July marked the beginning of the second half of my quest to catch a blue marlin from Cayman Island waters during each month of the year. A single failure during the first half of the year would have put a halt to my pursuit, but I had been “lucky” enough to catch a blue marlin each calendar month from January through June. Any doubts that I had about being successful had less to do with a confidence in my ability to consistently catch fish, and more to do with my busy work schedule, limiting me, for the most part, to fishing on weekends, and only those where I wasn’t traveling and fishing conditions looked favorable. As mid-summer arrived, those concerns were fully realized. Travel and family commitments severely restricted my fishing time, but I was able to “release” that all-important single blue marlin on July 13 to keep my streak alive.
A spirited blue marlin churns the surface of Grand Cayman's western Caribbean waters before being brought boatside and released
I’m reminded that my goal is not to just prove I can catch a blue marlin from the waters around the Cayman Islands each month of the year, but that such an accomplishment helps demonstrate that a Grand Cayman marlin fishery is stronger than previously thought. Diving is the featured watersport attraction around the Cayman Islands, while sport fishing has yet to reach it’s full potential. That being said, the means to accommodate an influx of bluewater fishermen on a year-round basis are in place.
First of all, getting to Grand Cayman is very easy. Cayman Airways, the national flag carrier of the Cayman Islands, schedules daily flights from Miami, just 65 minutes away, as well as regularly scheduled direct flights from Tampa and New York. American Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways and Delta Air also schedule direct flights from major airports throughout the eastern half of the U.S. Once you’ve arrived, you’ll find an abundance of first-class resorts and hotels in the Cayman Islands, with the Ritz-Carlton and the Westin Casuarina heading an ever-expanding list. For family travelers, there are also many condos available for weekly stays. Visit: www.caymanislands.ky for complete information about accommodations — and fishing opportunities. Though the best time for blue marlin fishing around Grand Cayman is generally from March through June, I’m on my way to proving that you can catch them year-round. Tournament dates and fishing news are available from the Cayman Islands Angling Association’s website at www.fishcayman.com. A number of other Cayman websites offer information about fishing charters, including www.divecayman.ky . If you’re bringing your own boat from the States, the old Cayman Yacht Club, Morgan’s Harbour, and a newer marina at The Barcadere, in North Sound, have berths available, as does Harbour House Marina, which also offers a haul-out service.
The Guy Harvey Gallery & Shoppe in the heart of George Town, fully stocked with Guy Harvey artwork, sportswear and gifts, is a must-see destination for anglers visiting Grand Cayman Island
A great family vacation destination, Grand Cayman offers something for everyone, with amazing waterfront shopping and sightseeing in a safe, clean, English-speaking environment. And of course, if you and your family enjoy both diving and fishing, you’ve come to the right place.
As a reminder, when you schedule your next trip, plan on visiting my 4,000 square-foot retail Guy Harvey Gallery & Shoppe in the heart of George Town, stocked with original works of art, limited edition prints, a complete selection of Guy Harvey Sportswear, plus many other gifts and souvenirs. Also worth a stop in George Town is Guy Harvey’s Island Grill, a combination restaurant and gift shop, featuring a specialty menu, a casual decor and a selection of Guy Harvey Sportswear and gift items. For more information, visit www.harveysgrill.com/
My July ended with having spent little time on the water and catching that single — but important — blue marlin. Unfortunately, in looking forward, I could see that my prospects for getting out to fish would not be much better during August. In addition, mid to late summer often marks the beginning of hurricane season, which can unpredictably further complicate things. Though there should be plenty of blue marlin around, getting to them could prove problematic.
— 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
Highlighting Guy's fishing in May was a blue marlin that staged an aerial display reminiscent of the featured on a number of Guy Harvey T-shirt designs
The month of May is bordering prime time for blue marlin fishing in the waters around Grand Cayman Island, my home for the last decade. In 2008, this was a month when continuing my quest to catch a blue marlin from my home waters during each month of the year would have seemed like a given — had it not been for my busy work schedule. Of course, I had anticipated these kinds of challenges and more before I even began this pursuit. For the most part, I would be limited throughout the year to fishing on weekends, and only those where I wasn’t traveling and when conditions appeared favorable. My goal was attainable, but over the course of an entire year, it was going to be a tough one to achieve.
Complicating matters further was the fact that, more often than not, I would be fishing by myself or with just one other person (sometimes experienced and at other times not) aboard my relatively small 28-foot Scout center console. I don’t have the bodies to work a typical bait and switch scenario; otherwise, I would. My best chance, then, is to troll lures. The blue marlin in the western Caribbean are generally small (120 to 160 pounds) but very aggressive, so the lures work well. My lures of choice are most often Mold Craft Soft Heads — especially the Wide Range. I seem to get most of my bites on the right short rigger where I run a black-and-red combination. On the left short I usually run a black-and-red Super Chugger. Completing the spread, I tend to run either a purple-and-black or a pink-and-white skirted combination on the long riggers, and on the stinger I troll a Junior Wide Range/ballyhoo combo.
I’ve had good success with single hook lure rigs, particularly since switching to Mustad 7691S hooks in 9/0 and 10/0 sizes. This hook, sometimes called a tuna hook, has more of a curve than the regular J hook and sticks a lot better. In 2007, I was only 4 for 16 in hooking up marlin that took my lures — a poor score. Following the suggestion of Capt. O.B. O’Bryan, I changed to the Mustad hooks and my hookup ratio increased dramatically, as evidenced by my success during the first four months of my pursuit — and a trend that would continue throughout the remainder of the year.
Testing the on-the water advantages of the newest additions to his fishing sportswear line, Guy Harvey prepares to deploy a favorite blue marlin trolling lure
Though finding time to fish in May was pretty tough, all efforts proved successful. With fishing partner Jim Sedgley on board, we caught the biggest blue marlin of the year, to date, on the northeast corner of Twelve Mile Bank. Estimated at 375 pounds, the big fish staged one of the most remarkable aerial displays I have ever witnessed from a blue marlin. Perhaps part of the reason was that Sedgley made quick work of the big fish, bringing it in quickly, where it jumped repeatedly right next to the boat. This was another one of those instances where I wished I had a video crew on board to capture the sensational action. It was a mere 30 minutes between hookup and release of that amazing marlin, after which we hooked another big blue at the other end of the bank later in the day. It too made some great jumps, but came unbuttoned in the process.
I was relieved to have been able to continue my streak of catching a marlin each of the first five months of the year, given my concerns going into May. Adding to the satisfaction was the visions burned into my mind of one of the most memorable battles with a blue marlin that I had ever witnessed. That had me eagerly anticipating June fishing, typically one of the very best times of the year to catch marlin around Grand Cayman Island, and a month where I hoped to pursue my quest in a more flexible and relaxed fashion.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in June, 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
Fresh from my success in catching a blue marlin during the last week of January, I was anxious to continue my quest to catch at least one of these magnificent creatures each month from my home waters around Grand Cayman. As February arrived, also “fresh” was my memory of last month’s dual hookups on blues at Twelve Mile Bank. It should be no surprise then that I chose the bank as our destination when I fished with my brother-in-law Jonathan Collier, who made a February visit from Australia. The day was relatively uneventful up until we finally hooked up with a blue marlin while trolling back from the bank. During the lengthy battle, the jumping fish got wrapped up in the leader, but we were able to successfully release the 140-pounder at boat-side.
Guy finds the Performance fishing shirt and visor, recent additions to his line of Guy Harvey Sportswear, to be boat-worthy while trolling for marlin
Next to visit, was friend and renowned English wildlife artist Ian Coleman. Ian dives a lot but he had never caught a blue marlin. On February 25, after enjoying a fantastic morning dive at Tarpon Alley, we boarded my 26-foot center console, and once again I headed for the Twelve Mile Bank. Our fishing activities were delayed when we encountered a broken-down boat that we towed back to West Bay, so we didn’t make it out to the bank until about noon. Even at that, we were pleasantly greeted with an abundance of surface activity as frigatebirds worked over schools of feeding skipjack tunas.
It wasn’t long before we trolled up a marlin in our spread, but this first one embarrassed me — inspecting our offerings but then passing up all four lures! Feeling the frustration, I continued to circle the area until the left short rigger went down hard — blue marlin! As Coleman was settling in his harness to prepare for his first-ever battle with a blue, the right rigger got bit — two on! I left that rod in the holder while scrambling to retrieve the left flat when yet another blue marlin pounced on that lure. Wow! This was starting to feel like familiar territory.
The triple hook-up was short-lived, as the first marlin shook off quickly. After another 10 minutes or so, the second fish came off, so Coleman was left to fight the third fish while I steered the boat. It was a tough battle, but Ian got his first blue marlin, a fish I judged to be 170-plus pounds. After a successful release, out went the lures again, and within 15 minutes, another marlin crashed the right long rigger and jumped going away. Coleman was cooked, so I grabbed the rod and worked the fish to the boat, a blue that was smaller then our first at about 125 pounds. That concluded 90 minutes of seemingly non-stop action where we scored five blue marlin bites and released two.
BLUE TANGO: Guy's painting portrays a blue marlin feeding on skipjack tunas, which was the case when he fished Twelve Mile Bank in February
Two days later, on February 27, I snuck in my last blue marlin of the month while fishing with visiting angler Jim Armour. We hooked up just off the area known as Papagallo on North West Point. I was particularly excited because this was the first fish and the first marlin caught from my new 28-foot Scout Makaira II. With a cold front approaching, we decide to squeeze the trip in before what would almost certainly be several days of rough seas. Around Grand Cayman, the trick to fishing during the winter months is to carefully choose good weather days, as it does get very rough on the water with fronts bringing strong northwest then northeast winds.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in March, 2008, as I continue my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
The month of January marked the beginning of my quest to catch a blue marlin each month from the waters around Grand Cayman, the tiny Caribbean island that has been my home for the last decade. However, this is typically a busy time for me, and it wasn’t until the last week of January, in 2008, that I was finally able to break away for a day of fishing aboard my 26-foot Dusky Makaira. A last minute decision meant that I would be fishing alone, and any hope I might have had of catching a marlin every month of the year was fading. Still, I wasn’t going to let January slip by without at least giving it a try.
Guy Harvey examining trolling lures during his 12 month pursuit
The day’s adventure began as I was trolling three miles west of North West Point, at a spot known as the pinnacle. Surveying the boat’s wake where I had four lines out, I spotted a high dorsal fin streaking in behind the lure I had on the right short rigger. The strike popped the rubber band with a satisfying slap and line started pouring off the reel. I continued to throttle ahead at trolling speed to keep pressure on the marlin while I quickly cleared the three other lines and slipped into my fighting belt and harness. This would be a challenge, as I was on my own — captain, mate and angler all rolled into one.
I braced myself against the console and spun my 26-footer to chase the marlin as it headed downsea, jumping magnificently in a series of head-shaking leaps. Maneuvering the boat by using my left hand to both operate the throttle and steer the wheel, I faced the big fish off the starboard bow and was able to keep up with it until the marlin decided to sound. After a spell, the fish changed tactics and popped to the surface ahead of the boat, where it started wildly jumping again. Then it suddenly turned and charged the boat, which put me in a bad spot. I cranked hard on the reel in an attempt to keep the line tight as I was running around the bow to keep my line clear of the outrigger halyards as the fish sped on by.
Prior to its release, Guy Harvey leaders and photographs his first Blue Marlin of 2008
It was an exciting 20 minutes of fast-paced action before I finally got the blue to the boat. For me, the first order of business was to grab the leader and wrap it around a cleat so I could free up my hands to take a photo of the beautifully lit-up 150-pounder. I then quickly removed the hook from the marlin’s upper jaw, revived the fish for a minute, and after releasing my grip from the bill, watched it swim off like a rocket. That was quite a milestone for me — my first blue marlin caught on the water alone.
After pausing a bit to savor the moment, I throttled the boat forward, methodically reset my lines, and trolled west to Twelve Mile Bank. My day of fishing excitement wasn’t done. Reaching the southwestern corner of the bank, I suddenly found myself hooked up with two jumping blues at one time. I’ve never felt so shorthanded in my life, and proceeded to lose one of the marlin after just five minutes. The other jumped all over the ocean before it finally broke the leader. My body was shaking with exertion and excitement. Fishing alone, I had hooked and fought three of these great fish, managing one — my first solo blue — to the boat for release.
And so, it was this remarkable day of fishing at the end of January that served as a starting point for the pursuit of my lofty goal of catching a blue marlin from Grand Cayman waters during each month of the year. In quite an exhilarating fashion, my quest had begun.
— Guy Harvey
Check this blog next month for my adventures in February, as I continue my quest to catch a blue marlin every month of the year.
Guy Harvey releasing a Blue Marlin during his year long effort to catch a Marlin-a-Month in the Cayman Islands
I trust you all are having a Happy Holiday with you families and friends. This time of year always makes us both look forward and look back. As I do so now I am reminded of my own family and friends and of the kindness so many people have extended to me. I am also reminded of the ocean, of how we all need to focus on learning more about it and taking care of the fish that call it home. I can’t help but think of the magnificence, adventures, and joy the seas provide.
One such adventure for me took place in January of 2008 while fishing in Grand Cayman. I released my first blue marlin caught alone. What a thrill! It was quite a milestone and set me off on a 12-month journey to see if I could catch a blue marlin every month of the year in my home waters. The Cayman Islands are better known for its diving than its fishing, as sport fishing has yet to reach its full potential. From my personal experiences and from local friends such as full-time fisherman, Charles Ebanks and his father Ferris, I thought this could be accomplished. This effort was not only a personal challenge, it would also help demonstrate the fact that the year round Grand Cayman fishery was stronger than previously known.
With my travel and work schedule I had to try and reach this goal fishing only on weekends when I was at home. Adding to the challenge was the fact that most of the time I was fishing by myself or with only one other person. Even with a passenger, the odds were difficult as two people play the roles of captain, mate and angler while one of the most magnificent fish in the sea does her best to make things as complicated and difficult as possible. What made this marlin-a-month journey even tougher was the fact that I fish from a smaller, outboard-powered boat. Bigger inboard boats create a bigger and better disturbance in the water which can entice billfish to check out the situation, as it can look to them like a feeding event for predators. In fact I have filmed both billfish and tuna rising to check out a boat’s wake even when no lures or live baits were being trolled.
As it turned out, my quest was quite an adventure. My friends at Marlin Magazine wrote about this in a 2009 issue and I thought you would also enjoy my reliving this experience with you each month during 2010 here on this blog. As 2009 comes to a close I wish you all much good health and good fishing in 2010.
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.
