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Which 'Hoo Is Right For You?
Having great ballyhoo baits can be the key difference between getting many bites and having outriggers full of release flags or flying the skunk flag all the way home. So how do you know you're getting the right 'hoo?
Simply put, the best way is to get out there can catch your own, but for a lot of anglers especially those in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, catching ballyhoo just isn't an option. So the next best thing is to buy from a reputable bait supplier like Miami's Baitmasters.
Even then, not all 'hoo are created equal. In the fall and winter, the "greenies" that are caught are grass eaters. These baits have a reputation for holding up better than the 'hoo that are caught offshore during the spring and summer months.
Fact is that these guys are so good at flash-freezing, and vacuum- sealing bait, that the greenies can be ordered well ahead of your season's start and they will keep just fine. As a matter of fact, the TA team has a chest freezer full of greenies as we speak. Of course, tourney season is here, so they won't last long.
So before you order your bait, make sure you know ask for the greenies.
*Do you have a tournament angler tip? Just write it up in an e-mail and send it to patrick@tournamentangler.org. If we use it on the homepage, you'll earn yourself a Tournament Angler long-sleeve T-shirt. So start sharing, and you'll start wearing.
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Tournament Angler's Forum Member Photos
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 Wicked Whiptail!
Congrats to TA forum member Prime Time (aka Ken from Big Game Fishing Journal), and the crew of Big Kid Sportfishing on their 488-pound thresher at the Mako Mania tournament. You may remember the Big Kid team as they took heaviest tuna (and a lot of cash!) at last year's Mid-Atlantic 500. Congrats again to Ken and the crew on that wicked-huge whiptail.
Got Bigeye?
Now that's a fish. Pirate’s Cove Big Game Tournaments and the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center announce the final results of the 3rd Annual Oregon Inlet Tuna Roundup that took place at Pirate’s Cove Marina. A total of 22 boats enjoyed the $76,000 prize payout. See more pics and detailed results by clicking here.
TA Team Tearing it Up!
Here's the Tournament Angler team onboard the 50 Viking, Blinky IV, blasting of Cape May inlet recently at 38 knots. We were fishing out of the Canyon Club, which is a great place to fish for fun and for a tourney. In fact, it's the home of the seven-figure MA500.
New NOAA Offshore Zone
David Feit, Chief, Ocean Forecast Branch, Ocean Prediction Center, OPC, recently introduced the new Hudson to Baltimore offshore weather zone. See what TA Forum Member Jeff "Bigmahi" Yapalater had to say about it here.
Dare To Fish!
Pirate’s Cove Big Game Tournaments and the Dare County Boat Builders Foundation invite anglers to the 5th Annual Dare County Boat Builders Challenge scheduled July 17 (registration) and July 18, 19 and 20 (fishing). In 2007, competitors from Dare County, Virginia Beach, Morehead City, Ocean City ,and beyond enjoyed over $57,000 prize payout and the foundation received nearly $30,000 donation from the 2007 event.
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To Advertise with Tournament Angler call: 917-297-1634
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| Welcome to Tournament Angler's Five Questions |
In this edition, we chat with Capt. Bryan Fitzpatrick from the always competitive, leaderboard leading, and on-the-move crew onboard Owl's Nest.
TA: How'd you get your start in fishing? When did you decide it was something you wanted to pursue full time?
Bryan: "I started fishing with my father when I was seven- or eight- years old in lakes and ponds then later with friends on their boats in the Atlantic and Long Island Sound. When I went on vacations I would charter different boats and realized that I would like to do this as a living. I purchased my first boat, a 32' center console and chartered it in the Long Island Sound and New York Bight. I purchased a second boat and kept that in the Long Island Sound and the center console at Chelsea Piers in New York City. I came to find out later on, from my father, that I came from three generations of fishermen."
TA: What's your current ride, and how has she been rigged for your type of fishing?
Bryan: "My current ride is a 72' Merritt Sportfish, which is set up for any kind of fishing from tournament sail fishing in Florida to bluefin tuna fishing in New England. The boat is totally custom. From the live wells on-deck to the specifically designed rocket launcher for sail fishing. Merritt is one of the finest boat builders anywhere and if you can imagine it they can build it for you.
TA: What's your favorite sportfish destination and why?
Bryan: "My favorite destination to fish is up North. Either chunking or trolling in the Canyons off of New York or trolling for giant bluefin tuna out of Nantucket in New England. The amount of life you can see 75-100 miles off shore is amazing and sharing the experience with friends is something you will remember forever."
TA: Do you have a go-to rod, reel, and line setup. If so, what is and why?
Bryan: "For sail fishing it would be custom rods built by Albert Castro and Alutecnos Veloce reels. The rods are lightweight and have a great feel, and the reels have an extremely fast retrieve ratio. For tuna fishing (chunking), Cape Fear rods with Accurate 50 class reels. This is a very light set up and the rods have a good stiff base with a sensitive tip and the twin drag reels are great to put the heat on a big fish when needed."
TA: Everyone has a great fish story, what's yours?
Bryan:"I would say my best fish story would be the times when I get to be at home with my family and when my four children caught their first fish. My best memories were when my oldest son caught his first shark or my two daughters caught their first striped bass or my youngest son
catching his first tuna. We have been fortunate enough to have won a few tournaments and cashed a few checks over the few years, but nothing comes close to spending time with my family. I am on the road twelve months a year so every moment I get to spend with them is precious."
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World Record?
The West Coast boys of the Viking, Bad Company, recently had an interesting evening of fishing. Here's the first line of their fish tale:
"Well, we caught a potential world record aboard Bad Company last night."....Read the rest by clicking here.
SAILFISH CUP DATES ANNOUNCED:
The Second Annual Sailfish Cup, with a first-year payout of over $500,000, will be held at the Miami Beach Marina November 10-12, 2008. Visit here for more info.
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