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With increased public aware- ness of the need for sustain- able fisheries, more anglers are turning to catch-and-release fishing as a means to satisfying their desire for fishing as well as doing their part to conserve local stocks. Typically, an angler opts to re-lease a fish to fight another day. That the retention of a particular species violates a fishery management regulation could be another motivating factor. Such regulations include seasonal catch restrictions, size limits, and bag limits imposed by state and federal fishery management agencies. Catch regulations that require the release of certain individuals are based on the assumption that fish survive capture and subsequent handling; however, the effectiveness of these regulations depends on post-release survival rates.

A happy-go-lucky boatload of people may instantly have their smiles turned upside down when they pull up to a bait receiver in the morning and see the dreaded “Closed” sign hung out. Live bait may not be absolutely necessary – Gulp bait and Powerbait out-produce it sometimes – but most of us feel that live bait sure does add to our fish-hunting arsenal. When it happens to me, I know that today just got tougher because my options are limited. Sure, it is possible to jig up a barely sufficient supply of ’dines or small mackies near most harbor mouths, but we sure feel properly prepared heading out with a full tank of well-cured bait from the bait receiver.

The first time I fished a ballyhoo was during a routine trip to North Carolina, chasing giant bluefin. I was standing on the back of a 45-footer in 15-foot seas and 26-degree weather (though it felt like two degrees), lightning striking around the boat, and a big old southern boy yelling, “Get you some, boy!” while we took green water over the bow and stern at the same time. Yep, that was my first time fishing that crazy billed “East Coast” bait known as the ballyhoo. The boys rigged them up with 250-pound fluorocarbon and a large long-shank J-hook and an Islander over the head.

Since its inception in 1977, South Florida-based Strike Sportfishing Yachts has established a reputation among hardcore offshore anglers for its uncompromising approach to boat building. Today, Strike Yachts offers 13 models of fishing boats ranging from 18 to 51 feet that include center consoles, cuddy cabins, walk-arounds, and express sportfishers. And because they are shipped factory-direct, they can be built semi-custom to order.

That all-too-familiar Circle K stop

at 3:30 a.m.: customers inside consisting only of cab drivers, cops, and, of course, fishermen. As I went charging through the doors in my deck boots and slickers, the employee behind the counter gave me that look that says “Ah, you just have to be a fisherman.”

With springtime upon us, it’s time to break out the squid lights, crowders and energy drinks for those overnight assaults to the local islands in search of white seabass.

Few 20-foot center consoles are equipped to handle true offshore fishing in anything less than ideal conditions. EdgeWater’s 205CC happens to be one of those rare exceptions. It was specifically engineered to feel, ride, and perform like a much bigger boat, while requiring less horsepower on the transom – and from the vehicle that tows it.

When Bill DePriest contacted me and asked me to write a few articles about my experiences commercial fishing the outside banks and grounds, I was hesitant. My first thoughts were about people like Capt. Tim Houser, the “Commander,” now the Captain on Mark Ellison’s Erin Marie, and other guys way more qualified to be writing this than myself – fisherman who have really been there and done it, literally putting their lives on the line.

As Barry Brightenburg and I raced along at the eye-popping speed of 40 knots in the new Contender 31 Tournament edition, all of my thoughts turned to the fact that Barry drove right past the bait receiver in Mission Bay and did not stop. He did not even pack in a case of frozen squid. We were on our way to fish San Clemente Island for two days, and we did not have one live bait in the tank.

Drifting live bait over the rocks is easily the most challenging fishing experience on San Francisco Bay. It takes skipper moxie to put the boat over the high spot, angler skill to bounce a ball up the ledge and teamwork to get the fish in the net.