SEAZORES IN THE NEWS
Big Game Fishing Azores
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Clive Bradley
On the bank blog
http://www.clivebradleyfishing.com/new-blog
/2014/9/29/big-game-fishing
October 2014
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...Sadly it's our last day and we have a mornings inshore fishing arranged for us, aboard the Seazores which we find at the new marina in Ponta Delgada port. Skipper Sergio is waiting and welcomes us aboard, we tell him this is our last chance to catch something, and in his very good english he says that's no problem and he's sure we'll all get a fish. Nice to have a confident and upbeat skipper in charge, and soon we're motoring out to one of his spots.
Now this feels like a good fish and it's putting up a great fight.
We're using small diving lures which are trolled behind the boat from normal sized rods, and very kindly the lads have put me in as first to go if we get a run.
And would you believe it, after about half an hour one of the rods twitches, then pulls round, it's handed to me and I start to wind in until there's a flash of silver just under the water, then the mate grabs the line and hoists the fish into the boat. At last I've caught, and it's my first barracuda, I can't stop grinning now, and the camera's start to click.
During the next couple of hours we all get the chance to play and land almost a couple of barracuda's each, with not all making it back to the boat, as some come off during the fight, but we all get nice 'trophy' shots for the album, and all the lads are smiling now!
After a little quiet spell I'm lucky for it to be my turn again as the next take is a belter. The fish takes plenty of line and as soon as I have the rod I can feel this is different, I have to really pump and wind to gain line, with the fish easily taking some back. But after moving all round the back of the boat I finally have it alongside and we can see its another species.
Pulled on board Sergio tells us it's an Atlantic bonito and that I'm very lucky as they're usually only get caught on the North of the island, well I don't care, I just know I've never caught one before and now I have!
After another couple of barracuda have been caught we take up Sergio's suggestion of going in for lunch, where the bonito and the largest barracuda are prepared at one of the harbours restaurants. A couple of beers, a few glasses of wine, some of the tastiest fish I've ever had, and enjoyed with some new friends, finish off an amazing week.
We all agreed that the big game fishing here may be fairly well known and is probably the biggest draw, but the potential for the inland, coastal, and inshore fishing is virtually untapped and is just waiting for some opportunist anglers to open this place up.
Then again, the whole island itself is waiting to be explored with wonderful vista's at every turn.
I came here for the fishing, but ended up loving the people, their affable nature, and the incredible scenery… I'll definitely be back, and perhaps get a chance to land one of those big boys next time!
Big Game Fishing Journal - USA
Capt. Matt Baryshyan January 2014
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Azores Big Game Fishing Tournament
Eyes in the Azores
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When offshore fishermen get together, especially canyon fishermen, for a little dockside chat, the subject inevitably comes up as to the ultimate definition of Fishing Heaven.
Without exception it is to catch bigeye tuna right outside your breakwater.
At the years have gone by and our trek to the grounds has taken us great distances from our home ports, that ultimate definition of fishing heaven has become more than a dream; it is the musings of someone who is, shall we say... delusional?
Oh well, nothing good is easy to come by - unless you were in the Azores fishing off the island of Sao Miguel for bigeye tuna from May through November in 2013.
Fishing Heaven indeed; with bigeyes and giant bluefin tuna literally just out side the breakwater!
We experienced yet another awesome visit to the Azores in 2013, competing in their Big Game Fishing Tournament which featured the eyes this year instead of the marlins, and the fishing was equally extraordinary.
Prior to arriving, my good friend Willem Rieff emailed saying that he hoped the marlins would arrive, but adding that I should bring mt favorite tuna gear, because the Island was surrounded by bigeye and giant bluefin tuna.
O QUE VERGONHA! (What a shame!) Can you imagine my disappointment? No, no, Matteo, no marlins, you are going to just have to suffer through catching bigeyes this year! Not only was I ecstatic about the tuna, I was equally excited to share this special place with my son, Metthew, this year, as we would be competing on a team comprised of the press representatives from France, Great Britain, and young Matt and I from America; the Allies back together on the high seas!
We began the day fishing less than a mile up the coast, half a mile of Relva beach, when the fleet began hooking up right at the top of the tide. The charter boat Seazores - who eventually won the tournament - was on fire and dialed into the fish. I admired the way the crew and this small 24-foot boat worked a double.
The cockpit set-up on this boat was ingenious, with a bolster mounted on a rod-holder support going across the stern so you could safety fight a large fish. All week I enjoyed watching this small boat put the beat-down on the rest of the fleet.
Sergio Mestre, seazores captain, is a talented, engaging fellow and no doubt is the next superstar captain to come from Sao Miguel. Great job, Sergio!
"Last year we had an epic marlin bite, this year we had an epic bigeye bite.
Just to show you how successful this year´s tournament was, even though we did not see the marlins, let me say this; In august, in Rhode Island this past year, there was a tournament. There were 74 boat in that tournament, 74, and in three days they produced 28 bigeye tuna.
Now back here in the Azores, in our little corner of the world here, in three days with just 11 boats, we put 28 bigeye tuna on the deck for a total of 6,500 pounds of tuna!
Not only that, but the other amazing thing that was that the entire island was eating tuna this past week because of the 11 boats that fished their hearts out. Not for the money, not for the calcutta, not even for the market value, which would have easily been oven $60,000. No, they did it for the pure joy of fishing and the fellowship created by a flawlessly run tournament.
So when I speak to the big game fishermen America, I say; if you want to catch a marlin, or if you want to catch a bigeye tuna and if you want to meet and live with the nicest people on the face of this earth, without any doubt, YOU COME TO THE AZORES!"
In:
Big Game Fishing Journal by Capt. Matt Baryshyan
Author: Capt. Matt Baryshyan
Voyages de Pêche - France
Par Nicolas Jamin Janvier 2014
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Seazores: bateau vainqueur du tournois 2013 de Ponta Delgada
Cette année le vainqueur du tournoi a été le skipper Sérgio Mestre de l´organisation Seazores qui, avec son equipe açoréenne, a capture six gros thons obéses dont un de 119kilos. Le bateau de Sérgio, un walkaround Yamaha YF 7,50m propulsé par un Yamaha 150ch, était le plus petit engage dans la competition, il est entièrement équipé pour la pêche au marlin e tau thon. Sérgio propose également dês sorties pour pratique jigging, lancer, palangrotte de juin à fin septembre pour capturer dês tassergals, sérioles et carangues blanches (Pseudocaranx dentex). Le gros point fort de la pêche à São Miguel selon Sérgio, la proximité immédiate dês spots, entre 1 et 5 milles dês cotes.
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Par Nicolas Jamin
Açoriano Oriental
Arthur Melo, Quinta-feira, 29 de Setembro de 2013
“Seazores” vence Big Game Azores Tournament 2013
Equipa do Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada sucede aos continentais “Barca Velha”, equipa que perdeu a hipótese de revalidar o triunfo de 2012 no último dia.
A equipa do Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada, “Seazores”, da embarcação “Desenfiado”, arrebatou a vitória no Big Game Azores Tournament 2013 no último dia, aproveitando a má terceira perna dos líderes “Barca Velha”, formação que não conseguiu repetir o êxito de 2012.
No último dia de prova - em que foram pescados 11 atuns -, o “Barca Velha” ficou em branco e apesar de ter feito o segundo melhor resultado do dia – 450,8 pontos -, a pontuação obtida foi suficiente para arrecadar a vitória final.
Em grande neste terceiro dia da prova organizada pelo Clube Naval de Ponta Delgada, Associação de Turismo e Associação Açoreana de Pesca Desportiva de Mar este a “Sweden Team”, um dos conjuntos estrangeiros presentes na competição, que alcançou a melhor pontuação do dia e do Torneio (624,4 pontos), conseguindo assim ascender ao segundo lugar, à frente do “Barca Velha”.
Destaque para o sexto lugar obtido pelo “Press Team”, conjunto constituído por jornalistas norte-americanos, franceses e ingleses que vão ser responsáveis pela divulgação estrangeira do evento nas revistas da especialidade.
Esta prova foi divulgada em 11 páginas na revista francesa “Voyages de Pêche” e em 14 da norte-americana “ Big Game Fishing Journal”, o que permitiu uma cobertura mediática bastante assinalável para um nicho de mercado “que poderá trazer mais valias consideráveis para os Açores em termos da pesca desportiva de alto mar porque é um turismo que não olha a despesas”, sublinha Filipe Lima, diretor da prova.
Classificação Final
1º “Seazores”, 826,8 pontos
2º “Sweden Team”, 816,6 pontos
3º “Barca Velha”, 698,0 pontos
4º “Thetis”, 385,2 pontos
5º “Ice Anglres”, 304,8 pontos
6º “Press team”, 294,8 pontos
7º “Wahoo/Maviripa”, 183,6 pontos
8º “O Serrote”, 179,2 pontos
9º “Aprigio I”, 173,2 pontos
10º “ Griogo”, 150,0 pontos
11º “Vega 11”, 135,2 pontos