of teaser failure and loss.  The extra leader in front of the teaser is used so that the lead swivel can be cut off and re-rigged.

Captain Andy LoCascio explains how to assemble the teaser

This is a good test of your fish identificaiton skills! The yellowfin have very long fins. The blackfin are smaller, similar in color and shape, but with short fins. The bonito are striped.  The video was prodcued by Kyle Ondrey.
 

Here are the fishing videos from that day

The guys ended up boating five yellowfin ranging from 110lbs to 168lbs.

Helen H

Sailing daily *Approx 3AM – Reservations required – Fare $ 120.00 per person

Boat will be limited to 60 fishermen. Rod rental equipment will be top-quality Shimano rods and reels.

The experienced crew from the Helen H and Capt. Lou will be back in Montauk for another winter Cod Fishing Season. Our 2011 season last year went rather well with closer fishing grounds and a lower fare due to a reduction of our fuel consumption. The Helen H has already started running daily trips.

Reservations

Helen H office (508) 790-0660

Capt Lou’s office (516) 623-5823

Hotels

Montauk Manor – (631) 668-4400

Vistit the Helen H website for more information

Island Current

The Island Current Fleet has already begun its winter cod fishing trips up in Snug Harbor, RI with amazing results. This winter both the Island Current III and the Island Current will be departing daily at 5 AM, weather permitting. Our times will switch once the bites develops into an early morning bite. We recommend making a reservation.

Our special hammer diamond jigs can be rented or purchased right on board. The Island Current III is extremely roomy and has a spacious heated cabin. We have limited our load to 50 passengers on open boat trips allowing for more room and fishing space. This is especially beneficial during the drifting days with a lot less tangles. We continue to offer Private Charter Specials for both the weekend and weekday. The Island Current II is ideal for private groups in the 6 to 20 passenger range. Our large galley allows for fine meals and snacks to warm up on cold winter days.

Reservation

Online tickets at ZERVE or call (212) 209-3370

Now celebrating its 30th year, the New York Sportfishing Federation Forum & Auction at the Freeport Recreation Center is the “can’t miss” sportfishing event of the year in New York.

The President’s Day Weekend show opens on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. with a good crowd expected early as anglers search out the best early deals to be found among the 50 exhibitor booths. A full seminar schedule will be posted here in January, so be sure to bookmark this page for updates.

All proceeds from the three-day show and auction will benefit the New York Sportfishing Federation and its ongoing efforts to protect and serve the sportfishing community throughout New York.

The 30th Annual “Freeport Show” will be open from 2p-6p on February 17th, 8a-6p on February 18th and 9a-2:30p on February 19th (followed by the annual auction on Sunday afternoon, which is open to the public).

Admission will be $10, $8 for kids and seniors, and children under 12 are free. Location is 130 E. Merrick Road in Freeport, less than half mile west of Exit M9W off the Meadowbrook. Be sure to stop by the New York Sportfishing Federation and Recreational Fishing Alliance booth upon entering the show for your chance to win a special door prize, a goodie bag filled with Tactical Anglers products care of ”Crazy” Alberto Knie!

For more details and booth information, contact New York Sportfishing Federation president Jim Hutchinson at 888-564-6732 or email him at forum@nysf.org.

Yellowfin Tuna

If you are not familiar with this pilgrimage, you can read all about the Galapagos 2011 Trip.  If you want to learn more or are considering doing a trip this season, please contact us and we can give you all the details and hook you up with the right guide.

Lure Destruction

I need to get all my gear squared away before I leave and last year we learned a valuable lesson while throwing plugs at big yellowfin tuna, pargo, and black jacks.  Sooner or later, every plug we threw had the hooks bent or the split rings opened.  This was a problem even when using a loose drag as the strikes were so violent and the fish pulled so hard during the fight.  Several times a plug that was hanging out of a a hooked fishes mouth was struck again by another fish.

Almaco Jack

Popping Plug Choices

We prefer only the largest plugs.  Last year the best plugs were largest Yo-Zuri Surface Cruisers and big Guides Choice Pencil Poppers and M-80 Poppers.  We are using rods only 6ft in length and 60-80lb braided line.  This can reduce casting distances, so a heavy popping plug is required.  The fish are big and not shy about hitting these big plugs.  The large body size easily accommodates big trebles.

Popping Plug Preparation

We replaced all the hooks with 3/0 and 4/0 Mustad 3X (extra strong) 3561D-DT trebles.  We purposely chose hooks with a closed eye.  These hooks are also available with an open eye, but when using split rings, the closed eye is preferable.  We also replaced the split rings with #6 and #8 extra heavy duty rings.  The ONLY way to attach these is to use split ring pliers.

Once all the plugs were re-rigged we also added several sets of replacement trebles (with split rings already attached) and a pair of Mustad split ring pliers  in the plug box.  These will be useful for re-rigging any plugs that are brought aboard by others.

Mama – Lost and Found

I have one big Yo-Zuri Surface Cruiser (the largest they make) that has been with me in numerous trips.  I named it ”mama” years ago and it now has more teeth marks on it than paint.  However, it remains my goto lure when I need a ridiculously long cast.  Last year a huge Pargo (well over 10olbs) hit the lure ten feet from the boat and snapped an 80lb leader (drag was too tight).  I was devasted.  We hung around for a few minutes to see if it would pop up, but it was gone.  We headed further offshore and came back to the same spot about four hours later.  On our third drift I spotted it in nearly the exact same spot where I lost it.  The amazing thing was that the tide was ripping east when we left and west when we returned.  The lure had no doubt drifted well away from the spot, but we timed our return perfectly.  I snatched the lure up and put it away for the day…it has new hooks this year and I will be sure to fish it on a looser drag!