Travel

Top 20 Hot Shots

Some of the best Hot Shots of recent years.

By Marlin Staff

Updated: November 5, 2013

Here are 20 of Marlin‘s recent Hot Shots that we think deserve another look. A tack sharp photo of a jumping billfish is pretty tough to get, so these guys must have put in the time and got a great result.

Photo by Al McGlashan / www.almcglashan.com Al McGlashan snapped this incredible photo while trying to document the release of a striped marlin off the Australian coast. Read the full story.
(As appeared in our April/May 2011 issue) Al Mcglashan

Photo by Scott Kerrigan / www.aquapaparazzi.com Not to be outdone by Guy Harvey’s black marlin portrait last issue, Scott Kerrigan counters with a beautiful close-up of a Venezuelan blue, taken while fishing with Capt. Bubba Carter on Tijereta.
(As appeared in our March 2011 issue) Scott Kerrigan / Aquapaparazzi.com

Photo by Richard Gibson This “Hollywood” Blue Dog put on quite a show behind Gulf Rascal with Capt. Billy Borer during last year’s “Boy Scout” Tournament off St. Thomas. The fish also helped the boat take home second-place team honors.
(As appeared in our March 2012 issue) Richard Gibson / hiseasphotography.com

Photo by Fernando Almada / Catch22 Charters One in the spread! Fernando Almada of Catch22 Charters in Sonoma, Mexico, snapped this amazing shot of an orca with its nose on a neighboring boat’s swim step. “The orca never became aggressive; he just slid back and forth in the prop wash like a huge dolphin playing in the wake,” says Almada. “At one point he came so close that you could easily reach over and touch his back.”
(As appeared in our December/January 2009 issue) Capt. Fernando Almada

Photo by Scott Kerrigan / www.aquapaparazzi.com Anytime that you hook and catch a doubleheader of billfish, the entire boat get a double dose of adrenaline. To catch both fish in the air at the same time is a rare event, especially in close enough proximity to get them into one shot! Kerrigan bided his time on Keen M down in Isla Mujeres this past February.
(As appeared in our April/May 2013 issue) Scott Kerrigan / Aquapaparazzi.com

Photo by Scott Kerrigan / www.aquapaparazzi.com Just after having to dump the wire on a nice blue marlin, Capt. Dean “Rasta Dean” Dunham turns to look at the photographer, not realizing the fish continues to tear up the ocean just over his shoulder, and “ruins” a perfect shot with his sheepish grin.
(As appeared in our February 2008 issue) Scott Kerrigan / Aquapaparazzi.com

Photo by Capt. Scotty Jones Capt. Scotty Jones of Spirit of Pilar fame managed to capture this in-your-face shot of a squirming striped marlin while riding along out on a trip out of Los Suenos, Costa Rica. We think he needs to start taking more pictures!
(As appeared in our June/July 2009 issue) Capt. Scotty Jones

Photo by John Ashley An Aussie black shows her girth on the leader for photographer John Ashley during a trip to the Great Barrier Reef this past fall. You just gotta love the way they jump at the boat.
(As appeared in our April/May 2008 issue) John Ashley

Photo by Richard Gibson On the wheel of the new 59-foot Spencer Double Trouble, Capt. Dave Noling tries to keep up with an acrobatic blue marlin for angler Alberto Sanchez off Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica. First mate Arturo Moreno, owner Darren Casey and Tami Noling (right) also enjoy the show as “Super Mario” Cantu wires the estimated 200-pounder.
(As appeared in our April/May 2007 issue) Richard Gibson / hiseasphotography.com

Photo by Pat Ford This colorful striped marlin opens wide for photographer Pat Ford. Hooked square in the jaw, the healthy stripey was released back to its home waters off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(As appeared in our August/September 2008 issue) Pat Ford

Photo by Dave Ferrell This 250-pound blue marlin saved the trip for a group of Marlin University students who had gone three days without seeing a billfish. With just two hours remaining in the four-day trip, this little blue pounced on a back-and-red Mold Craft Wide Range. Thomas Gross, Wylie Parks and Drew Mouron, known as the “Alabama boys,” were thrilled with Gross’ first-ever Pacific blue capture. Mouron made the catch even more exciting when he was ejected from the cockpit and thrown into the water after the captain floored the throttles trying to come tight to the fish!
(As appeared in our June/July 2012 issue) Dave Ferrell

Photo by Richard Gibson Richard Gibson got real close to this frantic Atlantic sail while fishing in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, with the infamous Double Trouble team headed by Capt. Dave and Tami Noling.
(As appeared in our August/September 2010 issue) Richard Gibson / hiseasphotography.com

Photo by Richard Gibson Fishing aboard his 60-foot Hatteras, XTA-SEA, with Capt. Jimmy LaGrone, Alexis Chamorro gets a birds’ eye view of his release as mate Hans Alvarado wires one of six blue marlin caught on the day off Golfito, Costa Rica.
(As appeared in our August/September 2013 issue) Richard Gibson / hiseasphotography.com

Photo by Adrian Gray While on a trip to Tropic Star Lodge in early July 2011, Adrian Gray got the opportunity to jump overboard and get up close and personal with a 550-pound black marlin. They sure do light up pretty when they want to.
(As appeared in our October 2011 issue) Adrian Gray

Photo by Scott Kerrigan / www.aquapaparazzi.com Scott Kerrigan captured this keen jump shot while aboard the new, pod-driven Southpaw during the July moon on the North Drop. Kerrigan said, “This fish was all fun and giggles until it landed facing the boat and kept the power on… bouncing off the hull side just below the cockpit covering board. Luckily, nobody got hurt.”
(As appeared in our October 2010 issue) Scott Kerrigan / Aquapaparazzi.com

Photo by Tom Engel Tom Engel from Centereach, New York, a student at Marlin University’s Bermuda session held in July 2012, snapped this pretty shot of a lit-up roundscale spearfish alongside the boat just before the release.
(As appeared in our October 2012 issue) Tom Engel

Photo by Pat Ford The Atlantic Ocean gets pretty sporty during Florida’s winter sailfish season, but crews know the best bites occur when a cold north wind stacks the Gulf Stream up “head high” — the captain isn’t calling Sea Tow; he’s hooked up!
(As appeared in our November 2008 issue) Pat Ford

Photo by Capt. Chris Sheeder Capt. Chris Sheeder got a new camera this year, and we all get to see his awesome new pictures! Sheeder got this nice shot of a going-away blue marlin while fishing out of his home port in Guatemala this past June.
(As appeared in our October 2013 issue) Capt. Chris Sheeder

Photo by Capt. Chris Sheeder Capt. Chris Sheeder of Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala continues to dazzle us with shots of billfish caught from Rum Line, the boat he skippers. Guatemala is best known for its incredible number of Pacific sailfish.
(As appeared in our November 2013 issue) Capt. Chris Sheeder

Photo by Richard Gibson Every year, Richard Gibson hires a photo boat to follow tournament boats around on the North Drop during the U.S. Virgin Islands Open Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament held during the week of the full moon each August. This year, the investment paid off with some nice shots of this scrappy little blue marlin.
(As appeared in our November 2011 issue) Richard Gibson / hiseasphotography.com

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