Author: BD STAFF

The moniker fits the locale. The Bisbee’s Black and Blue Marlin Tournament, now in its 34th year, was appropriately named. Cabo San Lucas is one of the prime spots in the world where anglers can consistently catch the two largest species of marlin, blues and blacks. There are differences between the two, however, and that call for different tactics. Blacks tend to hang around reefs and structure with large concentrations of bait. So the underwater mounts off the tip of the Baja peninsula like Gordo Bank and Jaime Bank are prime places to bridle a live skipjack or yellowfin tuna…

Canadian tourist Dan Tosczak’s vacation took a strange and happy turn Wednesday. He and his girlfriend booked a trip to Cabo to watch the Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament this week. When they arrived, however, they found out about the Charter Hook-Up program and decided to fish. By the time the scales at the Puerto Paraiso Mall closed at 9 p.m. Tosczak and Team Danito y Karlita were the early tournament leaders with a 394-pound blue. The Charter Hook-Up program was created this year as a result of Hurricane Odile, which struck the Los Cabos region last month. The…

Los Cabos Offshore 2014 After suffering the devastating effects from the worst storm in decades, it’s going to take time for Cabo San Lucas to fully recover. But this sport-fishing mecca took a major step forward this past weekend as the 2014 edition of the Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament concluded with 81 boats competing and more than $420,000 in prize money on the line. Even though the bite was slower than normal, anglers and residents alike were upbeat and thankful the event was held. Category 4 Hurricane Odile slammed into the tip of Baja less than a month ago…

Fall along the East Coast of the U.S. triggers a massive mullet migration. Hordes of mullet of all sizes make their way southward for the cold months. Along the way they endure constant bombardment from predators of all types. Once in Florida waters, the mullet get pummeled by tarpon, sharks, jack crevalle, ribbonfish, bluefish, birds and fishermen. But I believe that since the banning of gill nets in inshore waters, it seems like the fish populations are getting thicker and thicker. This is a good sign for the entire food chain. Check out this video of the barrage of attacks…

Follow two hunters from different places and styles as they come together and hunt for an entire Kansas whitetail season. They endure the elements and see many trophy bucks, as they wait for their perfect shot. An amazing glimpse of what hunting is about and a great reminder of what is important to the sport. GAME OF INCHES from Rockhouse Motion on Vimeo. Photo Credit: Video Capture

Well you really never know what your going to see and experience during a day of fishing. Capt. Rick Spratt was taking customers on a fishing charter in Homosassa, Florida. They were videoing the very common occurrence of dolphin playing and surfing on the boat’s wake, when the very unheard of happened. One of the dolphin jumped and landed in the boat. Before any more people freak out, the dolphin was put back in the water, once they got help to pick it up. You just never know! Photo Credit: Youtube video capture

As a fisherman, one must always be ready for what the ocean presents, because you never really know what you will find on any given day. I think that is part of why it is so deeply satisfying to set a goal, target a fish and then succeed with your plan. This would be the case for the crew of the Bad Company XL led by Capt. Steve Lassley on a recent trip out of Newport Beach, CA. They had been hearing about sightings and encounters with blue marlin, a species very rarely seen in SoCal waters, and had set…

What once was a “new fangled” gadget for yachts with unlimited checkbooks, is quickly becoming an industry standard with many emerging uses for boats of all sizes. Ocean LED has been on the cutting edge of this phenomenon since 2005 and because of their technological advances; the world of underwater lighting is accessible to many more boaters than before. A huge part of this revolution has been the introduction and improvements of energy-efficient and long-lasting LED technology. The LED revolution has gone hand in hand with a boaters desire to balance more accessories with power consumption. Now Ocean LED is…

We are kicking off our annual Halloween Pumpkin-Carving contest for 2014. This year the contest is brought to you by Bubba Blade and the prize packages are better than ever. We will award prizes for three places this year and the winners will be chosen by Facebook likes. Carve a pumpkin and you could win a prize package worth over $150 sponsored by Bubba Blade & BD Outdoors​ The rules are simple: Buy a pumpkin and carve it up with a fishing or hunting theme. Take a photo of your pumpkin. Post the photo to the BD fishing forum HERE,…

Fall is about fair food, caramel apples and Halloween candy, but to those in tune with Florida’s seafood bounty, it also means stone crab claws. On October 15, the recreational stone crab season will start and it runs until May 15. Stone crabs are a common, but secretive, crustacean inhabiting the inshore and near shore areas of Florida’s coastal waters. They live in holes and structures during the day and venture out at night to feed on any bits they can find. They are protected by a very heavy shell and the claws are the only part of the crab…

Recently we showed you a swordfish whacking the bait at 1600-feet, now the same camera of Capt. Nick Stanczyk has captured the feeding of a giant golden tilefish in 750-feet. The golden tile is excellent eating and is caught on mud flats in deep water. The new deep-water Gopro housing from Hooker Electric Reels is to thank for these incredible videos at unprecedented depths. Capt. Nick Stanczyk runs the B n M out of Bud n’ Mary’s Marina in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. He specializes in daytime swordfish, giant tiger sharks and now big tilefish. Photo Credit: Youtube video…

The rare and exotic encounters continue in Southern California as shown in this amazing drone footage of two sperm whales that were part of a huge pod off Dana Point. The whale watching boats from Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, had a rare treat when they found a large pod of sperm whales which are very rarely seen this close to shore. The pod was reported to number from 75 to 100 individuals, while the video gets up close and personal to an apparent mother and calf. The video has an incredible view from the drone without disturbing the…

Odile, one of the most disastrous storms to ever slam into Baja, has dominated the news for weeks. Stories – first of destruction, then of the accelerated recovery over the region from this CAT-4 Hurricane – have claimed their place in history as it cut its wide swath of devastation throughout Baja Sur. However, as bad as the physical being of the storm was, recovery has been remarkably rapid. The hotels, restaurants and boats are all ready for visitors and guests. More important, the people of Baja are eager to return to what they do best: welcome visitors to their…

Swordfishing in south Florida and the Keys, especially in the daytime has become a productive and exciting fishery in its own right. Capt. Nick Stanczyk out of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina in Islamorada is one of the best. Capt. Nick and Capt. Sara Michael have recorded a swordfish whacking the bait and camera in 1600-feet of water. They lowered a GoPro inside a Hooker Electric deep-water camera housing to capture this awesome video. As it always happens when a camera is rolling, the bait got tangled around the line, but the hungry sword still checks it out and whacks the…

Q:Where do you live? A: I live in Beaumont, California. Q:What mediums do you work in? A: I work with mostly a number 2 pencil and graphite. I also work with charcoal and black ink while designing tattoos. Q:Of these, what is your favorite? A: My favorite medium is probably graphite. It blends very easily and gets very smooth. Q:What are your other hobbies, and are they related to your artwork? A: I love to hunt; I have been hunting since I was about 4 and am still crazy about it. It’s in my blood along with fishing. Anything that…

PENN SSV Spinning Reels Savvy west-coast anglers know that PENN Spinfisher SSV reels will help them catch a lot more fish. Ranging in size from the SSV3500 to the SSV10500, the Spinfisher SSV’s will cover everything from surfperch, to tuna and yellowtail. Among the favorites for west-coasters are the three models with the “Liveliner” feature, which gives live bait anglers perfect control in all situations. The SSV4500LL is perfect for local yellowtail, calico bass, and barracuda with anchovies. The SSV6500LL is ideal for offshore species like albacore and school-size tuna with live anchovies or live sardines. The SSV8500LL is perfect…

To many anglers, the pursuit of tarpon in pristine waters is the stuff legends are made of. And so it should be, because nothing can be more exhilarating, frustrating, satisfying or maddening than to chase these giant fish with a fly. These majestic fish have migrated though the Florida Keys for eons and have been sought by anglers from all walks of life. This game has been elevated to new heights by the experienced guides and anglers who tirelessly pursue the chance to pit their skills against the ancient instincts of the tarpon. The new TV series, Silver Kings, will…

September saw the running of the 43rd Annual Channel Islands Billfish Tournament. Five marlin were released in this year’s tournament. The CIBT boats caught and released 5 marlin this year. The top boat honors went to CG Miller aboard RUCKUS with a bait fish and a jig fish on day three. VALKYRIE got second place with a jig fish right out of the gate on day one and BAD HABIT brought in third with a jig fish off the 277 on day three. HYROCARBON gets an honorable mention for releasing a bait fish on day five in our own backyard.…

Most marine areas of Puget Sound will reopen for recreational crab fishing Oct. 1, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced yesterday. The openings were approved by fishery managers after summer catch assessments by WDFW indicated more crab are available for harvest, said Rich Childers, shellfish manager for the department. Waters reopening to sport crabbing Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. include marine areas 4 (Neah Bay), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardner), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 12 (Hood…

BD: What do you do for a living? Maureen Mascaro: I am a commercial real estate construction project manager at Cresa in South Florida. I advise and represent tenants during the process of selecting an architect (to design) and a general contractor (to build) their new space. It is mostly interior office build-outs in Downtown Miami but we also do warehouses and call centers. As a PM, we manage the client’s budget and monitor the construction progress to ensure the project is delivered according to the client’s expectations. What I like most about my career is the mix between meeting…

With September in the air and cooler weather upon us, the fishing is still HOT, HOT, HOT! At 6.00 a.m. over 30 sportfishing vessels left the Marinas Mazatlan and El Cid to spend a fabulous day on the smooth seas vying for the biggest dorado. Ricardo Ramirez landed the winning dorado, weighing in at 48-pounds. He and his buddies Bernardo Valades and Sergio Garcia Granados were about 26 miles off the beautiful shore of Mazatlan when they hooked up around 2 in the afternoon. Their vessel “Mi Buena Suerte” in Spanish translates to “My Good Luck” These guys walked away…

After Hurricane Odile ravaged the southern cape of the Baja Peninsular more than a few good guys and girls stepped up to the plate and came to the rescue. With food and water running low in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo these Sports Fishers ran a mini mercy mission. Almost 60 Mexican Nationals between the ages of 3 and 65 were evacuated and safely brought to fabulous Mazatlan, Sinaloa on the Mexican mainland. Captain Roy “Wilkes” Hammock of the 65′ Viking “EXPEDITION” and his lovely lady Amanda were responsible for bringing over the Winkler-Romero family,…

The Bisbee Tournament organization, which has shared a symbiotic relationship with the people of Cabo, has started the Bisbee’s Cabo Relief Fund in an effort to raise money to help the local people and charter boat captains get back on their feet. Hurricane Odile ripped through Cabo San Lucas and the surrounding Baja area with 125-mph winds and flooding rains. The damage to the area is extensive and the effort to clean up and rebuild will take years. The Bisbee Cabo Relief Fund has put 250,000 dollars in the pot to get things started, and businesses and individuals are already…

It is being hailed as the strongest storm to ever strike the Baja Peninsula and it unleashed its furious Category 3 winds of 125-mph on the tropical paradise of Cabo San Lucas. Luckily, as of this writing, there have been no deaths reported, though many were injured during the chaos of the storm. Flying glass and debris accounting for much of the injuries. Tourists on vacation and locals alike took cover in local shelters, though even some of those were badly damaged and destroyed. Many stories are trickling in via Facebook and other Internet sources. Most power poles are down…