Author: Jason Schratwieser

I’ve been tying flies for 15 years or so and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed about my tying over time is that I tie fewer patterns than I used to, and the ones that I do are, for the most part, pretty darn simple. I try to stick to tying patterns that have the following criteria 1) they get bit if you make a decent presentation, 2) they don’t foul on the cast and 3) they don’t take a long time to tie. I’m very fortunate with my job in that I’m able to fish around the world. However,…

Jason Schratwieser of the IGFA shares some tips on how to ID a blue and black marlin. This year’s marlin bite in southern California has been nothing short of insane. Not only are there a large number of fish being caught, but there are also a few BIG fish being caught. Whenever a big girl comes to the boat or dock in certain areas of the Pacific, there’s often the question of whether it’s a blue or a black marlin. Distinguishing between the two species is the hardest marlin-call in the Pacific, but there are few ways that you can…

During the inaugural IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) six satellite tags were deployed at the Club Nautico de San Juan’s 58th Annual International Billfish Tournament (IBT) that was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on September 5-11, 2011. Since that time, anglers have waited patiently to see when and where the tags would pop up and start reporting information. The first tag to pop up and report was from a fish caught by Norman Pichardo on IGFA Trustee Pepe Anton’s boat Amirita. Pichardo’s tag popped up October 23, 2011, 419 nautical miles (nm) from where it was tagged near the…