Marlin October 2022

North Atlantic right whales have been in trouble for decades—scientists estimate that fewer than 350 individual whales remain, with only about 100 of those being reproductive females. Their only known calving site is located off northern Florida and southern Georgia; after giving birth, they migrate up the Eastern Seaboard to their forage grounds in the waters off the northeastern United States. In order to protect these highly endangered species, in 2008 NOAA established what became officially known in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations as Title 50 224.105, “Speed Restrictions to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales.” To briefly summarize, a mandatory speed of 10 knots or less is required in seasonal management areas along the East Coast, generally from November through April. The current rule applies to all vessels 65 feet…

editor@marlinmag.com IN MEMORIAM: CAPT. PETER HOOGS Peter Fowler Hoogs, 86, of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, passed away peacefully on May 12, 2022, in Portland, Oregon, under hospice care, with his family by his side. Hoogs was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 31, 1936, and led an adventurous life, starting with an often-shared memory of playing outside his home as a young boy and seeing a Japanese Zero fly over him during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The plane was so low that he could clearly see the pilot’s face. Later, Hoogs joined the US Army Airborne Division, became a paratrooper, and was stationed in Augsburg, Germany. After the military, he landed a job with Kentron Hawaii missile recovery at the Pacific Missile Range at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It was there that…

WASHDOWN Aruba is known for its often-sporty conditions, and sometimes taking one over the transom is unavoidable, especially when backing down on a hot blue marlin in a tournament. Photographer Richard Gibson says: “I was very worried about my gear but was able to snap this shot before I scampered up the ladder to the bridge. Salt water did not win that round!” LOCATION Gibson was fishing aboard the 57-foot Paul Mann Naira in the Presidential Aruba Caribbean Cup. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 1DX LENS: Canon 15mm ISO: 1600 APERTURE: f/16 SPEED: 1/4000 sec…

After nearly six decades, Australian skipper Capt. Peter Bristow is still on the hunt for giants. His amazing career will go down in the record books as the captain who has caught more big blacks and blues than anyone on the planet. He spent three decades working the Great Barrier Reef catching hundreds of huge black marlin, putting 52 over 1,000 pounds on the deck. In 1996, he decided to shift his talents to the Atlantic Ocean, working out of the Portuguese island of Madeira, where the seas are calm and the fish are big. At the ripe old age of 84, he’s still running a charter boat. How did you get involved in fishing? I was born in Brisbane in 1938 and moved to Stradbroke Island in southern Queensland in my…

WHERE OCTOBER — While the fishing for blue and white marlin remains reliably consistent off the US East Coast in fall, those with an adventurous streak can hit the international circuit for some fantastic opportunities as well. Australia will welcome visiting anglers with amazing light-tackle action for black marlin, and closer to home, head for the Florida Keys outpost of Islamorada for swordfish, where daytime deep-dropping is a must. KONA, HAWAII BLUE MARLIN It’s been said that the best time to fish Kona is whenever you can, so head to the Big Island for a shot at the blue marlin of a lifetime. GUATEMALA PACIFIC SAILFISH The bite really starts to heat up, with the fleet seeing ever-increasing numbers of fish this month, along with above-average shots at blues. PANAMA GRAND SLAM When the conditions are right, the fishing at…

AFTCO ANKLE DECK BOOT A Best of Category “Footwear” winner, the new deck boot from AFTCO features a neoprene inner liner that is eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, quick drying, and fully flexible. It’s paired with a custom compression-molded antimicrobial insole that offers the proper amount of cushion, rebound and support, season after season. YETI ROADIE 48 Whether you’re packing bait or brews down the dock, a Yeti cooler is always handy to have. The new Roadie 48 has a unique handle setup that makes it even more maneuverable, along with all the other key features, plus extreme durability that you’ve come to expect from this industry-leading brand. SHIMANO SW SARAGOSA BFG The counterpart to the tournament-proven Talica BFC, the latest from Shimano has an optimized drag for fighting sails and other billfish on light-line applications with a…