Sport Fishing Travel Blog of photographer Scott Kerrigan

SURPRISE, CLICK!

Scott — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:48:19 +0000

What do you get the guy who has everything? Well if you have a real good friend who thinks outside of the box, it’s easy. A client recently hired me to sneak up on his best friend and take his picture. Cool idea, makes a great gift. All the more special when your plan is to catch this guy by surprise with a group of his best friends out having fun. It took a few people on the inside to pull it off smoothly, but in the end this plan came together. The idea was to catch him when he least expects it… something like several miles offshore using a Robinson 44 as a tripod. Surprise! Thanks to Florida Coast to Coast Helicopters for the smooth ride.

FLL AIR SHOW

Scott — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:10:31 +0000

The show has come and gone, so has the rain. Unlucky timing for all involved as a tropical blob sat on top of the show weekend forcing one of two days to be canceled. I went down to the beach for practice day and had a nice window of weather. Click the image below to see some highlights:

THE SKY IS FALLING!

Scott — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:54:30 +0000

That’s the first thing that came to mind this afternoon while sitting in my house. It didn’t take long to connect the dots however. It is Fleet Week here in FLL. And that can mean only one thing. The aerial might of the US Military is in town and getting ready for the Air Show this weekend. It wasn’t thunder I was hearing, it was the sound of Freedom! We were treated to multiple fly overs by the US Air Force Thunderbirds at what seemed like tree top level. My neighborhood appears to be one of the turning points for part of their show. Incredible hardware, unforgettable sound. I was lucky enough to get to meet and photograph the team in their lair a few years ago…somewhere in the Nevada dessert. What a cool experience to see them in their house. Now I got to seem them in mine.

A pair of birds parked in the driveway - Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

The team relaxing on the ground.

Polished and ready to rock – top speed 1,320 mph / 29,000 lbs of thrust

The entire flock.

That is one bad ass air pump.

FISH EYE FUN

Scott — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:00:51 +0000

Here is a fun little 10″ sec clip I shot while coming in from a great day of Sailfishing last week aboard the Keen M. Just a very familiar scene from a different perspective.

OH MEXICO

Scott — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:18:25 +0000

It’s so good to be back on the rock. I made the short hop from MIA to CUN this afternoon, and made sure I was at the dock at sundown to greet the fleet. I managed to catch the Qualifier pulling in late after a day of decent fishing and 14 releases. Pretty good action the last few days by most of the fleet has me anxious to get out on the bank in the morning. I’ll try and keep the Isla Mujeres fishing reports fresh…

Day 1 – Maiden voyage for the newest Paul Mann boat “Alina” today. The wind was blowing and the sails were biting. Ran about 20 miles to the fleet and set out. Lots of birds in the area, but not the conditions to catch the fish on top. Ended up trolling around until 4:30 with 13 releases for the day. Plenty of other fish seen in the spread and biting. Great day for a shake down cruise.

Day 2 – Today I rode along with Capt. Fin aboard the Qualifier. Breezy conditions this morning. We start fishing about 20 miles out. Did I mention it was rough? Decent action in the morning, gradually slowing down all day. Ended up with 10 released sails.

Day 3 – Back on the Alina today. Fishing was slow for us today…just one of those days when you wish you could take a mulligan.

Day 4 – Back on the Qualifier today. Still windy and complete cloud cover all day. We ran up to the North this morning to try and find some action. There was some birds and bait on top early, then it scattered and was hard to find. Most of our bites today were on the troll. Ended up catching 18. It wasn’t much better for the rest of the fleet.

It helps the numbers add up quickly when you can catch them four at a time.

Day 5 – Riding aboard the Billy Holten boat Haphazard for today’s action with Capt. Will. Mate Joey’s dad and some friends are the anglers. Still blowing and heavy clouds with rain. Salt spray galore. We did see some action on top and lots of birds. Managed to tag most of the fish we released.

Day 6 – Aboard the Keen M with Capt. Arch. One of the smaller boats in the fleet, but with a single angler it makes for the perfect platform for me to ride along and get some shots. The winds seems to have let up some at dawn and it continues to drop off all day long. Heavy sky early with our first hour of fishing spent in the rain. Once that passed it still looked threatening but somehow cleared out and made for a pretty day. Not many multiple hookups today, as expected with only one angler, but the action was steady all day.

Almost all our fish were caught under the birds and not trolling between bunches. What a show. I could spend hours watching these animals feeding on Sardines. An amazing display of flight. We ran well to the North and had plenty of room to work. The bite today was pretty good for the whole fleet. We ended up releasing in the low 20′s.

A few fish even cooperated and put on a good show near the boat.

Day 7 – Another day with Capt Arch on the Keen M. The wind has changed direction and the ugly weather is rumored to be clearing. Lightest wind I’ve seen in 8 days. Morning clouds that break up mid morning and give way to some welcomed sunshine. We run up North and find scattered bait and birds on top. Plenty to go round so each boat has their own spot to work.

Today was one of those days when very few of the fish we hooked would jump for the camera. Ended up shooting lots of birds today. Captured some nice shots of these animals interacting.

Day 8 – One more trip aboard the Qualifier to wrap up this photoshoot. It’s all coming together as the wind backs off and the sun comes out. A perfect day to join Ellen Peel of The Billfish Foundation for her first time fishing the Isla Bank. Fishing and shooting conditions were great, but the clear highlight of the day was seeing and hearing the emotion of Ellen as she reacted to the incredible sights that this fishery offers. We ran up North and found the birds and bait. Solid non stop action all morning with Sailfish.

A surprising number of Wahoo bites today. On several occasions a pack of them would clean out the spread. Sadly, one did managed to get lip hooked.

Ellen even found time to do some work. Here she presents a vertical wall trophy to local mate Sinapo Sinay for TBF’s Sailfish Top Tagging Mate 2011.

And what could be cooler than having a dock party dinner with Sir Richard Branson. Here he took a moment to pose with Anthony’s daughters and friends.

BIRDS EYE

Scott — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:29:34 +0000

A private client had me up in the air over Ft. Lauderdale last week. Great to see the home town from that angle at sunrise. Above is a stretch of Lauderdale beach condo density over the R44 console. Below is Hillsboro inlet on a perfect day to go boating.

BROWN WATER ACTION

Scott — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:56:32 +0000

Doesn’t have nearly the same ring as Blue Water, but it’s fishing just the same. This trip found me peddling a Hobie Kayak thru the Mangrove estuary of Estero Bay on the SW Florida coast. Tackle as light as you dare, since the fish are all pretty small. We stuck with casting artificials and had some pretty good action on top. You can’t beat the variety either – Snook, Ladyfish, SeaTrout, and Red Drum. All that and I didn’t have to deal with any salt spray. You might get to see this stuff more often…

QUICK SHOT

Scott — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:27:32 +0000

It’s amazing how easy it is to cancel weekend plans when the phone rings for work. Particularly when it’s Hatteras Yachts and they need a few shots of a unique vessel. This photo shoot was a few quick shots of a Cabo 44 that was transiting thru South Fla on it’s way to the Gulf. I only had a brief time as this delivery crew was anxious to keep moving and beat a cold front that was bearing down on their destination. Luckily they found an overnight slip near Port Everglades and gave me the next morning to work. A few quick shots and they were on their way. What a cool express boat configuration. I can’t wait to take one fishing…

RIP

Scott — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:41:18 +0000

These are the types of blog entries I dread. The Sportfishing community has lost a legend. Capt. Mike Benitez passed away last night. For over sixty years Mike has been involved in our industry. I only knew Mike for the last 15 years as a regular fixture at Club Nautico Marina in San Juan. Every year when I would pass thru, he was kind, helpful, and always had a story to share. A few years ago I had the opportunity to photograph him while he caught a Blue Marlin in the SJIBT. He is one hell of an angler. He will surely be missed. RIP Mike.

TUNA MAP

Scott — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:21:08 +0000

Now it all makes sense…yum!