BACK ON THE ROAD
● I’ve always loved travel. It’s fun to have great fishing at home, but chasing a new species in unfamiliar waters always offers an interesting challenge for any fisherman. Along the way, we often meet a lot of new people, some of whom might become good friends, while also experiencing different cultures and cuisine. From a fishing perspective, it seems that everyone has a slightly different approach or an unusual technique—there’s always something new to learn.
As we celebrate our annual international issue, we dive into several unique fisheries. First up: Capt. Ricky Wheeler takes us on a guided tour of Grenada, one of the jewels of the Caribbean, located at the southern end of the Grenadines. From the mountainous interior to the stunning white-sand beaches and the deep blue waters just offshore, it offers not only great fishing, but also the opportunity to experience a new culture among some of the friendliest and most laid-back people in the world. The local Spice Island Billfish Tournament is always a good time, where teams from throughout the region gather for a few days of friendly competition and some truly memorable dockside parties.
Hawaii is another one of those places that should be on your personal must-fish list. Kona in particular checks a lot of boxes, including the possibility of seeing the blue marlin of a lifetime during any month of the year, with flat-calm seas nearly yearround, in the company of some of the world’s best lure-fishermen, with no passport or foreign-language skills required. While I had traveled there for a spearfish, we had one unforgettable blue marlin bite during the trip: The 500-pounder erupted on the short corner, zipped a bit of line off the reel, faded to the short rigger, zipped that one, then ate the bullet on the stinger in a head-and-shoulders going-away bite that left us all speechless. The fish was bill-wrapped and managed to free itself as soon as we pulled on it from the front, but the sheer aggressiveness of the bite was nothing short of incredible. All this just 10 minutes’ trolling time from the marina, with a slew of comfortable hotels and terrific restaurants in town (including some mind-blowing sushi). Kona truly is one of those destinations that’s hard to leave, and I understand now why so many choose to make the move a permanent one.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is another location that should be on the travel schedule for anyone with even the slightest interest in marlin fishing. For decades, this hotspot has been producing the world’s best action for black marlin, some of which are real sea monsters. Big seas, big baits and big fish abound on the reef. Unfortunately, it appears that the Australian government is keeping a full lockdown on international visitors in place for the near future. If you want to fish there anytime soon, it’s a smart move to secure your dates with your favorite captain now because we are hearing that the prime weeks are already going fast for the next two seasons on the reef. When the country finally does reopen for Americans, I believe there will be a veritable flood of anglers, and seeing as how those fish have had virtually zero pressure for two years in a row, it should make for some outstanding catching.
No matter where you roam this summer, I hope you find the most memorable fishing experiences of your life.