Article Courtesy: marlinmag.com | Originally Published: 8/9/2022 | Click here for original article
Relocating the Operation
Capt. Luke Fallon, Kekoa, Cairns, Australia
After fishing the Great Barrier Reef’s Ribbon Reefs for the past 35 years, I’d be interested in a change of scenery over to the west side of Australia. The Exmouth fishery boasts big numbers of blue, black and striped marlin, as well as sailfish, and has shown potential of an emerging broadbill swordfishery as of late. The inshore fishing is excellent also, which is of great personal interest because my wife, Kelly, and I do enjoy fishing outside of “work.” It would be great to take the owner and fish out of Exmouth for a full calendar year on Kekoa. With this boat’s long-range capabilities, the possibilities are almost endless.
Capt. Devin Silas, Shoe, Stuart, Florida
Well, that’s a hard question to answer, but it really depends on the boat owner, what exactly the budget is, and what type of fishing he’s into. Fortunately, I am in a program that allows us to do most anything we like. My dream would be to take our 75-foot Spencer to Peru, which is actually in the cards for us in 2023. We also have a 70-foot Viking in Cape Verde, and honestly, I have no interest in ever leaving there—it’s on the top of my list of places I’ve fished. We love to try spots that don’t have heavy pressure. The owner likes to wander, so you never know where we will end up!
Capt. Mike Sheeder, Intensity, Puerto San Jose, Guatemala
I grew up fishing in Hawaii with my brother, Chris, and feel like a lot of the knowledge that I’ve learned from fishing in Guatemala and other places around the world could be beneficial to starting up an operation there. Hawaii marlin fishing used to be all-kill, but billfish conservation has come a long way since then. When you’re lure-fishing with an open spread, you often don’t see the bite. Going outside the box and bringing bait-and-switch or the niche of fly-fishing to those big Kona blues 20 feet from the boat would produce that epic short bite I live for. If we’re talking fantasy picks, then it’s Midway Atoll, before it became a wildlife refuge.
Capt. Chris Mowad, Whoo Dat, Grand Isle, Louisiana
I would relocate our program from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean and base ourselves out of Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean really does offer the best of both worlds, with great access to billfish numbers relatively close to the marina and some big fish. In a perfect world, we’d fish February through early April at Casa de Campo, April through June at Cap Cana, July through October in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and then back to Cap Cana to finish up the season. And it’s all within 200 miles of one another, and very accessible.
