upwards of 17-18 family and friends aboard! Crossman described fishing an entirely different area than Monday, “I spotted something just a little bit different, with barely any other boats around, and knew that was it. We picked up a little sailfish right away and then a blue marlin. Before we knew it, we had our second and third marlin caught and released without even getting the teasers back in the water.” They won the daily prize and chalked up a great day of blue marlin fishing with all those friends and family involved. Strangely, Friday was almost an exact repeat of the prior day, releasing another sailfish around the same time in the morning, followed by two more blue marlin–good enough for another daily award. From there, like for Mercenaria, it then turned into a waiting game. “We knew we were in first place, but we were fished out. A couple boats on Saturday had the potential to beat us, but thankfully did not.” The Safari team spent Saturday trying not to think about their lead slipping away, but couldn’t help but tune into the radio every 30 minutes or so to find out what was happening. Crossman pointed out that success is not all about the boat or the Captain; having top-notch crew and anglers can be a difference maker, “I’ve got the best mate, CJ [Janiszewski], and incredible anglers. I don’t think we missed a fish. We caught everything we saw!” McNeill agreed that the team and the boat were dialed in like never before. In over twenty years of big game fishing, he’s never had such a great season of blue marlin fishing off North Carolina, and winning the Big Rock release division certainly marked Safari’s best showing yet. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Additionally, Bluewater customers and friends aboard the Roshambo, Mack 900 and Sea Toy all managed to notch daily jackpots for their feats in releasing the first billfish on 4 out of 6 days. The Jarrett Bay Marlin Fever also placed 2nd (on time) in the non-sonar release category, and had the Junior Angler Release champion, Henry Daniel. Mercenaria, Safari, Fender Bender, Viking 62 Demo, Inspiration, Chainlink, Sea Striker… the list goes on and on of Bluewater customers who have made history with big winnings in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament over the years. The Bluewater team is incredibly excited for our customers to be rewarded for all their efforts in rising to the top of the billfish tournament world, and we’ll proudly keep doing our part to help them stay there! Omnidirectional Sonar Not Your Average Fish Finder So what’s with these “non-sonar” categories anyway? Over just the last few years fish finder and chart plotting technology have evolved greatly in abilities and sophistication. No longer are hull-mounted ping transducers considered the best tech by Captains and owners; now boats are being built and retrofitted with telescoping sonar equipment that can sense fish in 360° at up to 5,000 feet away! Think of it as the reverse of a submarine periscope; a large tube is installed vertically along the centerline of the hull bottom, which allows for the omni-sonar equipment to deploy 4-5 feet under the boat when looking for fish, and retract back up out of the way when not in use. This ability to extend down completely clear of hull forms and running gear is what allows for a full range of view, and Captains even have the ability to direct and focus the beam in specific directions for improved pickup. Now considered a not-so-secret weapon by many, omnidirectional sonar has been so transformative that the Big Rock and other tournaments have selected to award divisions separately based on which boats are and aren’t using the technology. 6 BLUEWATER
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