Speakers
Captain Damon Sacco is a U.S.C.G captain and the founder of Castafari Inc. After earning a bachelor degree at Hobart College in 1991, his propensity for the sea eventually developed into a full time career on the water. In the Spring of 1997, Damon established his own private sportfishing charter operation, which later evolved into one of the many facets to Castafari Inc.
Over the passed 20 years, Castafari has garnered continued success with tournament fishing results, including 17 top three tournament wins and 3 top place finishes, including the Block Island Tri-State and Nantucket Big Game Battle. Two Massachusetts big game state records have been caught on the Castafari including a 182.5 lb wahoo..just 2 pounds shy of the world record. The Castafari crew's fishing exploits have been featured on national television several times from Nat Geo, Spike TV, ESPN, NBC, and the Today Show.
Damon has successfully guided his clients to some notable catches...including a 138 inch (fork length) blue marlin, a 182 pound wahoo, and a 1196 pound tiger shark. Damon is currently on the pro-staff at Simrad, Sufix, Shimano, Costa Del Mar, Aftco, Starbrite, and Deep Ocean Apparel, which all manufacture products the crew of the Castafari relies on.
In 2011 Captain Damon launched two offshore big-game Cape Cod based sportfishing competitions, The Hyannis Tunafest and Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic. Both events have successfully raised over $100,000 for local charities helping young people in need. Castafari also co-launched the fishing seminar series Big Game Bash in 2009, and went on to create it's own seminar series in 2015. In October of 2018, Castafari launched its 3rd tournament event, "Battle Of The Bay" which is a giant tuna tournament based in Plymouth, MA. The plan for 2019 is to combine Battle Of The Bay and Tunafest into one big Fall based event.
Captain Damon is an active sportfishing writing and photography enthusiast, and has had several of his fishing related photos and stories published in just about all of the major fishing publications like Marlin Magazine, Saltwater Sportsman, Big Game Journal, and On The Water.
Damon has been offshore fishing the northeast for over 25 years, and has logged over five thousand offshore hours of helm time in waters from Maine to Florida. Damon has logged well over 250 trips to the northeast canyons, and has released over 75 northeast blue marlin (2 estimated over 800 lbs). He has also fished alongside many great captains at different world wide destinations, including Panama, The Galapagos, Bora Bora, The British Virgin Islands, Cabo San Lucas, Belize, The Bahamas, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Puerto Vallarta, and right here in America! In 2009, Damon launched his "FISH LICK'n FILMS" Instructional DVD series. Volumes 1 and 2 (mackerel and ballyhoo rigging) are for sale now on the Castafari website and in a variety of industry catalogs and stores
Since he could barely see over the covering board, Captain Mark has been fishing for over 30 years. His ongoing passion on the water eventually led him to a full time career as a commercial fisherman and private boat captain. Mark has earned a reputation as one of the more proficient high liners in the northeast. Mark was just recently featured in "In The Bite" magazine as one of the "Top Young Guns Of Sportfishing in 2018". He is also one of the top pro staff team members for Penn Tackle.
Mark is no stranger to the tournament winners circle. He has secured several tournament wins, including some of the biggest sportfishing events on the east coast, including the Mid Atlantic 500. Mark's team caught the biggest bigeye tuna in the Montauk Canyon Challenge tournament in 2017 and again 2018. For over 15 years Mark has been helming top producing vessels like "Canyon Runner," "Reel Action," and is currently at the helm of the fishing vessel "Rebel." He has caught well over 150 bigeye tuna in the northeast canyons, and has consistently been a top producer of giant tuna on his own commercial fishing vessel. Mark has several 1,000 pound class giants on his resume as well.
Mark is also one of the first captains to integrate Green Stick fishing with a sportfishing vessel up here in the northeast. His ingenuity on this subject has been very successful to say the least. Mark is an active owner and innovator at Broadbill Fisheries which is a Long Island New York based tackle company specializing in offshore tackle products. His products will be for sale in the onsite J&B Tackle store. His spreader bars have proved to be highly effective on all species of tuna.
Mark has also presented publicly at several other major fishing seminar events, including the Canyon Runner Seminar series where he still presents annually. Canyon fishing has always been one of Mark's biggest passions, and he has offered to share his knowledge and fishing adventure to help connect more people with more big fish!
Mark's fishing reputation and exploits have earned him top pro-staff spots with reputable companies like Simrad, Penn, Momoi, Deep, and Costa Del Mar. He averages 2 tournament placements each season. He will be presenting some great talks on bigeye fishing, finding fish off the shelf in the deep, and trolling/chunking at the northeast canyons.
Captains Bryan and Taylor Sears have been fishing the inshore and offshore waters of New England for over 20 years. They grew up together on the South Shore of Massachusetts, fishing the North River for striped bass and quickly graduated to offshore fishing at a very young age. Bryan and Taylor both attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy where they became USCG licensed captains as well as received degrees in Emergency Management and Facilities Engineering, respectively. They have captained and mated on many boats throughout the Northeast, but most of Sears brothers’ time is spent running their family owned/operated charter fleet, Mass Bay Guides, along with their father Capt. Greg Sears. Mass Bay Guides runs an average of 200 trips a season, focusing their offshore efforts primarily on bluefin tuna in and around the waters of Stellwagen Bank. This operation has earned it's way to being one of the most successful sportfishing charter businesses in the northeast. Their biggest Stellwagen giant in 2018 weighed 1056 pounds.
Bryan and Taylor's experience in the offshore fishing industry stems well beyond the waters of New England. They have both been anglers, mates, and captains in many different locations across the globe including Costa Rica, Cabo San Lucas, many areas of Florida, and Prince Edward Island.
Bryan and Taylor's offshore fishing experience also involves the canyon game of the Northeast. Collectively they have secured spots on the leaderboard in over 10 bluewater tournaments within the last 8 years including the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic, The Nantucket Big Game Battle, The Northeast Offshore Cup, and the Canadian International Tuna Cup.
The Sears brothers offer their freelance services through their own company, “SeaBros”. When not found fishing on Stellwagen Bank or Mass Bay, you can find them running all-inclusive fishing trips to Prince Edward Island Canada, the Gulf Coast of Florida, transporting vessels up and down the East Coast, guiding, outfitting boats, and offering seminars and workshops in the New England area.
Captain Lou Defusco is a Rhode Island native, and grew up fishing in the Point Judith Rhode Island community. He currently owns and operates his sportfishing charter operation, "Hot Reels" which actively fishes the waters south of the Cape and Rhode Island each Summer and Fall season. Lou has lived and fished in many different regions and oceans allowing him to land a wide variety of fish species. In addition to his home turf here in the North Atlantic, Lou has worked as a captain and guide in Costa Rica, the USVI's , Key Largo, Bermuda, and Isla Mujeres Mexico.
Lou's fishing exploits have earned him spots in the winner's circle of several northeast big game fishing tournaments, including the J&B Block Island Tri-State. Lou has also earned some notable catches including a 440 lb state record swordfish and a 58 lb tile fish! His accomplishments on the water have also been featured on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Lou is a highly accomplished writer and fishing artist, and has had his work regularly published in regional and international sportfishing publications. His marine artwork is genuinely unique and includes paintings, sculptures, swordfish bill restoration/art, and his latest focus which is painting teak finishes on yachts. Capt. DeFusco has made several appearances as an instructor for the nationally recognized Saltwater Sportsmanship Seminar Series, Big Game Bash, and Castafari Offshore Seminar, sharing his knowledge and skills for targeting swordfish and now his latest obsession, monster Golden Tiles. Capt Lou has worked hard at mastering the deep drop game, and has developed some very productive techniques for targeting a wide variety of big game species. He is also very proficient at the topwater jigging and popping game, and will be sharing his experience and knowledge on the early season tuna fishery that exists right in the backyard of Rhode Island.
Capt. Lou DeFusco and the crew of the Hot Reels are always on the hunt for untapped fisheries in New England. Tilefish have been largely targeted by commercial and party boats in New England...that is until now. A new band of recreational anglers are focusing their efforts deep below the surface. Hot Reels Sportfishing is one of the groups leading the charge. Capt. Lou has been working over the past couple seasons to adapt his knowledge of deep dropping for swords to focusing on Golden Tiles...big ones!
Marty Hiatt, is one of North Carolinas best in the business of offshore fishing. He has been an offshore mate for over 40 years, and has been an integral part of many highly accomplished big game fishing outfits along the Outer banks region. Marty's most recent work has been onboard the legendary "Runoff" with Capt Brian Harrington "The Beast" at the helm. In the 16 years they have been working together, Marty and Brian are no strangers to the winning circle of tournament fishing. They just recently won the infamous Big Rock tournament in 2017. Marty has 6 major billfish tournament wins to his credit, including the NC Governors Cup, Barta Billfish, Ducks Unlimited, Big Rock, and Cape Fear Billfish.
Marty is also well known as "WAHOONBOX" for his participation on many Internet fishing forums and hosting hundreds of YouTube action videos and also presenting throughout the year at a variety of offshore fishing seminars and workshops.
In the tackle industry, Marty has been well recognized and received for his passion and innovation in the world of planer rod fishing. "Death from Above" became his nickname by those who know and fish with him. His methods and techniques for trolling a bait 100 feet below the surface have spread worldwide, and we are very excited to have him share his knowledge, experience, and innovation at this year's Castafari Offshore Fishing Seminar!.
Marty has recently joined forces with Daddy Mac Lures, and will be representing them at their booth in the J&B Tackle store. In 2017, Marty and his crew won the Big Rock tournament using a dredge made with Daddy Mac lures. Join Marty as he shares -hands on- with you the most deadly method of harvesting tuna, wahoo, mahi, and even swordfish on the troll!! He will also be hosting a workshop on dredge rigging/fishing, from start to finish, as well as ballyhoo rigging for trolling applications.
Captain John Bunar has been fishing the offshore waters of the northeast for over 35 years. At the age of 9, John cut his teeth as a mate on a local charter boat in Sesuit Harbor. He has since earned a reputation as being one of Stellwagon Bank's most proficient bluefin tuna highliners. From June to November, John spends most of his time chasing fish from Maine to Cape Cod. Owning and operating a sportfishing charter company based in Plymouth Massachusetts, John has successfully connected his clients to hundreds of giant bluefin tuna.
John is a 29 year USCG captain, and former member of the Yamaha National Fishing Team. He also hosted the Massachusetts Fishing Report show during it's entirety. John has also spoken publicly at a variety of New England fishing seminar and trade shows.
Being on the water almost every day of the week, Capt. John has pioneered a variety of techniques that have increased his odds at catching fish. Whether it's where, how, or when to catch bait...what bait works when and where...when to anchor..when to drift, or even when to use a kite, John has mastered all of the above. More importantly, he is offering to share his knowledge and expertise with other fishermen, and will be helping to kick things off on Saturday April 1st at the 2017 Castafari Seminar. If you're a bluefin tuna enthusiast, and you fish Stellwagon, this is one you don't want to miss.
Captain Tommy Howd brings 25 years of fishing experience, spanning from the offshore waters of Maine, Florida, the Bahamas, and all the way to the Galapagos Islands. While earning a bachelors degree from Connecticut College in 2011, Tommy began his professional fishing career working for an offshore charter fishing operation in Newport, Rhode Island. His mating experience eventually landed him a spot with the “Canyon Runner” operation, fishing alongside captains Mark Decabia and Mark Deblasio. After several years working in the cockpit as a professional mate, Tommy eventually earned his USCG Captains license, and began running and captaining his family's vessel "Tokatomist," a 61 Ritchie Howell. Over the passed several years, the "Tokatomist" crew has garnered continued northeast tournament success, including a 140 lb. daytime swordfish caught on conventional tackle in the 2016 OBBC. Over 40 day time swordfish were brought to the deck of the "Tokatomist" with Tommy at the helm, including three fish over 300 pounds! Captain Tom Howd has earned a reputation as being a swordfish magnet. He has caught big swordfish every season, including a 300 plus pound fish in 2017. There isn't a more successful swordfishing operation in the northeast, and Tommy will be sharing his knowledge and ideas at this year's Castafari seminar!
Captain Sprengel is a Freestyle Outdoor Guide with over 20 years of Regional and international sport fishing experience. His connection to the sport fishing community stems from both experience on the water from a variety of platforms as well as in the tackle manufacturing and even retail facets of the sport. Captain Jack is a progressive member of New England’s Sport Fishing Community. He is a Freelance Outdoor Writer/Photographer and Published Author. His work is frequently seen in publications like "Saltwater Sportsman," "Sport Fishing Magazine", "Big Game Journal" and "On the Water" Magazines as well as many more. He is also an avid contributor to Internet publications like Fishtrack.com, Roffers and "On the Water's" fishing reports. A Multi-Species Enthusiast; He has traveled to many regions in search of trophy or more exotic game fish. Learning from its earlier development with the introduction of modern braided line systems, the captain now specializes in Offshore and Reef Style Jigging and Casting for large pelagic and tropical species with top water lures and jigs. The captain has fished and placed "in the money" as a crew member or at the helm in several Atlantic based big game Sportfishing tournaments, targeting everything from inshore species to larger offshore species like tunas and large billfish. Additionally, Jack has made numerous appearances on both New England based and major television networks, sharing his passion for the north east Sportfishing opportunities and techniques.
Jack has headed the Sport Fishing Presence at the Rhode Island Boat show for both the Newport Yachting Group and the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association as well as consulted and assisted in the layout and design of some northeast sport fishing boat brands. He has worked regionally as a guest speaker for the Big Game Bash, The Castafari Offshore Seminar Series as well as headlining for Bass Pro Shops Big Fish Weekend and Spring Classic. He has given hundreds of cutting edge audio/video Sportfishing Lectures across the Northeast. For the last 3 years Capt. Sprengel was selected to be an instructor at the National Saltwater Seminar Series for George Poveromo. In addition to his published works and outdoor guiding career, Capt Jack is also one of the two men at the helm of the RonZ Lures brand and an active member of Team Shimano's U.S. and Japanese based operations.
Originally from Holbrook MA, Captain Terry Nugent has been fishing offshore waters for over 30 years. In 1998 his relentless saltwater fishing experience was put to good use, and Riptide Charters was born. Capt. Terry is a USCG Licensed 50 Ton Master with Assistance Towing Endorsements. As the Navionics Tournament Team Captain, Capt.Terry has earned several tournament top placements. He has also guided his clients to a Massachusetts Governors’ Cup trophy and back to back 2006/2007 IGFA World Records for Thresher and Blue Shark.
Capt. Terry is best known for his success in helping to develop and enhance the New England Bluefin tuna topwater fishery. Having the uncanny ability to put novices and experts alike within casting reach of trophy Bluefin Tuna has made him one of the true faces of Cape Cod's tuna casting industry. As this world class fishery evolves at an exponential rate, Capt. Terry continues to foster innovation by serving on the design and field testing teams for Navionics, Salty’s Lures, Ocean Saltwater Lures, Offshore Innovations, Hogy Lures and Stormr Jackets. Captain Terry has also been busy creating his own line of inshore Tuna spinning rods (Riptide Big Gun). An IGFA certified Captain, Terry is also on the Pro Staff for Mercury Marine, Raymarine, Costa Del Mar and Shimano Reels.
Over the past decade Capt. Terry has been sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge gained from a life spent on the water with the fishing public through a variety of media. Capt. Terry has appeared in numerous TV shows from the local "On the Water" on NESN programming to international TV with Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing on Versus, The Obsession of Carter Andrews and world reknown, The Spanish Fly on ESPN2. Terry has also been featured in several books and publications including “Tuna on the Fly” (Gilmore, 2006), Saltwater Sportsman, Sportfishing Magazine, Center Console Angler, Northeast Boating, On the Water, Field and Stream, Fishing Boats Registry, Coastal Angler Magazine and The Fisherman Magazine.
Capt. Terry is a frequent guest speaker for the Buzzards Bay Anglers Club, Osterville Anglers Club, The Cape Cod Salties, CCA, Bass Pro Shops, "BFT" seminar (2008, 2009), Tuna Mania (2007, 2008), Big Game Bash (2010,2011, 2012), The Saltwater Sportsman National Seminar Series (2006, 2011, 2015), and soon to be at the 2017 Castafari Big Game Seminar!
Captain Joe Shute owns and operates Fish Finder Tackle Inc. better known as "Joe Shute Lures." These lures have earned a reputation as being the best and most popular skirt to use on a trolling ballyhoo in the northeast. They are a regular item on the Castafari. Capt. Joe has been involved in the saltwater fishing industry for over 30 years. He was one of the first full time inshore and near shore light tackle and fly fishing guides in Morehead City, North Carolina. Capt. Joe started his guide business in 1987, and continues to run inshore and offshore big game fishing charters to the present day. He founded Capt. Joe Shute's Bait & Tackle back in 1991, and ran the business until he sold it to a long time employee in 2012. Captain Joe's specialized in stand-up fishing for bluefin tuna from smaller center console boats in the Morehead City area. He also helped revolutionize trolling techniques for bluefin tuna, designing custom lure heads and skirts to use with ballyhoo and mackerel. Captain Joe now spends most of his time tying "Joe Shute Lures," along with operating Cape Lookout Fly Shop. Joe also participates in numerous "How-To" fishing seminars in the off-season, and will be discussing ballyhoo rigging and trolling techniques at the Castafari Seminar.
Captain Tim Pickett is an engineer for the Lindgren-Pitman Tackle Company. LP is well known in the fishing industry for their ingenuity and revolutionary fishing products designed for targeting bluewater pelagic species. If you've ever used an underwater light when targeting swordfish or a high powered electric reel for Planer, Deep Drop, or Dredge fishing, chances are, it was designed by LP.
Tim Picket is known as the "fishing guy" at LP. He has been with the company for almost 6 years after graduating from the University Of New Hampshire with a Masters Degree in Ocean Engineering in 2009. Prior to that Tim spent 8 years working for Smith and Gilmore Deep Sea Fishing of Hampton Beach, earning his 100 ton masters license in 2008. Tim has been chasing swordfish for over 20 years, and he has caught dozens of trophy sized fish...several topping the 400 pound mark. He currently co-owns and regularly fishes from a commercial fishing vessel based in south Florida.
Over the past few years, Tim has immersed himself into the daytime swordfishing fishery. He has fished alongside some of the best swordfish captains in the world (RJ Boyle, Brett Holden). His fishing accomplishments include many tournament placements, including first place in the 2011 Sunburnt Swordfish Tournament; and some truly amazing catch statistics, including 21 swordfish in one day! Tim is also the pioneer of swordfishing in the Turks and Caicos. His biggest broadbill to date is 485 pounds. Tim is constantly improving the development of night and daytime swordfishing techniques. His knowledge and experience will be a great addition to the Castafari seminar.
Born and raised on Nantucket Island, fishing has never been a hobby for Roland Beamish--it's a way of life. Roland started fishing as a young teenager and by age 18 he had won his first major competition, the Nantucket Billfish Tournament. Since then he's fished the east coast, and into the Caribbean. Since his first win in 1997, Roland has won awards in ten major tournaments including the Hyannis Bluewater Tournament (2004-2006), the Bahamas Billfish Championship (2008) and the Tri-State Championship (2006).
Somewhere along the way he began making his own lures, some of which helped him win the above awards. After experiencing so much success with his homemade lures, Roland decided that he wanted to share his tackle with the rest of the fishing world. Beamish Custom Tackle was launched in 2006 and has been growing ever since. Several winning catches in the BBC curcuit have been caught on Beamish lures, and the crew of the Castafari swears by them.
Scott SinclairCaptain Scott graduated from the University of Rhode Island earning a degree in Marine and Coastal Management. After college, Scott went to work for the Fishermen's Outfitter Tackle company for 10 years, eventually becoming a shop manager at the Yarmouth store on Cape Cod. Scott went on to earn his USCG captains license, and worked as a first mate on many luxury sport fishing boats from Maine to Florida.
In 2004 Scott earned his position as first mate on the Castafari where he worked full time for 8 years. The Castafari experienced continued tournament success with Scott Sinclair working in the cockpit. Scott has since spoken at many fishing seminars like Castafari's Big Game Bash and the renowned Saco Bay Tackle Tuna Seminar, sharing his extensive knowledge and experience on rigging bait and tackle. He was very instrumental in the creation and maintenance of the Bait Rigging Lab at the Big Game Bash, and will be managing Scotty was also named vice president of the Green Harbor Tuna Club in 2012. Scott's most recent focus is the purchasing of Green Harbor Bait and Tackle which he now owns and operates in Marshfield, Massachusetts
Captain Mike Pierdinock has been an avid angler for most of his his life. He has fished in both the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, focusing his efforts in waters from New England to Florida and Central America. Mike is an USCG captain, and operates the charter vessel "Perseverance" fishing Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank, and waters south of Cape Cod. Mike specializes in the pursuit of bluefin tuna and sharks. More info on his charter business can be viewed at www.cpfcharters.com.
Captain Mike is also a leading advocate for the northeast rod and reel fishery. He is very active on various fishery related commissions, committees, and advisory panels serving as a fishery advocate for the recreational and charter boat/for hire community. He is presently serving as the U.S. representative on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory Committee and was a U.S. Delegate at the recent ICCAT meetings in Morocco; Massachusetts Marine Fishery Advisory Commission; National Marine Fishery Service, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species, Advisory Panel; and the New England Fishery Management Council, Recreational Advisory Panel. Captain Mike is the Massachusetts Chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance and is also on the Board of Directors of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association. Mike actively participates in fishery management issues that impact charter boat/head-boat captains and recreational anglers, and will be presenting on some very important fishery management topics at the 2018 Castafari Big Game Fishing Seminar.
Captain Mike Pierdinock has made presentations at fishing seminars and shows throughout New England. He is the author of an ongoing editorial entitled "Fishery Management Watch" in The Fisherman New England magazine. Currently he appears weekly on Capt. Lou’s Nautical Talk radio show (WATD 95.9 FM) discussing the latest fishery management issues that impact charter boat/headboat captains and recreational anglers.
Dr. Walt Golet is a research professor and scientist at the University Of Maine and Gulf Of Maine Research Institute. Walter completed his graduate research and a Postdoc on Atlantic bluefin tuna at the University of New Hampshire. He then became a professor at the University of Maine in 2015. where he currently resides and teaches. The majority of Walt’s work focuses on understanding the age, growth, migration, reproduction, stock structure, and forging ecology for highly migratory fish in the Atlantic. Walter's primary objective is to improve estimates of stock status in hopes to maintain/improve fishing opportunities for commercial and recreational fishermen. In addition to his research, Walt holds one of four academic positions on NOAA’s Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel which is tasked with domestic management and policy of HMS species. He also serves as a technical advisor on the ICCAT Advisory Committee’s Atlantic bluefin tuna working group. His current research projects include work on Atlantic bluefin, yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, broadbill swordfish and marlin. Walt will be sharing his knowledge and research on the local northeast giant tuna population and migration at the Castafari Seminar.
Dr. Jeff Kneebone is an Associate Research Scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. He holds a Masters degree from the University of New Hampshire and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and has been conducting research on a wide variety of fish species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for the past 15 years. His research focuses on numerous aspects of fish biology, ecology, and physiology, and is largely conducted in partnership with the commercial and recreational fishing communities. Through his research, he hopes to generate data that can improve fishery management and sustainability, particularly for highly migratory species. Jeff's current research focuses on a wide variety of marine fishes including sand tiger sharks, common thresher sharks, black sea bass, yellowfin tuna and Pacific bluefin tuna. He is also an avid fishermen and spends much of his free time on the water, primarily targeting tautog, sharks, and tuna. Jeff is currently working on a post catch mortality study on yellowfin tuna. He and his team are actively tagging northeast yellowfin tuna, aiming to better understand their migratory patterns and offshore ecosystems. Jeff will be presenting his research at the Castafari Big Game Seminar.
Captain Chris Young of Big Game Sport Fishing has been fishing the New England waters since he was old enough to hold a fishing rod. Growing up in Rhode Island, he spent his childhood summers, nights, and weekends fishing the local waters for any and all game fish. By the time he was in his early 20’s Chris was already an accomplished offshore angler fishing on tournament teams and landing giant tuna upwards of 900 lbs. Today Chris runs a 33' center console out of Rhode Island and is an active member of the New England sport fishing community working with a network including some of the top sportfishing operations in the Northeast. Chris has earned spots in the winners circle of many northeast tournaments, and is an extremely well rounded angler with multiple sponsors and pro staff positions supporting him on his angling journey. He fishes New England’s near coastal waters for Striped Bass, Fluke, and Giant Bluefin Tuna as well as offshore waters in search of Swordfish, Big Eye Tuna, and Marlin. When he is not fishing his local waters he enjoys traveling the world searching for big game pelagic species to check off his ever growing "catch list."
Captain Peter Bacon and Captain Shamus Mara of Big Game Sport Fishing, have been fishing the Southern New England waters from Rhode Island to the Florida Keys and the Bahamas for 20+ years. Best known as owner / operators of Rhode Island’s Premiere Charter Boat Fleet Big Game Sport Fishing and the originators of The Fluke Til Ya Puke Fishing Tournament. Pete and Shamus have a true passion for the thrill of the hunt, love putting their clients on fish, and use a number of techniques targeting all of the inshore and offshore species this world class fishery has to offer. Combined they spend over 110 days offshore every year. The Big Game crew was recently named 2017 Charter Captains of year by Sport Fishing Magazine. They've also been featured in On The Water Magazine, The Fisherman Magazine and Coastal Angler Magazine. Pete and Shamus have spoken and given seminars at fishing shows and clubs throughout New England, New York and New Jersey, as well as at the Castafari Big Game Seminar. Pete and Shamus have a competitive spirit and have earned a reputation as proven fish raisers. They take great pride in making sure that their clients have a memorable fishing experience of a lifetime.