March 1 & 2, 2025 • Marriott Hotel, Quincy, MA

Speakers

Damon Sacco
Damon Sacco Captain Damon Sacco is the founder of Castafari Inc. which was established in 1998. After earning a bachelor degree at Hobart College in 1991, Damon ventured into the entertainment industry pursuing a passion in music, touring and recording two albums with the reggae/ska outfit, Iration. Damon went on to co-own and run a Best Of Boston named bowling alley/restaurant, Sacco's, located in Davis Square, Somerville Massachusetts which he sold in 2015. Castafari Inc. is a sportfishing enterprise offering big game fishing tournaments, a winter and spring sportfishing expo/seminar series, custom offshore fishing tackle, and private sportfishing adventures. The Castafari tournament events have generated over $150,000 to help pediatric cancer and autism victims and the Boys and Girls Club of Martha's Vineyard.

Over the past 25 years, Castafari has gained recognition along the eastern seaboard, earning 1st place wins in the Tri-State Shoot Out, Nantucket Big Game Battle, and Northeast Offshore Cup. Two Massachusetts state records were set on the Castafari including a 183 lb. wahoo which was one pound shy of the All Tackle World Record. Castafari offshore adventure has been featured on ESPN, National Geographic, Spike, Versus, CNN, ABC, CBS, The Scarborough Show, and the Today Show.

Damon is a pro-staff member at Shimano, Costa Del Mar, Garmin, Aftco, Milton Cat, Nomad Tackle, and Sufix Line. He is a vocal contributor to the big game fishing industry, sharing his experience and knowledge regularly. He is also a passionate advocate of fisheries management and preservation, and is a returning board member of the Stellwagen Charterboat Association.

Captain Damon is a passionate author, and has regularly contributed his work to major fishing publications such as Marlin Magazine, The Big Game Journal, Saltwater Sportsman, and On The Water Magazine. Damon is currently working on publishing an anthology of essays profiling the Castafari experience at sea.

Damon is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, and has logged over five thousand offshore hours in waters from Maine to the Bahamas, and worldwide. Damon has fished all along the eastern seaboard and at many global destinations, including Panama, Bora Bora, The Maldives, Fiji, The Galapagos, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, The British Virgin Islands, Belize, The Bahamas, and Columbia.

Mark DeCabia
Mark Decabia 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. Spending about 270 days a year offshore on average for the last 15 years , Mark has earned a reputation as one of the more proficient high liners in the northeast. Mark was 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, Simrad, Momoi, Costa Del Mar, and Deep Ocean Apparel.

Mark is no stranger to the tournament winner’s circle. He has secured several tournament wins, including some of the biggest sportfishing events on the east coast, including the Mid Atlantic 500, Tristate Tournament and White Marlin Open . Mark and his team secured a 1st place win in the 2019 Northeast Offshore Cup. Mark's team also caught the biggest bigeye tuna in the Montauk Canyon Challenge tournament in 2017 and again in 2018. When it comes to bigeye tuna, Mark is undoubtedly one of the best in the game, averaging around 25 per season. He has caught well over 300 bigeye tuna in the northeast canyons For over 20 years Mark has been helming top producing vessels like "Canyon Runner," "Reel Action," and is currently at the helm of the fishing vessel "Rebel."

Mark is an active owner and innovator at Broadbill Fisheries which is a Long Island New York based outfitting company specializing in offshore tackle products and boat outfitting. His products are made for the long haul and designed for the serious tournament fishermen. For more than 2 decades he has designed and built tens of thousands of spreader bars of various types and will discuss the ins and outs of these products.

Mark has also presented publicly at several other major fishing seminar events, including the Canyon built 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 can be reached at Mark@broadbill.com.

Bryan and Taylor Sears
Bryan and Taylor Sears 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 weighed 1056 pounds. They brought 54 giant tuna to the boat in the 2019 season.

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.

John Bunar
John Bunar

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.

Tommy Howd
Tommy Howd

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!

Jack Sprengel (Founder East Coast Charters/Shimano NE Sales Manager)
Captain Jack Sprengel Captain Sprengel Has over 30 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 northeast 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 over 2 decades given hundreds of cutting-edge audio/video Sportfishing Lectures across the Northeast. For the 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 an active member of Team Shimano's U.S. and Japanese based operations.

Max Dispoto (East Coast Charters RI / Shimano Master Brand Advocate)
Captain max Dispoto

Max is one of the youngest Shimano Pro-Staffers ever for Saltwater Sportfishing. His relentless nature on the water and gut instincts beyond his years have already made him a force to be reckoned with on waters both inshore and offshore alike. This season he placed in the Swordfish Division of the 2024 TriState Canyon Shootout with Team: "No Mercy" and has fished the waters of the North and South Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific targeting Tuna, Billfish and other Big Game Species.

Growing up fishing the waters off Block Island since the age of seven has allowed him to know the area and fisheries 'like the back of his hand.' Expanding from the inshore waters of Block Island Sound, he quickly became a natural at fishing all offshore waters of the Northeast. Since then, his dedication to being on the water every single day during the season both as a guide and rod/reel commercial fisherman has given him more knowledge and experience than the average fisherman can collect in his lifetime.

Max is a XL Striped Bass Expert fishing waters off Rhode Island, a skilled Jigging and Popping captain, and an expert at catching giant bluefin tuna, as well as Northeast Canyons fishing specializing in day time deep drop swordfishing.

Kevin Albohn
Captain Kevin Albohn Captain Kevin Albohn has spent the last 20 years as more than just a serious fisherman. He has been following the tuna migrations from southern New Jersey to Cape Cod primarily targeting them via jig and pop but also with traditional trolling methods. He is the owner of Blue Line Charters in Watch Hill, Rhode Island and is one of the few charter captains that dedicates his time to primarily tuna fishing. Captain Kevin additionally runs charters with One More Cast Charters in Oceanside, New York in the early spring and late fall seasons allowing him to learn the patterns of the migrating tunas before and after most local outfits.

He can be found chasing bluefins and yellowfins on the mid-shore grounds to casting to big eyes in the canyons. As a father of 4, he emphasizes the importance of getting children on the water and getting them involved in learning all aspects of fishing and conservation. It is not uncommon to see one of them as a deckhand even though they are still at very young ages.

Captain Kevin has been featured on NBC sports and several other smaller scale productions. He can be found giving seminars and instruction throughout the northeast during the winter months. He has spoken at the Canyon Runner Seminar Series. You can join him on the hunt for any pelagic species from May through December and can find any details at www.bluelinesportfishing.com.

Mike Hogan
Captain Mike Hogan Hogy Lure Company was founded by Capt. Mike Hogan who designed each product in the field. Capt. Mike has fished all over the country and has developed products and techniques along the way, all with big fish in mind.

The company was started in 2004 when Capt. Mike left his office job in Boston and moved back to Cape Cod in order to get closer to fishing. He began running inshore and offshore charters again, focusing on trophy class fishing. He doesn't use live or dead bait, so he found himself needing baits for very specific situations to compete with live bait anglers. As a result, he saw a demand for large-style soft baits that mimicked the larger baits he was trying to imitate. Capt. Mike spent many months working on the special blend of soft plastic and finally came up with the current plastic blend that Hogy Lure Company uses today. He immediately saw how effective large soft baits were both inshore and off-shore. Never intending to bring the new lures to market, Capt. Mike used them on his charters and gave them to his friends who referred to them as “Hogy's”

Capt. Mike's first experience selling Hogy Lures was at a sportsman show in Massachusetts. He remembered the mountain of soft baits he had on the table at a time when he didn't even have packaging. Much to his great pleasure, he sold out by early afternoon the first day. The same thing happened at the following show in Rhode Island. It was then that he knew he was on to something. In 2005, Hogy Lure Company was incorporated and later filed for a patent finally received in 2009. Hogy Tackle continued onward to become one of the most reputable and widely known lure companies on the east coast.

Seth Funt
Seth Funt Captain Seth Funt has been fishing offshore for over 30 years. His fishing experience spans from the Bahamas all the way to the waters off of Nova Scotia. He is a prostaff member of Shimano, Hummingbird, Jigging World, Costa Del Mar, Rapala, and VMC. Seth's relentless fishing passion developed into a successful career on the water. He currently owns and operates a Rhode Island based fishing lodge, The Gilded Crab. Seth is also an accomplished charter captain, and fishes his boat, Old Bay, in waters south of Cape Cod to Montauk and out to the northeast canyons. He is also an active member of Team Three Buoys which focuses on the pursuit of billfish in Floridian waters during the winter season. Seth has built a solid reputation as a day and night time swordfishing expert. His exploits have been featured in numerous fishing publications, podcasts, and on the Outdoor Channel"s "Hunt for Big Fish.” with host Larry Dahlberg.

Seth has pioneered many techniques which have helped improve the efforts of sword fishermen along the east coast. He has written many articles for nationally recognized fishing publications such as Sportfishing Magazine, Anglers Magazine, Florida Sportsman, Florida Sportfishing Magazine, and The Big Game Journal. Seth now serves as the South East Regional Sales Manager for Jigging World. His primary focus revolves around developing awareness and recognition of the latest rod technology available in the sportfishing industry. Seth is constantly perfecting and shaping his tactics and techniques to adapt to our ever changing offshore rod and reel fishery. His passion and attention to detail have allowed him to participate in the fishing industry at the highest levels. Seth has racked up dozens of top place finishes targeting swordfish, tuna, and billfish around the world.

Matt Perachio
Matt Perachio Captain Matt Perachio is a well accomplished USCG licensed captain with over 25 years of both inshore and offshore fishing experience. He grew up fishing the waters around outer Cape Cod, and his fishing passion and determination led him to a professional career on the water. Matt currently owns and runs a thriving sportfishing service, Tighten Up Charters based in Truro Massachusetts. His specialty includes light tackle techniques for Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Cod and Bluefish. Matt is one of the few New England charter captains who has consistently put clients on big bluefin tuna, even giants, using light tackle. Matt has been featured on the cover of On The Water Magazine several times as well as OTW videos. He is well known for his relentless work ethic, unique sixth sense in locating fish, and going the extra mile to get the job done. His experience and knowledge are an invaluable addition to the Castafari Big Game Fishing Seminar line-up. The light tackle tuna game is in full swing up here in the northeast, and Matt is one of the best in it.

Dr. Walt Golet
Dr. Walt Golet

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.

Billy Shouldice
Billy Shouldice Captain Billy is one of Team Castafari's best. He has been fishing in the Castafari cockpit for 11 consecutive seasons. His offshore fishing abilities are world class, and he has been very valuable in bringing the new Castafari mates up to speed. Billy cut his teeth in the Cape Cod sportfishing industry working at Falmouth Bait And Tackle and Bad Fish Outfitters as well as jumping on any boat he could as a kid. He has several tournament wins under his belt including two 1st place finishes in the Nantucket Big Game Battle (on his own boat!). The Castafari also claimed a 1st Place win at the 2015 Tri-State with Billy in the cockpit.

Billy graduated Mass Maritime Academy in 2012 with a Marine Transportation degree, and continued his career on the water working full time during the winter months as a Mate on an oil tanker in the Gulf Of Mexico, West Coast, and Alaska. He currently holds a 1600 Ton Master USCG license/ Chief Mate Unlimited Tonnage license. When Billy is not fishing commercially or competitively, he is teaching his two children, Bizzy and Charlie how to fish.

Billy has fished the waters of New England, Alaska, Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, St. Thomas BVI's, and Costa Rica. When Billy is not working he is still fishing on the decks of the Castafari as well as freelancing within the industry. With over 125 canyon trips logged, he is a proven master in the bait-rigging department, and will be sharing his knowledge and craftsmanship with all who participate in the bait-rigging workshops as well as talking about "Intro To Canyon Fishing,"

Jorge Polo
Jorge Polo Jorge Polo, the owner of the renowned tackle company, Jyg Pro, was born and raised in Valencia, Spain. It was there when he was first immersed into the world of offshore fishing at a very young age. His passion for the sport has taken him around the globe, exploring and mastering various fishing techniques. With a focus on slow pitch jigging and speed jigging, Jorge brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to the craft. As the founder of Jyg Profishing, Jorge is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of angling innovation. His expertise shines through his high-end charter services out of Jupiter, Florida, where he guides clients to pursue swordfish, tuna, and sailfish aboard a 34 Freeman. We're very excited to have Jorge presenting his knowledge and experience at the Castafari Big Game Seminar.

R. Tyler Macallister
 R. Tyler Macallister Captain R. Tyler Macallister has been a commercial fisherman for 41 years. His offshore fishing experience spans from rod and reel charter fishing for groundfish, striped bass, and bluefin tuna to harpooning giants in his custom 38 foot Holland, the Cynthia C. Tyler holds degrees in Marine and General Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he focused on pelagic species, specifically bluefin tuna. He is an active NOAA committee member focusing on recreational and commercial fishing for highly migratory species. Tyler has contributed to the ongoing research by providing photos and videos taken from both of his boats and the spotter planes he works with. Currently Tyler is working alongside the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Their focus is an eDNA project that studies the effects incurred on the sea by offshore wind development.Tyler has worked alongside the New England Aquarium tagging bluefin tuna with hopes to gain a better understanding of their seasonal migration and how it relates to the presence of offshore wind farms. Tyler also works as a Fisheries Representative to help strengthen communication and awareness between the recreational/commercial fishing fleet and the major wind development companies in the northeast.

Additionally, Tyler holds a Master Degree in Business, which helps provide a unique perspective to the economics of recreational and commercial fishing and how they relate to fishery regulations and studies. We are excited to hear Tyler's perspective on the truths regarding offshore wind and it's effect on the surrounding ecosystems.