LOOKING OUT FOR#1
By Adam LaRosa and Capt. Phil Dulanie

For the crew of the CANYON RUNNER the more things change, the more things stay the same as early fall once again found us packing out for an overnighter to a place we feel more at home than any other on earth (with the exception of our own residence)-the Hudson Canyon. It had been a long, hard canyon season with peaks and valleys in the fishing as remarkable as those found in the Hudson itself. A very slow early season canyon fishery in 2002 developed into some very decent fishing by late August. As the fishing improved, the weather deteriorated. While we were packing out for our 49th and last canyon run of the year we had cancelled 63 others due to inclement weather.
Our previous trip offshore, before the umpteenth Nor’easter of the late 2002 summer/fall, was over five days earlier and the tuna were there. Yet, with the way the season was going, we did not hold much hope those fish would hang around for more than a couple of days. We had spent all summer fishing every canyon from the Dip to the Wilmington, from 50 to 1,000 fathoms and averaged 100 miles from the dock on every trip in July and August. We spent so much effort (and a little more in fuel) putting together catches during one of the poorest canyon seasons on record. We found ourselves running all over the ocean, never even getting a chance to fish the Hudson Canyon until the third week of August. However, like clockwork the bait started piling up in the Hudson by mid-August and the tuna were not far behind. Virtually every trip from then on was to this monstrous crack in the continental shelf.

IN & OUT
By Capt. Tred Barta

The need for speed has many offshore anglers
looking towards outboard powered boats.

The first 10 years of my canyon fishing career was spent in 19- to 25-foot center console outboards. Since that time, I have come full circle to big boats; 50 to 60 footers back to my 28-foot Albemarle and believe it or not, I’m about to complete the circle. In analyzing my needs precisely, I take 15 canyon trips a year; 90 percent are day trips and 100 percent of them are with my 12-year old son, Hunter. For the last seven years, I have held my own or surpassed the fleet out of Shinnecock Inlet with one easy philosophy-I fish on weather that’s forecasted no worse than 2 to 4 feet and coming down to 1 to 3 or light and variable. If I don’t have that forecast, I donÕt go. What’s interesting, after all the big boats bash their heads in on bad weather, I mug ’em up when it’s nice. I leave at 3 a.m. and return at 7 p.m. and catch just as much as anyone else. ItÕs never too calm for me, and to be frank, both Hunter and I enjoy it more. I used to think that a 25 to 27 knot cruise was enough, but not any more since the refining of modern day center consoles, 4-stroke efficient and reliable outboards, a 35 to 40 knot cruise is common place. For the last four months, I have probably run every center console rig in the industry, including catamarans, I pledged to myself how the boat looked on sex appeal would not sway my decision on what I wanted to buy. I have a mission master profile to fill: run incredibly quick, long range fuel, and sea-keeping ability in a head sea or quarterly head sea, fish storage and the ability to run head in a 20 to 30 knot NorÕeaster of 8- to 12-foot if I’m stupid enough to get caught. Personally, I’m tired of cleaning boats. I’ve done it my entire life. I want most of my available time dedicated to fishing, not shining, and I’ve turned enough wrenches and changed enough oil for an army. My next move to me is logical, and it’s going to be extremely effective. In this article, I’m going to share with you how to fish modern outboards effectively for maximum results for tuna and marlin in the Northeast canyons. LetÕs go to work.

The finest running pocket cabin boat in the 28-foot class, in my opinion, is the 28-foot Albemarle. It cruises an honest 25 to 26 knot, fully canyon loaded, with four people, ice, fuel and 2,200 pounds of crap which we all cart around. In the center console market, between 27 to 36 feet, I’m now down to six manufacturers. I’ve run ’em all, and IÕm now analyzing the big, small details; fish storage, water drainage, maneuverability, fuel economy and range, and options. I need a rig that will store six, 75-pound yellowfin and 15, 30- to 50-pound albacore or some combination of the above. I also need a coffin that will store a 250-pound bigeye tuna when it happens. IÕm looking very carefully at tackle storage and visibility at the helm. To be honest, I’m having a blast, and if the magazines wonÕt publish my findings, I plan to write in the future a darned thesis comparing them all to each other. I will share with you, however, at the present time one of the finest center consoles I have seen is the new
33-foot Hydra-sport. This boat, recently redesigned by Chris Wainscott, Senior V.P. of Wellcraft, not only has it all, but the icing on the cake is fuel of 350 gallons of fuel. I am also looking very carefully at the 35-foot Wellcraft CF which used to be called the Scarab. Of course, you will know my decision when I take delivery of the boat I choose.

IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
By Capt. Jason Henderson

Welcome to the exciting world of blue water tournament fishing. Over the next several issues, I will detail everything you need to know to prepare your team for entry into the tournament winners circle. Step by step I will explain what to expect from the tournament experience, and how to prepare for each situation before it arises, and minimize any mistakes to give you the best chance of winning!

Start with a large calendar and mark off all tournaments for the year that you wish to compete in, allowing at least a week before the first day to pre-fish, plus travel time to the tournament and return. Next, check your work and family schedules for any conflicts. Call or write to the organizers for a full information package. Do this as early as possible as some tournaments have a limited entry such as the Drambuie Catalina Classic held at Catalina Island in California. Fill out the application with as much information as you can get (some crew names, etc., can be filled in at a later date), and send this off with your entry fee. I will be honest here; it is very hard on a crew’s expectations if the owner continually changes his mind about what tournaments he wants to fish, especially at the last minute, so please make an honest list and stick with it.

Your typical tournament structure involves two payout categories. First, is the money generated from the entry fees. Out of this is taken the running expenses for the tournament such as salaries, advertising, the banquet and administration costs. What’s left is usually around 75 to 80 percent for payouts to anglers. This money is usually divided between the top three to five finishers at the end of the tournament. The second payout, the daily jackpot or calcutta, is the one least understood by anglers. It is paid out to the top three fish per day. If no fish are weighed in that day, the money is added to the next days’ pot. If no fish are caught on the last day, the money goes to the winner the day before. To keep the explanation simple, let’s say there are $1,000 and $2,000 daily jackpots. If you entered only the $1,000 daily jackpot of the tournament for three days fishing, it will cost you $3,000. If you enter both, it will cost a total of $9,000. If, for example, you catch the largest fish on the first day and only entered the $1,000 daily you will receive the money in the pool for that day in only the $1,000 daily jackpot category and miss out on all the money in the $2,000 daily jackpot. A word to the wise here. I was on a winning team in the Bisbee Tournament in Cabo a few years ago, for third place overall we received only about $80,000. But because we had the biggest fish on the first day and had entered all the daily jackpots, an additional $272,000 was added to our winnings for a total of $352,000. So if you can afford it, enter all the jackpots. Brown bagsÑthose secretive side betsÑcan be a lot of fun for owners, captains and crew alike. Basically, they are a collection taken up by rival crews and captains to form their own private pool, a private tournament amongst friends. Usually it’s a winner-takes-all format and all money is returned if nobody scores. Beware though, make sure you know the people organizing the brown bag and clearly understand all the rules. Sometimes a small brown paper bag is flown from an outrigger of the vessels involved; it can be fun walking around the marina to see who’s in.