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Canyon College: Back to SchoolBy Bryan RoseTo excel in the sport of fishing, one must always seek out the best knowledge and tactics available. In almost every article written by or about Adam LaRosa of the Canyon Runner, an unending thirst for knowledge is brought up as a key to his success and that of the rest of the Canyon Runner crew. For this same reason the crew of the Canyon Runner spends a few cold winter weekends, not in Florida fishing for sails and swords, but back home in the northeast sharing their wealth of knowledge with hundreds of sportfishing fanatics. Legions of these offshore anglers fill conference centers from New England to the Mid-Atlantic looking to learn the skills that have made the Canyon Runner crew the envy of most who spend time along the edge of the deep Atlantic. It was that reason that brought me to the Atlantic City Sheraton on a blustery January morning with the hopes of filling my own thirst for knowledge. For those who haven't taken the time, there is no better place to refine one's knowledge of offshore fishing than a day at the Canyon Runner Seminars. The crew behind the series is one of the very best in canyon fishing and come willing to share every tip and trick that their huge amount of time on the offshore grounds has generated.    Mate Brad Burgess then took the crowd through caring for tackle and the approach that the Canyon Runner crews take on every trip and before every season. While the bent rods and cockpit chaos often get the headlines, the countless hours of rigging, checking and rechecking tackle and gear is what makes the time spent on the water most productive. This work ethic is another straightforward key to success that has kept the Canyon Runner scoring wherever they fish. Finally, before the crowd broke up into separate rooms for breakout sessions the Canyon Runner crew went over one other key aspect of their success, the art of trolling in the wake of the Canyon Runner Viking and soon their custom built 60-foot Ritchie Howell or 32-foot Regulator. While the new boats may mean refining the tactics that have been so effective to date, it's a change we must all overcome as we apply the proven tactics to the nature of our own boats. While tweaking the textbook patterns may be necessary to match any craft, several fish-catching spreads were detailed with different line and lure combinations and even go-to patterns for heavy weather or imperfect conditions. In the first hour of the day more information was shared than most old-school captains would divulge in a lifetime. This was despite the fact that the best part was just beginning. The crowd split amongst the individual rooms of the conference center for the breakout sessions where intimate settings and a hands-on approach took over. I found myself torn between the many choices I was offered. Nine great topics from the basics of chunking tuna to the intricacies of using modern electronics were being covered and I had but 5 hours to see it all. My first stop was with Dennis Braid and the Stand-up Fishing breakout session. After years of reading stories about this legend I knew that there would be much to learn and it would make life hard for the next big fish that crossed my path. There was no disappointment as the father of modern stand-up fishing took us through everything from equipment basics and proper form to advanced boat handling techniques that helps end fights quickly. With the ease and grace of a seasoned veteran, the method that this soft-spoken master had used to beat countless big fish was laid out in simple detail. Confidence in one's equipment, the proper stance and the power of modern stand-up gear to keep a fish's head turned are key points to success using stand-up gear. With these same tactics he has beaten fish into the 700-pound class and boated the fish most of us dream about.  Beyond the ease of use, the system allows for downsized tackle that makes this style of fishing both more comfortable and more fun for the angler without losing any advantage to the fish. The advantages of increased line capacity, easily replaceable top shots, and 100-percent connection strength through splicing will see many people changing the way they spool up this year. Everything you need to build, maintain and use spectra and top shots was on hand and Pappas took us through the different methods that make the system work. He demonstrated splices used with hollow-core spectra and the steps for making wind-on leaders and top-shots. Also on hand was a new jig that Pappas and BHP Tackle have developed to make building top shots and wind-on leaders a snap. Kelly then took the group inside the jigging methods that have proven effective for the crews of the Canyon Runner. The biggest point that stood out was the simplicity of their proven tactics. Spectra, combined with a 100-foot top-shot, allows anglers to easily find the depth of their jig and accurately adjust to match the depth that fish are being marked. Another tip that Kelly shared was a west coast technique particularly deadly on albacore tuna and in line of a Canyon Runner mantra of multiple hook-ups. After receiving one or more strikes on the troll a jig is dropped back in freespool as soon as the boat slips into neutral. This falling jig will often be picked up by another member of the school and another hook-up will be added to the stop. The final piece to the jigging puzzle that Kelly provided was the idea that while the market is flooded with jigs in every shape, size and color, the traditional hammered diamond jigs are the top performers on the Canyon Runner boats. The other go-to metal that got the nod was the Braid Slammer jigs which are at times are the only thing the tuna want. They don't have the longtime track record of the traditional standby but still produce consistent catches. Used wisely, these jigging techniques are sure to have tuna bloodying the decks of quite a few boats next season. A break for lunch between sessions two and three allowed more time than one needed for a quick bite, and a line of vendors were on-hand with everything from anchor line to satellite phones while offshore lures and spreader bars filled racks as far as the eye could see. With the money and motivation a person could have bought and financed a boat on the spot and have loaded it for battle with everything you could need for a trip offshore, down to your Poon Harpoon and reserved ballyhoo waiting in the freezer at Fishermen's Supply in Point Pleasant. The break also offered a chance to approach the many seminar speakers and tap further into their knowledge. I was relaxing on a couch on the second floor of the conference center when Pappas, whose development of new techniques already left me in awe, sat down next to me. Not willing to miss out on the chance, I took the opportunity to discuss issues that I've had with building my own wind-ons. After Pappas helped me find where I had made my mistakes, he went back to prepare for the next session and then Dennis Braid - someone I consider a legend - sat down next to me. For a few minutes I sat next to a man with accomplishments and experiences that I only dream of and talked fishing, all as casually as if I were sitting on the dock trading tales with an old friend.  The detail of the session let us see step by step what happens when the Canyon Runner goes on the chunk. Simple things like the selection of bait carried onboard for the average overnighter and the way that the crews deal with adverse conditions will make my next canyon trip more focused, and with a little luck more successful. Even little details like the hook placement in different baits will hopefully help me join these crews among the 10-percent of fishermen that catch 90-percent of the fish. With so much being offered and so little time to get to everything I spent the next session bouncing between a few rooms. I picked up some tricks from Captain Len Belcaro on how to get the most out of the modern satellite services. Technology like satellite temperature and chlorophyll charts having become a crucial part of planning any trip to the edge. Knowing how to read and interpret the information can be the difference between finding a hot bite and trolling a seemingly dead sea.  Like a kid at Disney, I was overwhelmed with so many great discussions going on and not enough time in the day to see them all. No fault could be given for this since to truly tap the wealth of knowledge that was assembled would have taken weeks or months. The Swordfishing and Small Boat Fishing sessions didn't end up fitting into my day though I wish they could have - of course that means they'll be on my list for the next seminar. With the results that the Canyon Runner crew has seen with broadbills over the last few years and a new 32-foot Regulator putting them atop the small boat game, these seminars are bound to be a pair of greats. The smell of ballyhoo streaming from the door of the rigging session had me reserving that for last and so with the final scheduled breakout of the day I went in to get my hands dirty. I've rigged plenty of ballyhoo and have learned different methods of doing so, but with new regulations requiring the use of circle hooks for billfish, I figured it was time to brush up and add some new rigging tricks to my game. Captain Billy Rowan took the attending crowd through finding and getting the right ballyhoo, "greenies" as they are called. As it happened the guys from Fishermen's Supply were ready to take reservations and ensure that you're supplied with these top quality baits this season.  After showing the crowd the specifics of getting the best baits and the basics of rigging, it was time to practice. A cooler full of hoo's allowed everyone to fine tune their rigging skills with the help of knowledgeable pros. While the traditional pin rig was a method already in my arsenal, getting one to swim and catch with a circle up front was completely new to me. I've read about some of the ways to make it work but a new twist was added as copper wire was used to rig the baits similar to a bridle, leaving the circle hook exposed and ready to find a solid hook-set. Captain Dalik guided me through the process once and soon I had gotten the hang of rigging both skirted and naked ballyhoo with circle hooks. I was rigging baits as fast as ever- but now billfish legal.  I had also wanted to head into the electronic seminar but it was so popular that the crowd stretched into the hallway. It wouldn't be a problem though as an extra session was added to meet the demand. The only people that the Canyon Runner crew was going to disappoint were the cleaning staff that had to clear the smell of ballyhoo from one of their ballrooms. After all of the scheduled events had concluded Captain Mark DeBlasio held another session for anyone that had missed out earlier. Used properly, the Northstar electronics are one of the most deadly tools on the boat. Knowing how to use your electronics, your fishfinder in particular is one of the most valuable skills a captain can possess. The ability to interpret what you are seeing on the screen and what it represents will allow a good crew to put baits, jigs, or lures right in front of a hungry fish. For the even more savvy user it can give details such as bait types, feeding activity, even hook baits and jigs themselves at times. Modern satellite overlay technology has added a strong weapon to the offshore fisherman's arsenal as real-time updates provide unmatched temperature, water clarity, current and weather conditions right to the offshore grounds. Radar or even the old-fashioned VHF radio have their places and when used properly will up your catches. Knowing what lies beneath your boat can be an important element to a cooler full of fish but learning to use the compliment of electronics together can lead to trips that are the fabric of dreams. The sharing of information didn't stop with the end of the day. Amongst the thick stack of literature that each attendee received was a CD-ROM with enough information to keep an ardent student busy until the time that tuna re-enter our waters. Every article ever written, checklists to help make your offshore trips a success, a PowerPoint handbook covering everything offshore, logs from the past few years of Canyon Runner fishing and instructions for building their custom spreader bars on your own were included on the disk. It's the encyclopedia of knowledge gained from thousands of trips to the edge and countless hours spent perfecting the offshore game. Few crews are generous enough to share this amount of valuable information; it's this willingness to share knowledge that sets the Canyon Runner seminars apart.  Bryan Rose can be reached by email at bryan@sportfishermen.com Visit our fishing forum Over 3000 fishing videos 
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