Henry Badenhorst: Given loads of money and the time to travel, I would choose the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique. The waters are still undiscovered and mainly fished by smaller outboard-powered boats. The scenery around the islands is incredible. I would set up a great crew and a good game boat to chase those historic monster marlin lurking in ancient waters. I have been lucky to actually see one of those giants with Capt. Garth McGee aboard his boat, SeaDucer. The huge fish smashed the right-short lure completely out of the water and high into the air before it landed in front of the boat. We were just speechless for the rest of the day.
Bertrand Bouchard: I would be biased in saying Bom Bom Island in Principe; it is one of my favorite destinations. It could also be Nova Scotia for giant bluefin tuna — the fishery, the landscape and the people are just amazing. Or it could be Cape Verde, probably the marlin capital of the world. So with that in mind, in April, May and June, I would head to Mindelo, Cape Verde. The place has great people, on and off the water, and a fantastic marlin fishery. From mid-June to September, I’d be in Bom Bom — it calls to mind Jurassic Park. In September and October, I’d head over to Nova Scotia for giant bluefin tuna and then to Ascension for a shot at a grander blue.
Henry Riggs-Miller: While I love fishing in my native Venezuela, and we have great fishing here in the Seychelles, my next fishing adventure given unlimited resources would be to what Zane Grey called the angler’s El Dorado: New Zealand. Everything grows big in the cool, nutrient-rich waters surrounding the Bay of Islands and Three Kings Islands. A quick scan of the record books will highlight an almost 500-pound striped marlin, an 850-plus-pound swordfish, grander blue and black marlin, large Southern and Pacific bluefin tuna, huge sharks, record-size southern yellowtail and more. Few destinations offer such quality, quantity and diversity of sport-fishing opportunities.
Peter Pakula: My competitive response would be to visit places in the Americas where they are only into trolling dead bait, or using bait-and-switch techniques, to see if I can beat them using lures. We’ve accomplished that in several places in Australia. I’d imagine that everyone’s dream would be to fish for pelagics in a region with dead-flat seas and within an hour’s boat ride of a five-star hotel. But the reality is, the most successful trips — the ones we talk about with our friends — have little to do with the fish. It’s about the people with you, those you meet along the way and the places you go. It’s all about the adventure.
