46th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament

I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I spent the weekend in Georgetown, where the main squeeze was fishing in the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament with the Rascal crew. Even though I did not fish with them, it was such a fun tournament, with many reasons to celebrate! On day 2 of fishing, both the Arica and the Sportin’ Life brought blue marlin to the dock, with the Sportin’ Life’s fish weighing in at a whopping 534.2 lbs! What a treat to see not one, but two monster fish landed and brought to the dock.

The best moment, though, was the awards ceremony. Our boys on the Rascal did an incredible job in the tournament, coming in 1st place in the release category and 2nd overall. In addition, they received the Conservation award for the most billfish released, as well as the 2nd place Junior Angler award for a dolphin. We were all smiling ear to ear, and had celebratory drinks on the boat afterwards. I can’t wait for the next tournament!

Lots of fun on the crowded docks

All smiles celebrating 🙂

That’s one big fish!

Junior Angler award!

So proud of these guys!

Looking forward to sharing our recipe for the dolphin, coming your way tomorrow!

marlin magic and a day of firsts

Happy Thursday, friends! I wasn’t sure which story to choose for today’s #tbt until the main squeeze informed me earlier this morning that he will be going offshore this weekend to do some fishing before the tournaments get started. Well, geeze. Now I’m all jealous and whatnot. Who’s up for a Sunday Funday back on the mainland, where we can booze away being green with envy? Ahh, I digress. I can’t be too upset that I am being left behind, however. Why? Because the last time I was offshore with those guys, I did something. Something that totally makes up for occasionally being left behind. Something magical. I landed my first (and only) blue marlin. Ok, ok. So I definitely had help… I don’t claim to be able to hook, reel, wire, and land the dern thing all on my own. He weighed, like, a lot. And let’s be honest- I could never be that coordinated. Thanks guys :). But oh man was it fun bringing that big boy to the boat.

Alliteration aside, there were several other firsts on the boat that day. Both the captain and the first mate brought their sons aboard, and it was just as fun, if not more so, watching them reel in their fish. Two of them landed sails (one was a first), and the youngest landed his first dolphin. I kid you not, it was bigger than he is. The looks on their faces were priceless- it really made the whole day worth it. It was such a treat getting to fish with such a great group, and I can only hope we get to do it again this summer.

 Sunrise on the way out.
 Father and sons
 True anglers right there!
Just missed the jump.
Reeling in the big dolpin
 What did I tell you? Huge!
 Wiring my marlin
Could. Not. Stop. Smiling.
Per tradition for firsts- getting thrown in back at the docks.
Successful day, if I do say so myself!

cast & blast

I ran across this article from Field & Stream while I was pretending to fold laundry, and I was instantly hooked. No pun intended- You’ll see what I mean. Given the amount of fun and successful hunting my dad and I had while in Argentina, both in 2010 and 2013, it is safe to say that we will definitely be going back. Hopefully several more times (hint hint, Dad..!). Both previous trips were spent only dove hunting, and we know there is a lot more that Argentina has to offer. Between dove hunting, duck hunting, big game hunting, and fishing, the country is a world-class playground for the outdoorsmen/women. Dad and I have primarily talked about adding a few days of duck hunting to our adventure, despite my constant efforts at begging him to let me go after a monster red stag or axis deer. Those who have met me know that I have an itchy trigger finger. And let’s be honest- I would have to have that thing mounted. Immediately. But, back to the topic at hand… This article sparked a new interested that I previously hadn’t really thought about- adding a few days of fishing on the great Rio Grande to the mix- a Cast & Blast. Ummm WHERE DO I SIGN UP? In this particular instance, the anglers were after the sea run brown trout, but one can also catch rainbow and brown trout, freshwater dorado, pirá pita, and pacu, depending on the region you visit.

With 10 tips and tricks for fishing, along with 5 more for the hunting portion of your trip, the authors provide really good insight as to what you can expect when you are fishing and wingshooting in Argentina.

Click HERE to read the entire article. Enjoy today’s in the news!

poor timing in the news…

Just when I was getting excited for warm weather, and was considering trying out a little kayak fishing this summer…

Courtesy of Field and Stream

I mean, I know it’s Hawaii. A long way from here. But come on man! You. Must. Be. Joking. Even the War Eagle is looking a little small for deeper water…

Its like I already knew something like this would happen… My expressions clearly already says “Now let’s just wait a minute….”

Costa Rica 2011

I can’t believe it’s already Thursday again… And now that we have moved into April, I find myself longing for warm weather, sunshine, and some fishing action on the boat. Today’s chilly, rainy weather has inspired me to make today’s #tbt the first fishing post- Costa Rica 2011! This time two years ago, I was on my first trip to Costa Rica, and my travel buddies were my parents and the main squeeze. It was such an unbelievable trip that he and I planned one for the following year to go with a group of friends (more on that in another #tbt!).

We stayed in an amazing house owned by some family friends, called Casa Carolina, and I could not recommend it more. The house is located on the side of a cliff, overlooking the harbor- talk about some incredible sunsets! We watched the sun go down each day from the pool with a cold beverage in hand :). The staff there are so friendly, and I know it is only a matter of time before we can see them again!

The main purpose of the Costa Rican adventure, of course, was to fish- offshore sailfishing and an attempt at some rooster fish inshore. The boat we fished from is called Frenzy, a 43′ custom, and boy did we have fun on that boat. In addition to the Frenzy, we spent a day aboard Frenzy II (35′, used more for inshore fishing), leaving from the Marina Pez Vela on both. Recently, they have added the Front Row to the fishing fleet, a 28′ vessel, and I am pretty sure that means we need to head back down there soon to give it a try! We had success every day while sailfishing- the ones down there are massive compared to those off the shores of South Carolina. Although the rooster fishing proved to be a futile effort, we never failed to have a fantastic time on the boat. The crew on board could not have been nicer, and they really know what they are doing when it comes to raising fish. Rather than bore you with words, I will leave you with a photo recap of the trip- Enjoy!

Amazing sunset the first night.

 The boat crew… Love them.
First sailfish fight!
Caught fish!
Wuan’s turn 🙂
Annnd another caught fish!
Spinner dolphins that would play with the boats.
Snacking on some freshly caught tuna… Literally swimming just minutes before we ate it.
This fight really kicked my ass.
After 45 minutes, we finally see his face.
Madre!
Padre!
The whole group 🙂
I hope to see you soon, Costa Rica!