Article by Bill Pino
I didn’t see the bite. I did hear the frantic call from the Venezuelan captain and mates, “AZUL! Marlin Azul Grande! Muy Muy Grande!”, The fish was on for a minute but quickly popped off. Everyone went to another rod. But I reached for the 80 Penn that was rigged with a mackerel down the middle of the spread. The bait looked untouched. I waited for her to return. I starred at the bait and behind the bait stood the mountain range of Venezuela and the village of Caraballeda. I first saw a push of water and then a bill with the thickness of a baseball bat, followed by the point dorsal, and finally a tail that could only be described as unbelievably huge. The mates and captain started yelling again., “MUY, MUY GRANDE. AZUL!” Before the line got tight, I understood why I saved my money and flew thousands of miles to go fishing. I was hooked faster than the marlin. 40 minutes later, after a blistering run and acrobatics that are normally saved for their smaller male blue marlin counterpart, after an aerial collision of marlin and tuna tower we got the release on the largest billfish I have seen to date. I knew right at that moment, traveling and fishing must become part of my life.
That was May 5th, 1991 and since that amazing day, I have taken every opportunity afforded to me to travel the world. I have met amazing people. I have eaten their food and loved their sunsets and I have spent countless hours gazing behind their boats to at a chance to catch one more fish.
So how does one go about finding the right crew, the proper boat, the correct season, the desired species, the best airfare and hotel. Hell, how do I get to from the airport to the marina hotel? So many questions will arise and some things that may seem mundane will become part of the adventure. The name of this section is called Destination Fish and hopefully I will answer some of the questions you might have to prepare yourself for a wonderful, fruitful travel experience. We will get to the fun part of this section in future articles. This piece will discuss the desires, costs and logistics of international fishing travel. Believe me, the internet has made the world a much smaller place. Social media has opened our eyes to so many potential fishing destinations and so many captains and crews. So how do I get started.
I struggled a little with the idea of the first question. Honestly there are about half a dozen first questions that need to be answered. Let’s start with budget. Can I get what I am envisioning with what I can afford? What can I afford? Once I have a dollar figure in mind I can tackle the rest of the adventure. Let’s start with, what I’d want to target. If there is a specific species then write it down. Hypothetically, I want to target striped marlin. Chances are if you have fished offshore on a charter boat in the states and ask the crew you fished with, you’d get some suggestions for locations. Now that I have 4 or 5 destinations for targeting that striped marlin, I need to research seasons. When is your best chance at targeting a striped marlin? It does me no good to plan a trip to a destination when striped marlin are prevalent in March and April, especially if I happen to be an accountant. So now I know when and where I can go. How do I get there? Find the destination and nearest airport and track prices through Google or Expedia or one of the many sites that can track airfare for you. Some operations will offer you package deals that include all meals, lodging, airport transfers and boat. That pretty much covers everything but tips, drinks and airfare. Here’s a very important topic that often gets overlooked. Who do I want coming with me on this trip. Is it a family trip? Are there things for the family to do while I am fishing, Does the family enjoy fishing or sightseeing? Is it a boy’s trip? Make sure all the guys have the same desired target species. I had a guy drop a substantial amount of money to go marlin fishing with us and he was so upset at the end of the week because he didn’t catch any tuna! Let’s make sure we are all after the same adventure. Is my desired location safe? Check out the part of the country you want to visit on state.gov.
I hope anyone that has a desire to travel to fish finds this section helpful. Maybe we have even piqued your interest to put a trip together. Stay tuned for our next issue where we will dig deeper into some real destinations and experiences that will help with your next or first adventure.
