BILLFISH HAVEN - Indian River Magazine

TREASURE COAST BOATINGFISHINGBILLFISH HAVENJIM GALLAGHERBlue marlin jump and fight, giving the most serious angler the struggle of a lifetime. It’s the most sought-after billfish on the Treasure Coast, and almost allsportfishermen release the fish back into the ocean.The Treasure Coast is quickly gaining a reputationfor some of the best billfishing in the worldBY GREG GARDNERWhile Stuart is the Sailfish Capital of the World,the waters from Sebastian to Jupiter areknown for the best billfishing on the EastCoast, and recent tournaments with staggeringnumbers are proof.The Treasure Coast is a perfect storm — with the rightoffshore conditions, new technology, an abundance of baitfish and large billfish stocks due to decades of conservationefforts — to break catch and release tournament records.“The Gulfstream or Florida Current is like I-95: a greatplace for fish to migrate,” says Grant Gilmore, who wasknown for 27 years as the “fish guy” at Harbor BranchOceanographic Institute north of Fort Pierce. “It is the best(billfishing) in the country. The continental shelf is 20 milesoff of St. Lucie County and Jupiter is so close to the Gulfstream.The St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon feednutrients and plankton to the bait fish. Billfish are going to36come in close. You have mullet, sardines, herring. It is a smorgasbordfor the billfish.”As proof of just how close we are to the sailfish and blueand white marlin, Gilmore says a billfish larvae was discoveredin the Loxahatchee River near Jonathan Dickinson StatePark and a cast net brought in a baby sailfish near the JensenBeach Causeway. The Fort Pierce, St. Lucie and Jupiter inletssupply food to billfish migrating south.EARLY CONSERVATIONConservation of billfish goes back to the 1930s, 40s and50s, when the Whiticar boat building family created the localfishing industry and put Stuart on the national map with thehelp of Stuart News Editor Ernie Lyons, says Scripps Newspapersfishing writer Ed Killer. Outdoor writers were invitedto come to Stuart and go sport fishing — catch and release,of course. One day they caught more than 100 billfish, quitea feat considering old-school methods. The writers couldn’twait to get back to their typewriters and tell their readers>>

FISHINGTREASURE COAST BOATINGJIM GALLAGHERNothing can be more exciting on a fishing trip than to see a sailfish shoot up from theocean. Catch and release campaigns have helped billfish stocks increase over recent years.how great the fishing was in Stuart, Florida.The Stuart Sailfish Club started the tradition wherein boats returnwith red flags hoisted to show their billfish catch. Successful fishermenalso received a certificate and a pin to commemorate their lucky day.GREG GARDNERToday, billfish are often tagged so their movements can be trackedNot even recent foot surgery could keep Michigan native Staceythe next time they are caught. In rare instances, high-tech satellite tags Horton from reeling in a large dolphin off St. Lucie County. Preparingto boat the fish is mate Tony Ettari while her fiance Chriscosting $5,000 apiece are used to track by Global Positioning Systemthe location, speed and depth of billfish. According to Gilmore, a Stuart >> Lynn takes the pictures.37

TREASURE COAST BOATINGFISHINGJIM GALLAGHERThousands of people come to the Treasure Coast each year in search of theelusive sailfish only to fight the fish to the boat and then release them.man recently received a knock on the door by a federal officialwho wanted to know what happened to the marlin hehad caught. He returned the GPS tag, which the feds hadtracked to his Stuart address.KILL-FREE TROPHYOne local taxidermist has so many molds of sailfish andmarlin that there is no reason to kill the fish to make a souvenir.Take a photo and measure the fish and there will be a moldclose enough to preserve the likeness of your prized billfish.“It is almost unheard of these days to see a dead sailfish onthe dock or in the back of a boat,” says outdoor writer Killer.“Conservation has done a lot for billfish. Early on, peoplerealized why bother to kill these fish. There is no food value.They realized the value of the sailfish as a game fish thatpeople love to catch.”Capt. Glen Cameron of the Florider out of Fort Pierce andhis anglers have won the Pelican Yacht Club InvitationalTournament the past three years. He recently won the BahamasBillfish Championship Series with 11,200 points — themost ever. The Florider caught and released 27 billfish inone day during the Pelican tourney, a record for any EastCoast tournament.“We are at the top of Sailfish Alley,” Cameron says. “There>>GREG GARDNERMy Other Honey mate Tony Ettari checks Stacey Horton’s line as she prepares to reel in a tuna from the fighting chair while her finance Chris Lynn pullshis line, trying to hook a fish. While trolling for billfish, tuna and dolphin are welcome substitutes that will end up on the dinner table.38

FISHINGTREASURE COAST BOATINGIt is poetry in motion to see a billfish put up afight after being hooked. It is all about thestruggle to get that fish to the boat.JIM GALLAGHER PHOTOSBlue marlin grow to hundreds of pounds. The larger the fish, the longer the fight and the more enduranceit takes to reel it in.is an abundance of bait, total conservation now that the long liners can’t get to them,and lower mortality rates than ever. We are seeing better and better numbers everyyear. We keep breaking records every single year.”At the Pelican tourney, 29 boats released 528 sailfish using dead bait. At the WestPalm Beach Fish Club Silver Sailfish Derby the same weekend, 46 boats released 1,024sailfish using live bait, both shattering previous records.Advanced technology plays its part in the larger catch numbers, says Cameron.“Circle hooks have lowered the mortality rate. The fish are in great shape when theyleave us. We let them go and when they leave us, they are none the worse for wear. >>39

FISHINGTREASURE COAST BOATINGGREG GARDNER PHOTOSDolphin can also do the dance and often end up on the hooks of anglerstrolling for billfish. This one was just 20 inches and a keeper.Circle hooks have helped the fishery and I think it is easier tocatch fish with them.”Cameron also believes the perfection of the “dredge”system has contributed to the sharp increase in sail catchesduring recent tournaments. It is much like dragging a schoolof bait behind the boat, mimicking natural feeding patterns.“Our hookup rates are better,” he says. “When they comethey will follow you.”Another strategy is prospecting, where the angler starts towork the rod from the beginning instead of waiting for somethingto hit the line. “It helps keep the angler in the game,”says Cameron.FUN IN THE PURSUITBillfishing can be funeven if you don’t catch asail or a marlin. A Michigancouple recently charteredMy Other Honey out of PortSalerno and its captain, PeterMorelli, for a full day offishing. After several hourstrolling for sailfish andlanding only small blackfintuna, Morelli set them upover a reef for some bottomfishing, where they caughtred snapper and out-ofseasonsea bass.“The reefs have the livebait,” says Morelli, a 30-Mate Tony Ettari on My Other Honeyprepares to catch and release a goodsizedbonita, since most people don’teat that species.year captain with 20 years on Treasure Coast waters. “Youcan catch sailfish in 50 feet of water. The fish go where thefood is.”One of the great byproducts of trolling for sailfish are largedolphin fish, which will take the bait. Chris Lynn and hisfiancé Stacey Horton both caught a large and a small one tocap off their fishing day. “We didn’t catch a sailfish, but onedid hit our bait,” says Lynn. “But we did catch a lot of fish.They know where the fish are. We’re coming back for sure.”The billfish off the Treasure Coast will be waiting.40