Sportfishing

Everyone should go out to sea, kick back and cast their line out into the ocean. Then just relax and enjoy just how peaceful and surreal sport fishing can be. Then when that 800 pound marlin bites and you find yourself in a three hour battle with an animal that weighs four times as much as you, then you’ll know just how much fun and exciting the sport is. There is a little for everyone when you’re out sport fishing: peace, serenity, excitement, athleticism and most of all, great stories.

I’ve got to start off with possibly one of my greatest fishing stories. It was a record breaking catch that my buddies and I made several years ago. Aboard a boat aptly named "Memory Maker" we caught a 942 pound blue marlin just off the Maryland coast. To this day, the catch we made is a Maryland state record. It took two hours from when then marlin first bit until we were able to wear it down and finally reel it in to the boat. Now when a blue marlin is first hooked, its tendency is to dive to depths of about 200 yards. Not only was this one fast but at 942 pounds,it was powerful as well. After tiring out the blue marlin after a two hour battle, another battle was waged, hauling our prized catch into the boat. It took two hours and eight able bodied men to get 942 pounds of fish into the boat. I’ll say the price we paid that day was well worth it because we have the fish, we have the record and to my estimation, it will stand indefinitely.

Great fishing stories are not determined great just by the size of the fish or the size of the fight. Sometimes being in the right place, at the right time with the right people makes a great story. Another fond memory of mine was fishing in Acapulco, Mexico, the perfect destination if you’re into resorts, spas and golf but for me, it was different from the usual vacation. I was fishing on a boat, actually it was a run- down dingy,

that was something that should never, ever be afloat. We were bailing out water from inside the boat while we were sailing. What I remember from this experience was hand lining sailfish left and right. That day, the fish were coming at me non-stop. If it wasn’t for the fish, all I had to remember from that day was almost sinking in a run-down dingy. Check out this video of that day and you’ll see just how excited I was.

Take a look at some of the pictures in my gallery. Not only have I made catches in Maryland and in Mexico, but I’ve made my way through other great locations. Hand lining blue marlin in Caracas, Venezuela, catching yellow tail, barracuda, sailfish at the Florida Keys and even grabbing a shark in a tournament back home in Maryland. These are just a few places I’ve ventured off to in search of the "great catch". I want you to share some of your fishing stories with me. Just send them to me on my Message Center and you can tell me about your tales of great locations and catches.