Day 3 had calmer weather and we went out wide of the island and soon found a circling frigate bird. Under this was a big female dolphin, but she looked at a couple of lures and went away. Shortly afterwards, the first blue for day showed up and took a couple of bites on the long right before fading off.
We trolled west to the 12 mile bank and as we got to the NE corner, Derrin spotted a pair of fins stationary at the surface. I raced up the ladder to have a look…swordfish! No doubt. It was sunning in the middle of the day on the flat calm surface. As we trolled closer, the fish stirred, swam and then went under. We circled the area, and not three minutes later, the sword came up on the long right lure, bill out and took a slash at the lure, before going about its business. Derrin nearly fell off the flybridge in his excitement.
A little later, Derrin got a radio call from a local fisherman, Ferris Ebanks Cayman’s “old man”. He was drifting chunks for yellowfin and had just hooked a marlin so was going to pass it over to us to catch and tag. In Cayman, the local fishermen generally release the marlin they hook while fishing for tuna.
Alex Harvey waiting for the bite
Alex took the rod, and settled down for a fight. The local anglers use 80# line straight to the hook so there was no leader, and Alex had to use a light drag. After ten minutes the marlin jumped about three hundred yards away and we backed down on the belly in the line recovering it all and got over the marlin. It was beautiful swimming about thirty feet down, face and bill lit up neon blue as was its tail. I used my underwater video on the swim platform to get shots. The surface was so calm you could see the fish clearly. Time to go in!
I did a couple of passes on the marlin and realized I could overtake the fish and deploy the PSAT underwater without ever having to wire the fish and risk breaking the light leader. So said…so done. George got the necessary footage and just then the thin leader broke at the circle hook and the 175# blue marlin swam off carrying a PSAT. I had not more tags on board.
We headed east again up the north side of the bank, saw a marlin free jumping and headed over to the spot…kaboom! An agitated 150# blue took to the air, and it was Andi’s turn again on the 30# tackle. The marlin made some awesome jumps coming at the boat, and going across the stern before sounding. George was excited. All good, Andi pumped the marlin to the boat, and I went for the usual swim to get the release on film. Glenn and Alex did the honors and the marlin swam off hastily.
We immediately started trolling again and as Andi was letting out his line, a marlin ate the lure and started thrashing around behind the boat. We all looked at each other in amazement. How often does that happen? Alex was up and fought the fish to a standstill without any jumps in short order, and we called the marlin 300# and cut her off quickly, a very green fish.
This was the first time George had been marlin fishing. He certainly was thrown in at the deep end and was able to shoot a lot of great footage. No more bites for the day, and we ended up 3 for 4 on marlin for the day, 4 for 7 on the shoot. I was very proud of the crew, Captain Derrin and Glenn, who did a great job and I would recommend them to anyone visiting Grand Cayman who wants to do some big game fishing, or charter them for a tournament.
On day 4 George and I went to the sandbar early before any of the tour boats arrived and we had the stingrays to ourselves. They exhibit schooling behavior which is unusual for a typically solitary predator, and I wanted to capture some of this behavior on film. We then had another great wall dive accompanied by eagle rays and turtles, jacks and groupers, as well as the odd lionfish.
Next on the agenda were interviews with the Director of the Department of Environment Gina Ebanks-Petri and the Deputy Director Timothy Austin. Each gave solid interviews about the value of the scientific work being done by REEF and collaborating scientists and how valuable this last remaining Nassau grouper SPAG(Spawning Aggregation) site was to the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean as a whole.
It’s a wrap. We did more shooting around town and in the Guy Harvey Gallery and Shoppe and across the road at the original Guy Harvey Island Grill. George Town is a popular destination for cruise ship visitors and stay –over visitors and they enjoy the tranquility and cleanliness of these islands while browsing the shops, restaurants and beaches.
I am confident that this documentary will tell the success story of how the research effort and conservation of the last remaining Nassau grouper spawning site in the central and western Caribbean may see the beginning of a recovery of this overexploited species. Indeed, it is a success story with which the people and government of the Cayman Island should be very proud.
The Marine Conservation Board will meet within the next month to determine whether protection for the spawning sites should be extended. It seems to be common sense to protect any species at times of spawning but, particularly the Nassau grouper, which has been brought to the very edge of extinction throughout its geographic range by lack of proper management and just sheer human greed.
Enough already! Let’s get this done.
Dive safely fish responsibly.
—Guy Harvey
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
Bait and switch, also known as pitching bait, is a great way to fish for world records. By trolling hookless lures as teasers then throwing out a bait on the appropriate line class results in almost every bite being a potential world record. It is also an exciting way to fish for billfish. It is dramatically NOT the most efficient way to catch billfish!
“That was a cluster!” is often the last word from a frustrated captain, who could see it all unfold and come unraveled. The average amateur crew will foul up far more fish than they can catch when using bait and switch. Artificial lures are the way to go if you do not have an expert, professional crew and want to catch billfish on light tackle. AND, you should be able to catch at least half the fish that bite your smaller lures.
For tag and release angling on sail fish, white marlin and striped marlin, use small lures and small hooks. There is no need to free spool the lures. Instead, hold the rod tip high over your head and drop the rod tip rapidly down toward the fish when you see it start to strike. This technique throws several feet of slack into the line and allows the fish to get the lure and hooks into its mouth. It is called “Rod Tipping”.
I use lures even on light line. When I am trying to find a body of fish in tournaments, even with 12 lb. and 16 lb. line, I troll lures. The lures I use have heads with a diameter at the forward tip of the head of, at most, 9/16” to 3/4”. Flat heads pull easier than slanted heads or cupped heads. Nothing makes more fuss or pulls harder for a given diameter than a cup-headed “chugger” lure. They are great lures but need to be used at slower speeds if used on light line.
Slant faced lures, “straight runners” or plungers are intermediate between chuggers and cylinders. Even the largest cone shaped lure heads pull surprisingly easy. The diameter of the tip of a cone shaped lure is almost zero and a light lure will tend to plane along the surface. “Green Machines” and Moldcraft “Hi Speed” (A terrible misnomer as it is awful over 7 or 8 knots.) are true cone shapes and pull lightly enough to use on 6 pound line!
Truncated cones like MoldCraft “Wide Range” and other similar lures, truly cylindrical lures like the MoldCraft “Hooker” or “Four Eyed Monster”, as well as many excellent similarly shaped custom lures, are very stable even at very high speeds (up to 17 knots) if the length of the head is 3 times the diameter. Head diameter, lure weight and trolling speed determine how hard the lure pulls and what line classes can be used with that lure. With long 10” or 12” skirts and a truncated cylindrical head shape no more than 5/8” in diameter, I would happily fish at 8 knots for any billfish up to at least 100 pounds on 6 or 8 pound line. With a pair of 5/0 to 8/0 hooks on similar “needlefish” lures, the average angler should catch over half the billfish that bite on 12 pound test—much better than all, but the most expert anglers can achieve on dead natural bait.
The limiting factor on how big a lure you can pull is ultimately related to how hard the lure pulls at 8 knots. Light monofilament stretches up to 30% and light rods bend under tension, then spring back when the tension is released. A lure that surfaces and comes partly clear of the water, pulls less hard for a fraction of a second. In that time, the stretchy nylon contracts and the rod straightens out and the lure is catapulted toward the boat. This is unacceptable! It results in tangled hooks and leaders, causes high rpm spins, and on very light line, can cause a broken line because the lure is now being pulled sideways through the water. Some so-called experts hate lures because novices that use them commonly beat the pros in tournaments!
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
The most outstanding characteristics of the sailfish is the enormous dorsal fin, which is much higher than the greatest depth of the body. Photo credit: Richard Gibson
The sailfish is the most common of the ten billfish species, and are distributed world-wide in tropical waters. The average size of the Atlantic sailfish is 40-60 pounds and they are one of the smaller billfish species. In the Eastern Pacific they grow twice that size reaching 200 pounds. The outstanding characteristic of the species is the enormous dorsal fin which is much higher than the greatest depth of the body. This fin is used to make the sailfish look three times the size it really is and is particularly used when corralling bait schools. When working in tandem with other sailfish in what I describe as cooperative feeding, the sail is raised and used to keep the bait in a tight school which is then easily managed by predators. In addition, they change color frequently, with dark blue backs and bronze flanks cut by vivid stripes when excited. They are marvelous animals to paint, which is why diving with them is so important to capture the anatomy, color, movement and the thrill of the chase.
In the western Atlantic, sailfish spawn in spring and summer. The tiny fertilized eggs hatch and grow very rapidly, just as all oceanic fish species do. The sailfish will reach six pounds in six months, and may be thirty pounds in their first year. Tagging has shown sailfish will live as long as twelve years and make large seasonal migrations, though some will linger in good feeding areas for long periods. They eat a variety of oceanic species, such as sardines, anchovies, puffer fish, filefish, flying fish, small tunas and bonitos, jacks and ballyhoo. In turn, they have few predators, but the large sharks, such as the mako, tiger and bull sharks, have preyed upon sailfish, as do large blue marlin and some large toothed cetaceans, like orcas.
Sailfish are the world's most sought after billfish and are common in the tropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans
There is little directed commercial fishing for sailfish in the Caribbean, but there is a lot of commercial long line activity in the eastern Pacific. This is unfortunate, particularly in Costa Rica, where the recreational use of sailfish is much more valuable to the local economy as a living fish than as a protein source. Socio-economic studies in Central America have shown the sailfish to be a very valuable sustainable resource in the catch and release fishery. The use of circle hooks in this fishery ensures 99% survival, and so some countries, like Guatemala, have banned the landing of all sailfish. There is currently an effort in Central America to have a regional approach to the management of the species, particularly as the species migrates extensively along the coasts of the member countries.
My underwater encounters with sailfish and sardines were some of the most graphic and inspiring I have had in fifteen years of diving with billfish all around the world. Underwater photography of these marvelous fish has become more exciting and educational compared to their angling value and provides a unique experience in certain locations.
It is our collective responsibility to conserve all marine creatures and maintain the biodiversity of the planet.
Good diving and fishing.
— Guy Harvey
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
The Wahoo's color pattern is characterized by the vivid "tiger" stripes running down the body, particularly when excited
Wahoo are highly migratory ocean game fish and visit the islands and seamounts that make up the Cayman Islands in the winter months. Although they are available all year round, their peak of abundance is from October to December and February to April. The Cayman Islands record wahoo of 146 lbs. was caught in June 2007 off East End, Grand Cayman. The only bigger wahoo caught in the Caribbean have come from the Bahamas, while the current all-tackle world record of 182 lbs. was caught recently in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The wahoo is a cosmopolitan species found in all tropical and subtropical waters around the planet. Growing to 200 lbs. and over 6 feet long, the wahoo is built for speed; long and slim, a stiff upright tail and long pointed jaws equipped with sharp teeth. They have color typical of ocean game fish, with blues, purples and bronze, but are characterized by vivid “tiger” stripes running down the body, particularly when excited. They are one of the most beautiful of fish and are a favourite of mine to paint.
Wahoo will form aggregations as juveniles up to 15 lbs., but typically become solitary as adults. Sometimes far offshore, I have come across a floating log, holding a school of young wahoo, and will chum them with cut bait, then dive in to watch the juveniles light up their vivid stripes as they feed. As many prey species find sanctuary in the open ocean under flotsam, I portray scenes of wahoo or dolphin fish and marlin with floating objects in the background as it is a natural situation and educates the viewer about the natural history of the species.
Wahoo are speedy, fast growing and excellent table fare. Many anglers consider them the finest game fish available in offshore waters
Wahoo have never been targeted as a commercial fishery resource, because though they have widespread distribution, nowhere are they abundant like other small mackerel species or some tuna species. They are a very fast growing species, up to 20 lbs. in the first year, and reproduce rapidly, like most oceanic fish species. Wahoo are currently fully exploited by recreational fisherman around the Caribbean and Central America. Some countries have daily bag limits, and in others they are conserved for recreational use only. I have released many wahoo under 10 lbs., and once I have caught a couple adults in a morning, I will then switch to another type of fishing.
In the Cayman Islands, anglers target the wahoo along the steep drop offs around the islands and on the 12-mile bank, 60-mile bank and Pickle bank. Individual crews have their preferred rigs, but trolling ballyhoo bait with a skirt on a wire line is a popular rig. Wahoo will bite any artificial lure that is moving fast, so many crews here troll at 11 to 14 knots and make use of the wahoo’s predatory nature and tremendous speed to generate the action. One word of caution; a wahoo’s teeth are so sharp, they can cause bad injuries even when dead. I have a terrible scar on my left foot caused when a dead wahoo’s open mouth came in contact with my bare foot in a rolling sea. Since then I have always worn boating shoes out on the water.
There are many good island recipes for wahoo, but this is a fish that I like to eat fresh, which is why one will do me for a while. The flesh is white and dense, and can become dry if overcooked, so I like to include a good buttery sauce when steaming or grilling fresh wahoo steaks.
Fish and dive responsibly, good luck, and tight lines.
—Guy Harvey
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
It was a frisky blue marlin like this one, creating a commotion alongside the boat, that completed Guy Harvey's quest to catch a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters during each month of the year
As December approached, I marveled at how fast 2008 had passed. Though it was a year ago, it seemed like only yesterday that I had fancied my “pipe dream” of catching a blue marlin each month of the year from the waters around Grand Cayman Island. Not that such an accomplishment wasn’t there to be done, because I was truly convinced that blue marlin could be caught year-round from my home waters. It was just that for me to achieve such a feat, I would be bucking sizable odds, knowing that most of my fishing would be from my outboard-powered boat, and primarily confined to weekends only. Right away, the new year began with such a busy schedule of various commitments that I barely made it out on the water at all in January, and when I finally did, I was fishing alone on my then 26-footer Makaira. It was really only after I had caught my first “solo” blue marlin on that late January day that I concluded all things were possible — and so began my quest in earnest to catch one of these magnificent fish during each and every month of 2008. Now, here it was, almost a year later, and I needed to catch just one more blue marlin to complete my lofty goal.
December arrived, and with it our typical western Caribbean winter weather of cold fronts and rough seas. The day before a cold front moves in marks your best shot of getting out on the water to catch fish, so you must drop everything else you’re doing if you are to take advantage of the weather window. That’s what my guest Dr. Colin Wakelin and I did on an early December day as we took my 28-foot Scout Makaira II out to do some trolling just outside Rum Point. We didn’t have to wait long, as we got our first bite while I was putting out the third lure in my five-lure spread. The hungry marlin actually snatched the line right from my fingers! Wakelin is from New Zealand, but had been working on Grand Cayman for four years. We had fished together before, and he’d hooked blues but had never converted. On this day, however, he finally scored.
Wakelin brought the very active fish to the boat rather quickly, where it gave me a good blow to the right wrist (my painting hand) while I was leadering it — reminding me not to be in too big of a hurry to remove the hook from a green fish. But the sting was short-lived because of the exhilaration that came over the two of us. Wakelin had finally caught his first blue marlin, and his fish, the 17th blue that had been caught aboard my boat during the calendar year, completed my quest to catch a blue marlin during each month of the year. In all, with an assist from family and friends who accompanied me, I managed a remarkable 24 hookups from a total of 26 bites. Not bad for a weekend fisherman trolling from an outboard-powered boat.
Guy sets his trolling lines for a new year of fishing adventures
Of course, the personal challenge of my quest is what drove me, spurred on by each successive month of catching a fish. However, I was also pleased with having demonstrated that the Cayman Islands are host to a year-round blue marlin fishery, a fact that I hope will ultimately help in promoting increased interest in our local sport fishing. What I hadn’t counted on was the number of incredible memories and milestones that would be associated with my pursuit. During 2008, I was able to, on more than a couple of occasions, assist friends in catching their first blue marlin; was witness to some memorable, if not amazing billfish battles while fishing from my own boat; and shared some very special days on the water with my wife, Gillian, and our two teenagers, Jessica and Alex. I’ll never forget the rare juvenile blue marlin that Jessica caught during September. Only days later, Alex was aboard and assisting me in catching the largest blue marlin I’ve ever fought from my boat. Of course, the year began with my first “solo” catch of a blue marlin, and during April, I was part of a fishing team that accomplished a first — catching a blue marlin from a sailboat during a Cayman Islands tournament. And most memorable of all was the amazing October day I spent fishing with young Evan Taylor and helping his “Make-A-Wish” come true. It was a remarkable run in 2008, and I hope you derived as much pleasure in reading my monthly accounts as I did in reliving them.
To all of my friends, good health and good fishing in 2011.
— Guy Harvey
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The 10th annual Torneo Tropic Star got off to a good start. Thirty-one boats registered, 12 from the world famous Tropic Star Lodge fleet, and another private 19 boats from Panama City, ran 150 miles to Pinas Bay, on the southeast corner of the Darien Province, Panama. Visiting teams of three anglers charter the TSL boats, and rotate to a different boat each day. Three teams from the Cayman Islands, four from Canada, two from Jamaica and four from the USA take all the TSL boats.
A lit up Black Marlin explodes from the water off Panama's Tropic Star Lodge
Cayman Islands teams were; Cayman Hard Buoys with Troy Burke, Tony Berkman and Andrew McCartney; Cayman New Buoys with Alistair Walters, Sebastien Guilbard and Marcus Montana. The third team was Los Bamofos with Andi Marcher, Guy Harvey and Neil Burnie.
A practice day of fishing before the tournament begins gets everyone familiarized with the fishing techniques, crews, and tackle. A few minutes after the start of fishing Alistair Walters hooked, fought and released a 300lb black marlin at the famous Pinas Reef. Other teams went offshore while some stayed inside to fish for roosterfish, jacks and cubera snappers.
On Day 1, the Cayman Hard Buoys got off to a flying start with two blue marlin catches by Tony and Troy — a black marlin for Tony and a sailfish for Andrew — resulting in a PACIFIC GRAND SLAM; three different species of billfish in a single day.
Unfortunately, the first blue caught by Tony passed the 90 minute maximum fighting time as was DQed, but they jumped into the lead with two marlin and a sailfish anyway. Cayman New Buoys also did well holding second place with Marcus releasing a 300lb blue and Sebastien a 450lb blue on their first day. Los Bamofos scored a single sailfish, released by angler Andi Marcher.
Day 2 was a slow day for the Cayman teams except for Los Bamofos, when honorary Cayman angler Neil Burnie, from Bermuda, caught a fine 475lb blue marlin. The other two Cayman teams did not add to their score. Meanwhile, one of the Canadian teams pulled ahead with a total of three marlin releases, plus a magnificent 267lb yellowfin tuna. In addition, the Jamaican anglers were closing in with 14 year old Nicholas Chen bagging two blues and a sailfish.
Day 3 got off to a slow start but once the captains located the schools of bonitos, live bait was now available. Earlier in the day we had caught some 25lb yellowfin tunas and began pulling them live, hoping for a big black or blue marlin to take them. Live baiting is the preferred method of fishing for black and for blue marlin on the Pacific coast of Panama. The private boats from Panama City switched over to live bait fishing from pulling artificial lures once they saw how effective this method was at getting the bite.
A Black Marlin shakes loose the bridled bonito, but the circle hook stays in
The first blue marlin, caught by Los Bamofos, spent four excruciating minutes in the spread checking out all three baits, zipping back and forth and driving the crew crazy before it settled on the short bait. Angler Andi Marcher took 40 minutes to subdue this active 500lb blue marlin, and Los Bamofos was now catching up with a tally of two blue marlin and a sailfish.
Cayman New Buoys also scored early in the day with a 300lb black marlin by Marcus. Meanwhile, Cayman Hard Buoys lost a marlin, then had a double marlin bite hooking a 350lb black marlin which was caught by Tony Berkman, keeping them in third place. Right then, Los Bamofos lost two consecutive bites which would have put them in the running.
With fishing closing at 3p.m., Cayman New Buoys hooked and released their fourth marlin, a 450lb blue by Sebastien and now took over the lead from the Canadian team. An hour from the end of fishing, Los Bamofos scored with a magnificent blue marlin, to put them into fourth place.
After three days of competition, Cayman New Buoys ran off with Team Most Points (1200), after their first visit to Tropic Star. Canada came second (1000) on Time. Cayman Hard Buoys placed third (1000) on Time, having finished fourth last year. Team Los Bamofos placed fourth (1000) on Time. In total, the three Cayman teams contributed eleven marlin and two sailfish to the tournament total catch of 35 marlin and 9 sailfish.
Congratulations to the Cayman New Buoys! This event is a qualifying event for the Bonnier-IGFA World Tournament of Champions held in May 2011 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This angling event is sanctioned by the Cayman Islands Angling Club and the Cayman Islands International Fishing tournament held in April each year is also a qualifying event. The winners go through to participate in this prestigious big game angling event. Good luck!
—Guy Harvey
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This feisty snook was pulled from its mangrove creek habitat. Snook inhabit many freshwater creeks and lagoons on both coasts of the Florida peninsula. Photo Credit: Richard Gibson
One of my most memorable diving expeditions was not in the ocean but in the famous Homosassa River on the west coast of Florida diving amongst manatees. In the cool fresh water of the river were a host of marine species, such as mullet, gray snapper, jack crevalle, redfish, sheepshead, tarpon and some of the biggest snook I had ever seen.
Typically, snook hang out on the edge of mangroves and in river mouths where the water is usually murky, the fish are shy and, as a diver, you seldom get a good shot of snook in its natural surroundings.
Many were over forty pounds, and would turn to face me before spinning around and seeking refuge deeper in the basin. They have a unique look, a signature appearance, with a longer lower jaw than upper jaw, a distinctive black line on their lateral line and bright yellow fins and tail. I was in snook heaven.
What was so interesting about this location in the Homosassa was the number of species that were tolerant of the lowered salinity and were thriving. While there was apparently little food for these predators, I came to the conclusion they were shedding all their marine parasites in the fresh water, before returning to the estuary or the ocean.
In Florida, the snook is a prized game fish with an awesome reputation for giving a good fight and are great table fare. They are caught using a variety of live baits, lures and plugs, and the best time to fish for them is an hour before high tide and three hours of the falling tide. They tend to congregate near shorelines with some structure such as piers, docks, pilings, rock formations and reefs. In Florida, they accumulate near the warm water outflows of power plants, particularly in winter.
The snook's signature appearance with the undershot-jaw, distinct black lateral line and bright yellow fins is captured on my "Two Snook" artwork for the MTH1237 t-shirt
No other inshore species has devout a following as the snook. Their numbers and accessibility have made them very popular wherever they are found. There are several species, the largest being the common snook. They range as far north as the Carolinas, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean and as far south as Brazil. In the eastern Pacific, several species are found along the coast from Mexico to Ecuador.
Because of their popularity in the USA, there are size limits, this being more than 28inches but less than 32 inches long (so the juvenile fish and the larger brood stock are protected at all times). There are seasonal limitations and catch limitations, plus this species cannot be sold
The common snook feeds primarily on fishes and some crustaceans. Their spawning season extends from June to November, after first maturity at three years old. They may live up to seven years and to a size of forty five pounds, though bigger individuals are reported from the Pacific. They have many predators, such as barracudas, large jacks, goliath groupers and a variety of inshore sharks such as lemons, bull sharks and black tip sharks.
When next you are in snook country, wet a line and have a tremendous angling experience while observing all local laws and catch regulations. It is our collective responsibility to conserve the marine environment and maintain the biodiversity of the planet.
Safe diving and tight lines.
—Guy Harvey
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
As November arrived, I could begin to see that my goal of catching a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters during each month of the year was well within my grasp. What I didn’t see, though, was sneaky Hurricane “Paloma.” That was partly because hurricane season in the western Caribbean is generally all but over by November. Additionally, significant storms don’t commonly steer toward the Caymans from the southwest — all of which is why no one was paying a lot of attention to a tropical depression off the east coast of Nicaragua at that time of year. But on November 6, that depression evolved into Tropical Storm Paloma and quickly gathered strength, becoming a small but powerful hurricane as it buzz-sawed its way northeast and straight for the Caymans. On November 7, Hurricane Paloma “scraped” by Grand Cayman and then spun east as a category 4 storm for a direct hit on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac early on November 8. Sustained winds of 150 mph, nearly 18 inches of rain, and an 8-foot tidal surge caused an estimated $15 million in damage, mostly to the two smaller islands. However, that paled in comparison to the $300 million in damage the storm accounted for when it eventually made landfall in Cuba. As it turned out, Paloma became the second most powerful November hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin.
Needless to say, that was an eventful way to begin the month, but with all of the excitement and cleanup associated with the storm, it was the middle of November before I was able to spend a full day trolling for blue marlin at my destination of choice — Twelve Mile Bank. Fishing from my 28-foot Scout Makaira II with Matthew Kinsella, we scored an explosive strike on the left short rigger, followed by Kinsella’s battle with his first blue marlin, a handsome 150-pounder, which we released at boatside. Watching Matthew bring his fish to the boat caused me to flash back on my first ever blue marlin catch, a fish that was about the same size as the one I leadered for Kinsella.
Guy Harvey's "Triumph" is his latest t-shirt design portraying Hemmingway's classic "The Old Man and the Sea"
My fascination with blue marlin began at an early age while fishing with my parents around our home island of Jamaica. I remember what some might call a life-altering event at the age of nine while I stood in a boat cockpit next to the blue marlin that my mother had just caught. The great fish was aglow with its vivid blue stripes, and I found myself eagerly drawn to studying every detail of that marlin. I had already read Hemmingway’s The Old Man And The Sea many times, and here in front of me was the fish I held in highest esteem. From that point on, I set my sights on catching a blue marlin of my own: I worshipped this magnificent creature! But that was not to happen for another nine years, as my education became the top priority.
While attending boarding school in England, I fed my craving for fishing with prolific paintings of the fish of my dreams. I was fortunate that the school had a wonderful art teacher, Gillian Cresswell, who encouraged my preoccupation with Caribbean marine life. I struggled early on with my classes, and when I got aggravated, I retreated into my fish art. In 1973, I was sent to a school in Edinburgh, Scotland, to improve my grades. While making progress in my studies there, it was during those long, cold, lonely evenings that I also made steady progress on my series of drawings depicting The Old Man And The Sea — the same drawings that eventually helped launch my career as an artist. That year was also when I caught my first blue marlin.
While back in Jamaica between school terms, I was invited by my father to compete in the Montego Bay and Port Antonio fishing tournaments, both of which our boat won. It was on the fourth day of the Port Antonio competition when I finally hooked up, and after fighting the fish from a stand-still in a dead boat for 40 minutes, I landed my first blue marlin, a fish weighing 145 pounds. On the final day of competition, I caught a small 77-pound blue — which was enough for our boat to place first in the tournament — and then while trolling home the next day, I caught another fish. After several years of trying without success, I had caught three blue marlin in three days. I was thrilled, and remain thrilled to this day with each blue marlin I catch, admire, and return to the sea.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in December, 2008, as I attempt to complete my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit:www.guyharveysportswear.com
Though successful through September, continuing my streak of catching a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters each month of the year had become increasingly challenging, mostly due to a very busy schedule and weather conditions that had allowed for limited time on the water. However, with the arrival of October, I was brimming with confidence. This is a month I always look forward to because migratory yellowfin tuna and wahoo typically start to show up on Twelve Mile Bank — and you can bet that when tuna are around, the marlin won’t be far behind. Before month’s end, though, October of 2008 would prove especially memorable for me because of a particular day on the water that was rewarding in ways that were much more meaningful than simply my year-long marlin-a-month pursuit.
Guest angler Evan Taylor hooked up with an acrobatic blue marlin like this one aboard Makaira II in October to help keep Guy's streak of marlin-a-month intact
Earlier in the year, I had been contacted by the Central/Northern Florida chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, asking if I would be willing to help make a youngster’s wish come true? The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is “to grant the wishes of children with life threatening medical issues to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” In this case, it involved Evan Taylor, a 14-year-old from Pensacola, Florida, who loved to paint and fish, but was suffering from lukemia. When asked what he wished for, Evan said he wished he could meet Guy Harvey. I was flattered to hear that, and without hesitation, said “yes” to the Make-A-Wish Foundation request. In fact, I told them if Evan would come to Grand Cayman Island, I was willing to do more than just meet the youngster…I’d take him fishing…and we set the date.
On the morning of October 11, I loaded the gear into my 28-foot Scout Makaira II, including some souvenir Guy Harvey by AFTCO Bluewater T-shirts for my guests, and motored from the dock to the beach in front of the Westin Casuarina hotel, where I picked up young Taylor and his family. Following introductions, and then getting everyone settled in my boat, I put out the lines and we all had some time to get better acquainted as we trolled west down to Twelve Mile Bank. As luck would have it, on the first pass at the southwestern corner of the bank, a blue marlin crashed the left long rigger and the excitement began. With rod in hand, Evan was already working hard on the fish as I quickly got him into the harness and spun the boat around. The blue stayed up near the surface where everyone on board witnessed several dramatic jumps before we eventually brought the 140-pound marlin alongside the boat and released it. To say Evan was stoked is an understatement! We continued trolling and scored another bite in nearly the same spot, only that fish came free in midair. Later in the afternoon, young Taylor caught a 30-pound wahoo, which we kept, and upon our return to George Town, took the fish over to their hotel restaurant, where Evan’s catch was prepared so that we could all enjoy a very special fish dinner.
Guy Harvey's dramatic painting "Deja Blue" illustrates why Guy looks forward to marlin fishing in October when yellowfin tuna move into Cayman Island waters
During our time on the water, it was evident that Evan loved to fish, but he also explained to me his passion as an artist, and his goal of someday becoming a marine biologist. With that, I couldn’t let the day end without giving the Taylor family a tour of the Guy Harvey Gallery & Shoppe in George Town, plus a visit to my studio, where I gave Evan a few tips about painting. Later, the folks at the Make-A-Wish Foundation forwarded a note they had received from Evan Taylor’s mother: “The water was so beautiful and Guy was very gracious. He served as a host, deckhand, captain and mentor. The past year was such a rollercoaster going through Evan’s illness, and this was truly a time of no worries and beyond what we could imagine.”
Actually, the whole experience of helping to make Evan Taylor’s wish come true went beyond what I imagined it would be, as well, and fishing with the youngster and his family was and will always remain one of my most gratifying days on the water. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and to locate any of the chapters throughout the U.S., visit their website at www.wish.org.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in November, 2008, as I continue my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit: www.guyharveysportswear.com
A DNA sample showed that what looked more like a spearfish was actually one of the smallest blue marlin ever caught on rod and reel
July and August were such busy months, filled with business and family commitments, that I felt blessed to have made the most of so little time on the water in continuing my streak of catching a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters each month of the year. With the arrival of September, I could foresee more time to fish, but an urgency remained of catching a marlin this month because of the one element I had no control over — the weather. It was the beginning of hurricane season in the Caribbean, and we had already been brushed by “Gustav” on August 28 and 29, a category 4 storm that inflicted serious damage to Jamaica and Cuba, but fortunately spared Grand Cayman from the fate it suffered four years earlier. That September of 2004, we took a direct hit from “Ivan,” also a category 4 hurricane, and packing 155 mph winds during a 36-hour onslaught, it almost completely flooded the island with sea water and caused $2 billion in damage. So when only six days after “Gustav” passed, another category 4 storm, Hurricane “Ike,” was forecast to be heading our way, I thought there might be no better time to catch my September blue marlin than right away.
On the morning of September 5th, I launched my 28-foot Scout Makaira II, and was joined by my daughter Jessica for a last fishing trip just before she would be leaving to begin college at Edinburgh University in Scotland. We headed west to the pinnacle off North West Point, and it wasn’t long before we got bit far back on the shotgun lure. That’s where I often put a smaller trolling lure to entice other species besides blue marlin. I was busy clearing lines and looking the other way when Jessica saw the hooked fish jump, but she said the only distinguishing characteristic that caught her eye was a short bill. As she reeled the fish closer, I thought she was mistaken or pulling my leg, as it looked like a wahoo with its dark body and vivid stripes. When I grabbed the leader, I finally got a good look at the fish, and she was dead on. It was indeed a small billfish, but one that was not easy to identify. The fish jumped around frantically, exhibiting all of the anatomical characteristics of a longbill spearfish, except that the bill was very short. My other thought was that it just might be a juvenile blue marlin of about 15 pounds, so before we let the small scrapper go, I took a small tissue sample.
Though Guy has no photos to commemorate the largest blue marlin he has caught in Cayman Island waters, his paintings like "Blue Rampage" serve as a tribute to such a great fish
I followed up by sending the sample to Dr. John Graves at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and when the DNA analysis came back, it confirmed the fish as a blue marlin, likely only six to eight months old. I had seen 43- and 48-pound blues in Jamaica, but this was certainly the smallest blue marlin I had ever encountered. Dr. Eric Prince later e-mailed me photos of two other blues of that size, one caught in Puerto Rico and the other at St.Thomas in the Virgin Islands. These three fish stand as the only blue marlin specimens of this size known to science. Rarely do researchers see blue marlin so small because most marlin anglers troll with lures that are too large for catching juvenile fish. Blue marlin grow fast, reaching 60 pounds or more in their first year.
Three days later, Hurricane “Ike” was barreling across Cuba, but stayed far enough to the north as to not have much impact on the Cayman Islands. The day following my birthday, on September 17, I was on the water again and fought the biggest blue marlin I’ve ever caught in the Caymans — a fish in excess of 400 pounds. The big blue snatched the shotgun lure but did not jump, and because the bite was so solid and close to the wall off Papagallo, I first thought we snagged a dive mooring. My son, Alex, was manning the wheel and did a great job while I fought the fish, but because the blue never did jump and ultimately broke the leader at the boat, we have no photo record of my biggest catch. The upside, though, is I kept my goal intact to catch a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters during each month of the year.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in October, 2008, as I continue my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
For a complete list of our other featured blog posts and to see the full line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, please visit: www.guyharveysportswear.com
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
I would like to welcome you to the Guy Harvey Sportswear web site. Here we will feature my blog where I will report on expeditions, adventures, and various marine conservation efforts. We will also include various guest bloggers, videos and photos that I believe you will find interesting, whether you are a serious fishing or diving enthusiast, or simply someone who cares about the marine resource, loves living the coastal lifestyle, or just wants to learn more about Guy Harvey sportswear.
