I know that when I was a child, I would watch American Sportsman, hosted by Curt Cowdy on Saturday afternoons, and in particular enjoyed each fishing episode they produced. I was amazed when the anglers would go to those exotic locations and catch sailfish, marlin and tarpon. I would watch the fish sky rocket into the air as the anglers attempted to land these large fish. It was unbelievable that someone could land those giant monsters on a hook and line. The battle would seem to last forever...

Well, you know what? YOU can also go fishing for sailfish, blue martlin, tarpon and other species of fish. Many think that doing so is only for the rich and famous; that they have to go to exotic fishing locations to catch these types of fish. But it's really not the case. You can catch sailfish in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

My personal favorite is Florida. The Palm Beaches, the Stuart and Jupiter areas, and the Keys are where I have sailfished and you can catch them pretty easily there, too. Most charterboat captains are knowledgeable and experienced ,but it does pay to ask around and compare prices, attitudes and knowledge.

Capt. Glen Miller of GONFISHIN V at Holiday Isle in Islamorada is an excellent captain. As some of you know, I produce a television fishing show, ADVENTURES IN FISHING WITH CAPT. RAY KELLY, and we have filmed Capt. Miller and his crew for the past two years during the Presidential Sailfish Tournament held at Cheeca Lodge. In 1996, he took third place with 7 sailfish! There was unbelievable action. He is a very knowledgeable captain and quite personable as well. And for you tournament anglers, The Presidential is a great event to look into.

Another great charterboat is the HOOKER II in Charleston, SC with Capt. Chuck Griffin. I would have to say that it would be a toss up between the action with Captains Miller and Griffin as to the best episode that we have produced for our TV Show. On a trip with Capt. Griffin, his two beautiful female anglers caught king mackerel, blackfin tuna, barracuda, mahi-mahi, and amberjack -- including an 80+ pounder. He also specializes in sailfish and blue marlin.

Capt. Allan Foreman of the Country Girl at Pirate's Cove in Manteo, NC is another great boat which specializes in blue marlin, tuna and king mackerel.

I certainly would not say that these places are exotic, but you still have a very good chance of catching those great fighting sportfish.

There are other places that you head to for sailfish and marlin, and your chances of catching them may even be better. Two of these places are Cancun, Mexico and Kona, Hawaii. The fishing is fabulous in both of these locations and the prices are not really that high. In Cancun, a great charterboat is The Calcutta docked at the Hacienda Del Mar Marina. The boat is captained by Allan Poole. He is an excellent captain with a vast amount of experience is sailfishing. When we filmed a show on The Calcutta, they had two sailfish up and landed in three hours and fought a double until one of the sailfish shook the hook. Unbelievable action!

In Kona, we filmed on board The Janet B and again unbelievable action. On a half day morning trip, one angler landed two nice wahoo and a Blue Marlin. I was amazed at the action on a half day trip. The owner, Jim Wood, went back out in the afternoon and caught another Blue Marlin weighing 395 pounds. That show was another one of the best shows filmed for ADVENTURES IN FISHING. Granted, Mexico and Hawaii may be considered Exotic locations but there is fabulous fishing. It costs a little more to go to Hawaii than Cancun but it's definitely worth it. So save your pennies and before you know it you'll get there.

We all look forward to vacations. The stresses of work and life in general can get to all of us at various times in our lives. Hobbies and pasttimes can help us cope with some of those stresses. Sportfishing is an excellent way to get away from it all. Fish stories can be told over and over. The fish always seem to get bigger as the stories are repeated. And that's part of fishing. But you have to get out there and give it a try. Until the time comes when you can go on one of these fishing adventures I've just described, remember to watch those television fishing shows. You, in a sense go on these trips also. You get an idea of what it is like to be battling those big giants. There is no doubt that if you are like me, you'll get hooked on fishing from watching TV shows and become motivated to visit some of these exotic locations.

In the meantime, there is another fantastic place to fish. The place is right here on Long Island. Long Island has some of the best fishing in the world. But remember when you go fishing, take a child with you. Expose children to fishing and I guarantee you, that they'll be talking about those trips for the rest of their lives. Who knows...you may even get that child hooked on fishing. And that is the theme of all my articles..."Let's get kids hooked on fishing...NOT on drugs!"

You can go to the above locations to fish on your own, or we can make your arrangements for you. If you want to go fishing with us, give ADVENTURES SPORTFISHING a call at (516) 929-6711. We have reasonable rates specializing in children and beginners. Of course, experienced anglers can also have a great time. If you would like to be featured on our television show, ADVENTURES IN FISHING, we can even do that.

And remember- "Let's get kids hooked on Fishing...NOT on drugs!"

Visit Capt. Ray at his website http://www.adventure-fishing.com or drop him a line at [email protected]