Just wandering through some saved links this morning and found myself drifting back to the Caribbean. I was happy to re-visit a blog site for a photog friend who lives and shoots there full time. Josh is dialed into the local scene and has an eye for beauty on an island that is provides it at every turn. If you want to take a virtual trip to Grenada and see some fantastic photography, take a look at Josh’s site “Modern Day Gilligan“. It is an explosion of color and scenic beauty from a jem of an island.

In today’s mail arrived the keys to my next adventure. A round trip ticket and a Visa from the Embassy of the Republic of Cape Verde. Even with the prospect of having to travel LAX-LHR-LIS-RCV (which for me is one of those trips that you don’t use a watch see how long it is until you get a bait in the water, you use a calendar) I am excited about another visit to Sao Vicente. The potential of capturing a few special fish in my lens in Cape Verde is that strong. And knowing that old friends Zak and Marty are well into their Blue Marlin fishing season is fantastic. So far the reports have been mixed, which only means some of the best days on the bank are ahead. To see my captures from last years trip, click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the image to start the show. Or mouse over the above image and left/right arrows will appear.

This 30″ clip shows a dwindling ball of Sardines getting eaten by a pack of hungry Atlantic Sailfish. An incredible displays of animal feeding behavior to watch from the sidelines. It goes on and on and on … until that final Sardine is gone. Yum!

If you didn’t get a chance to visit Miami last month for the boat show, then you missed seeing the most gamefishiest three panel 8′ X 20′ booth backdrop ever created. This piece was put together by Pam and her team of graphic wizards over at Boldwater Inc. It really stands out in a convention center filled with booths, just like Casa Vieja Lodge stands out in a sea of fishing destination. All but a few of the small shots are from my stock collection and some location shooting done last year.

I’m back from the Spice Island and had a wonderful trip. While the fishing was much slower than I was hoping (that is a familiar theme with me), the rest of the trip went so well that I can’t stop thinking about how to get back there. Beautiful clean island, very green with lots of rain and abundant fresh water, and every person I met had the same warm and welcoming attitude towards tourist. It also didn’t hurt that the pampering at Mount Cinnamon Resort and personal touring from Port Louis Marina staff seemed to have no limit. I managed to get a bunch of scenic photos on the extensive land and sea tours too. I even went out on a boat that was powered by a piece of cloth, I think they called it a sail. Very strange craft, but oddly relaxing. The local Caribe beer might have had something to do with that euphoric illusion. An exchange rate of 2.7 EC to 1 US dollar worked out to be not that overly expensive for our day to day stuff. I would go back to Grenada on vacation in a heart beat. To see a slideshow of my photos, click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the image above to start the show. Or mouse over the above image and left/right arrows will appear.

Time to pack my cameras again. This time I’m off to new island near the bottom of the Lesser Antilles chain. UK based developer Camper Nicholson is building a mega marina in Grenada and is looking for some press to show off their facility. This island is familiar to most of us for the brief coup attempt that received military action by the US back in 1983. Not quiet known for their swarms of billfish (yet), They do have some good days with a variety of species. I hope to catch some action on film and help put them in the forefront of the fishing community. This trip coincides with Grenada’s annual Spice Island Billfish Tournament.

Here is a multi media project I put together from 2009 Summer fishing action in St. Thomas aboard the boat Revenge. I rode along with Mike, Dean, and Ryan a few days and compiled this material into this short movie. It has some great billfish shots and jumping blue marlin action. And it shows a well oiled crew of fantastic fisherman doing their thing. It’s 4 minutes long and has an audio track. The content is a mixture of high res still frames from a Canon MKIII and some short video clips from a Canon MKII5D.

After a wonderful week of holiday fun with our families in FLL, Maria and I thought we would take break on our way home. This year we picked the familiar comforts of Isla Mujeres Mexico to spend a few days before heading back to the fast pace of LA. We are so fortunate to have friends like Anthony and Kin Mendillo who between the two of them have everything land and sea covered. Anthony’s charter fishing operation is world class and Kin’s boutique hotel is a quiet paradise. Hard to resist that combination of talent from these friends of 20 years. I didn’t get out on the water this visit, although Anthony was booked every day by anglers who are realizing that late December is not to early to catch the Sailfish up on the bank. The day after we arrived he was conventional fishing and found the sails on the birds and bait close to the island. He ended up releasing 15 for 20 something bites. Incredible billfish action considering his Lilly M was only one of a couple of boats out. The next few days his charter was throwing the fly and was catching a couple a day for double digit bites. All this in the breezy conditions that come with the winters cold fronts.

Did I mention I have a thing for pork. I tend to seek it out everywhere I travel. I could live on the stuff. And one of the earliest pork dishes that I can remember craving and pining for is a signature dish of the Yucatan called Cochinita Pibil. A slow roasted and seasoned pulled pork taco is a Sunday breakfast ritual.

The November issue of Marlin Mag is out and it’s a nice one. This small St. Thomas fish ate a circle hook pitch Bonita behind the Revenge and jumped all over the ocean. This was the last day of a long stretch for Sam, Jon, and the boys during the August moon. And what a stretch it was, having just won the Boy Scout Tournament for best boat and best angler days before. Thank you for another great day on the North Drop.