Canyon Runner: AC Wrap Up

[SportFishStaff]

Hanging with Heavy and his Cracker Jack reporting style spent the day at the Atlantic City Convention Center this saturday. I have covered the CR crew before and have done a photo shoot. But I never sat in on the break out sessions instead, I would shoot a ton of pictures and did a visual report. This time I went as a student and spent time listening. I did take a bunch of pictures and I will post them also.

So I'll report on what i heard and saw as I sat in on the 45 minute sessions. I attended 3 break outs and the main morning session. Break Outs I did where: Water Temp Basics for First timers with Capt Len Belcaro, Learn How to Rig Ballyhoo Pin Rigs Canyon Run Crew, Tournament Winning Shark Tactics-Capt Steve Rhodes,

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[SportFishStaff]

10 am to 11:30 was Introductions and Trolling the Edge. I'll tell you what the CR crew goes over a ton of information, You want to be a sponge and try to absorb as much as you can. What makes this very informative is the openness for the crowd to ask questions during each portion they are going over. It's not them preaching and as Adam says, "There is No Canyon Runner way", it's what works for them they are always learning and adjusting from each other. They are always evolving.

What sticks in my mind from that session is this. I have been to this seminar before and I have watched Capt. Mark DeCabia do this. He would show how to properly get into a survival suit. Well Capt Mark told a story that stopped everyone in their tracks. Some on the east coast read in the papers about some commercial vessels going down at sea a few weeks ago. Well Capt Mark was on one of those boats a Scalloper , he logs a lot of days at sea as a commercial fishermen as well. Capt Mark has gone through Survival suit training in New Bedford on how to be prepared and get a suit on when it matters the most. Mark also recapped the fact that he had to jump back in the water to cut a line that had gotten tangled in the sinking boat and would have drug the life boat under if he didn't. The water was 43, and he stated he was very cold by the time they got picked up. Fishing is a dangerous activity you need to be prepared, especially late season striper season or early shark season. 2 other boats sunk within those three days and Mark pointed out one of his friends lost his life to the sea.
You can learn so much from these guys that spend their lives on the water, but I think one thing that you see what makes them, them is prepration. Safety Preperation, boat preperation, rig preperation it goes on and on.

A trick I picked up was an interesting one. Is this they trim off their lures that have been productive and they are tied on the leader with the beads and hook attached so they know when they go to re rig it, they can rig it the same over and over


Than it was on to Weather charts

[SportFishStaff]

Water Temp Basics
Capt Len Belcaro name should be no stranger to anyone that fishes offshore. Capt Len went over a ton of information in 45 minutes. He listed his Most Important factors 1) Bait, Bait is life, 2) Water Temp 3) Bottom Structure. 4) Water Clarity

He also spoke about breaks, surface breaks but also thermalcline breaks. His points on turbitity and chlorphyl was very interesting as well.

One of the neatest things was when Capt Len spoke about his trip to the Hudson or should I say into the hudson and how he took a submarine to the bottom.

Their really is a lot to absorb in 45 minutes


We than broke for Lunch and went over to the Tun Tavern, Food wasnt bad except they cant temp meats for shit, asked for medium rare got med well. The beer was good and cold though

Tuna Rigging Ballyhoo was a class my buddy Steve wanted to take so I went in there with him. They keep one thing in mind K.I.S.S Keep it Simple Stupid. They tie a basic pin rig, Some of what they preached. Bait Quality, get the bait now so you can get the baits that have been caught in the cooler months when they ahve been feeding on fiber foods vegetable matter, summer time they feed on plankton, How do you tell Green Poop OK, Red or Orange Poop not Ok. This was a tuna rigging seminar they do it completley different for Tournaments and Billfish.

The Final seminar I went to was Tournament Winning Shark Tactics with Capt Steve Rhodes.
I love sharking and always like to see how others do it. I learned a great deal at this one and it confirmed something i have always new, That you can catch big sharks on the east coast trolling. The only thing about this one I wasn't to keen on was A) Capt Steve talks really fast and B) Meand my buddys got the feeling he's not to fond of Shark fishermen in South Jersey

In Review.
Wether your a novice or someone whose had salt running through your veins, The Canyon Runner Seminars will teach you a bunch and its really neat to see how its done by a crew that logs a lot of hours and is very successful. Mine was a small sample of the amount of break out sessions they have to offer. you can do 5 in a day and they offer like 20 something, Their are a few vendors and booths to stop at in between sessions. Also they give out a ton of door prizes, although we did not connect with any. So if you have a seminar coming to your area, Stop by you'll leran something