First Builds YOUNG GUNS Capt. Kyle Peet Boats of 2030 OLD SALTS RULE Capt. Gary Stuve
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MARCH 2020 | VOLUME 19, EDITION 2 | $6.99 VOLUME 19, 2020 | MARCH IT’S A SHARK DAMN IT! First Builds Boats of 2030 OLD SALTS RULE YOUNG GUNS Capt. Gary Stuve Capt. Kyle Peet A LIFESTYLE BEYOND COMPARE Los Sueños is the BILLFISH CAPITAL OF THE WORLD and is your luxury gateway to incredible offshore marlin seamounts. Toll Free: 866-865-9759 • [email protected] • lossuenos.com 1807_LOS SEUNOS_full.indd 84 9/23/19 12:04 AM A LIFESTYLE BEYOND COMPARE Los Sueños is the BILLFISH CAPITAL OF THE WORLD and is your luxury gateway to incredible offshore marlin seamounts. Experience the AIRMAR Advantage You already made a great fishfinder choice…now give it the AIRMAR Chirp advantage! Today’s winning captains are seeing more targets than ever before by choosing AIRMAR Chirp-ready transducers: superior resolution, more coverage under the boat, unmatched deep water tracking and amazing detail including thermoclines. Superior sonar performance comes from an AIRMAR Chirp transducer. Get an advantage on the water… the AIRMAR Chirp advantage. , DEFINING CHIRP TECHNOLOGY Toll Free: 866-865-9759 • [email protected] • lossuenos.com AIRMAR.COM 1807_LOS SEUNOS_full.indd 84 9/23/19 12:04 AM 1808_AIRMAR_full.inddMarlinAd_InTheBite_FullPg_Dec19.indd 84 1 10/22/1910/14/19 10:30 9:25 AM PUBLISHER Dale E. Wills MARCH 2020 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF {Volume 19, Edition 2} Elliott Stark CONTRIBUTORS Ric Burnley Kevin Deerman Dave Ferrell Jan Fogt Mark Johnston Steven Katz Charlie Levine Scott Murie Alexandra Stark Capt. Jeff Waxman COPY EDITORS Amy Foderaro 26 36 Linda Wills DIGITAL EDITOR Nichole Osinski MARKETING DIRECTOR Don Urschalitz ART DIRECTOR Ron Romano PHOTOGRAPHY Pepper Ailor Leonard Bryant Richard Gibson Scott Kerrigan 44 58 Jessica Haydahl Richardson Get Social With Us! VIDEO Departments Features Neilson Paty 12 Coconut Telegraph ADVERTISING [email protected] 26 FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME, PART II 14 Reel Social Ph: 561-529-3940 16 Tackle Tips First Builds that Made Their Mark SUBSCRIPTIONS 18 A Day In The Life on Boating History For a one year subscription 20 Splash Report by Dave Ferrell (8 issues), send a check or 24 Center Point money order for $24.00 to inthebite.com 60 Little Bites 36 THE BOATS OF 2030 342 Toney Penna Drive, Suite #5 64 The Winner's Circle Jupiter, Florida 33458 by Elliott Stark Ph: 561-529-3940 In Every Issue 44 IT’S A SHARK, DAMNIT SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES 66 Tournament Results Amy Foderaro by Winslow Taylor Ph: 561-529-3940 73 Classifieds [email protected] 76 Marine Service Directory 54 YOUNG GUNGS 82 Bitter End Capt. Kyle Peet Editorial by Charlie Levine 8 Editor's Letter Lily Wills 58 OLD SALTS RULE 10 Two Minute Warning InTheBite Magazine is published eight times a year (Jan/Feb, March, April/May, June, Capt. Gary Stuve 68 Stern Advice July/Aug, Sept, Oct/Nov, Dec) with an 70 On The Docks by Ric Burnley annual subscription rate of $24.00 by InTheBite, 342 Toney Penna Drive, Suite #5, Jupiter, Florida 33458. Our Mission ON THE COVER: “Does this count InTheBite, founded in 2002, is the source for substance and authentic content for InTheBite.com is not responsible for any injury or for a release? How many points damage received as a result of any technical information the serous offshore sportfishing community. We are the curator of industry trends, or advice given herein. The contents presented herein do we get for the tail?” George boatbuilding, ownership, lifestyle, crew, employment, tournaments and more. We do not necessarily represent the views of InTheBite.com Robinson with all that is left of provide access to the highest level of sportfishing across a variety of media channels and Unplugged magazine LLC. Any reproduction of the materials published herein without written permission from a sailfish caught, and sharked, – print magazine, website, video and social media platforms. If you like sportfishing, during the 2020 Buccaneer Cup. InTheBite.com LLC is prohibited. you’ll love InTheBite – we guarantee it. Copyright 2019© 6 MARCH 2020 INTHEBITE.COM uncomfortable / ən-ˈkəm(p)(f)-tər-bəl / • [ uhn-kuhmf-tuh-buhl ] adjective Having to explain why your boat still rolls. “HONEY... WE’RE ROLLING” seakeeper.com 1901_SEAKEEPER_full.indd 84 12/12/19 3:44 PM EDITOR ’S LETTER The Past, the Future and Sharks… his issue has been a fun one to work on. It Tincludes an interesting mix of topics. We’ve included a bit of nostalgia in the “Feels Like the First Time, Part II.” In this feature, Dave Ferrell chronicles the first builds of Roy Merritt, Paul Spencer, Ritchie Howell, and Joe Neber, the owner of Contender Boats. It is always interesting to probe the minds of the men whose work has influenced and shaped the fishing landscape. Did you know that the foundations of two of the sportfishing’s preeminent builders can be traced to a conversation between two North Carolina charter captains? It’s true, just ask Ritchie Howell and Paul Spencer. You can ask them, or you can read the article… The story of Merritt Boats is one that parallels the development of offshore sportfishing. To provide context to that claim, check out the Old Salts profile of Capt. Gary Stuve. Stuve, 77, has run his share of Merritt boats and has been involved with the team for decades. He travelled all over the place and has been waylaying blue marlin and gi- ant tuna since he was in high school. Were he not such an interesting and nice guy (when he was young, all he wanted to do was “catch tuna all day and drink and arm wrestle and fight all night”—Gary’s words— he’s a legend), the lead up to the article was that his first captain’s job was running a Merritt for none other than Jack Nicklaus. To match our peek in the rearview, we’ve put on the Miss Cleo hat to give our best approximation as to what the future of sportfishing boats might look like. If you guessed it might include boats that you can monitor on your phone, vessels that can dock themselves, and a Not everyone may own a Jarrett Bay, world where years of research and development on alternative propul- but all are welcome for a stay. sion strategies began to pay dividends, you might not be far off. We’ve A company forged from a hands-on passion for boat talked with some of the best and brightest from five industry leading building has risen to an elite level of craftsmanship and brands across the sportfishing spectrum. The results of these conversa- service. Founded in 1986 to build a rock-solid charter tions make the immediate future sound pretty wonderful. sportfishing boat, today the Jarrett Bay yard has grown to And if all of the look into the past and the future weren’t enough a vast complex capable of servicing vessels up to 300 tons. for you, we also decided to take a bite out of something that is eating Motoryacht, sportfish or workboat, from routine service to at the present of the sportfishing, too. Sharks. These hungry bastards, sophisticated refits, we have the equipment and expertise compelled by the most pressing and unavoidable of biological urges, are to complete your project to world-class standards. chomping sailfish and cobia in Florida, all the bigeye and yellowfin they can eat in North Carolina, and plenty of marlin around the world too. Your project deserves the level of mastery that put No matter where you look, there are people cranking in tuna car- Jarrett Bay on the map. Visit our yard on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast to have your expectations exceeded. casses and marlin heads. In some places, the shark tax is of epidemic proportions. The interesting thing about it is how widespread the phe- nomenon is. If you needed proof, just look at all of the sharked fish photos in the article—or the sailfish tail on the cover. Thanks also to everyone who sent us their pictures of fish visited by the Tax Man. We’ve spoken with a fisheries biologist and a charter captain and World-Class Service. Carolina Flare. have done our best to present both sides of the shark argument (those being, kill ‘em all or don’t mess with any of them). What is interesting about the whole thing is that shark behavior seems to be changing— in many places they are being conditioned to associate the sound of a boat motor backing down with a pile of fish sticks. It’s something to think about for sure. So there you have it. That’s about all we’ve got. Shark on your right long! JARRETTBAY.COM/SERVICE Elliott Stark Editor-in-Chief 8 MARCH 2020 INTHEBITE.COM JBBW_halfpage.indd 1 11/25/2019 4:48:27 PM 1901_JARRET BAY_1-2v.indd 1 12/3/19 12:43 PM 1807_CASA DE CAMPO_full.indd 84 9/17/19 12:45 PM TWO MINUTE WARNING Tower or Not ’ve been asked ques- ally don’t climb the tower nearly as much as So, the question was, “Do I need a tower?” Itions about towers I did when I was a young man. That said, I The short answer is no. It’s all in what you several times lately. The do like having someone up there scanning the want. Some owners want them because they question I’m getting most waters as much as possible. think they look good; others think they’re is, “Do I need a tower?” Another question when talking to the crews ugly. The fact of the matter is that if you’re not I’ve spoken with several and owners is, “Do tower boats catch more going to use it, save the tens of thousands of By Captain crews and owners about fish?” That’s a trick question because it depends dollars it costs to outfit your boat with one— Scott “Fraz” Murie this topic.