Fish Travel Eat

Stories about Fishing and Other Relative Truths

gulf coast

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Satellite Tagging a Blue Marlin

Ever wondered what it was like to satellite tag a blue marlin? Wonder no more. Step aboard the Miss Remy, a wonderfully appointed 65’ Viking based out of Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, Louisiana. Rene Cross, tournament director of the Cajun Canyons Billfish Tournament and the crew of the Miss Remy provide a backstage pass …

Ever wondered what it was like to satellite tag a blue marlin? Wonder no more.

Step aboard the Miss Remy, a wonderfully appointed 65’ Viking based out of Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, Louisiana. Rene Cross, tournament director of the Cajun Canyons Billfish Tournament and the crew of the Miss Remy provide a backstage pass to cutting edge conservation work.

With Rene Cross putting the wood to a nice blue marlin on a 130, Justin Bunch pulls the fish alongside the boat. Brad Nezat, veteran tournament crewman whose lineup of stories and jokes is good enough that it could make him an ambassador to the great State of Louisiana, deftly applies the satellite tag. Captain Luke Crenshaw drives a hell of a boat on a hooked fish.

This blue marlin ate a live blackfin during the 2024 Cajun Canyons Billfish Tournament. The Billfish Foundation satellite tag that’s deployed is part of a TBF research initiative that illustrates connectivity between blue marlin populations in the Gulf, Atlantic and Caribbean basins.

The Billfish Foundation does incredible work. Blue marlin like this one swim easier knowing that Miss Ellen and the hardworking TBF team work on their behalf. If you enjoy fishing (or just knowing that incredible creatures like this reside in the ocean), you might consider joining The Billfish Foundation.

If you like catching blue marlin, tuna, redfish or snapper, consider paying a visit to Cypress Cove Marina and Lodge in Venice. It’s something of a fishing wonderland. The people who run the place are as nice as they come.

Yes, that’s a 5 gallon bucket of crawfish for every boat fishing the tournament.
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Cancer Survivor, Blue Marlin State Record and MONGO Champion

“I asked the doctor if I could fish. He said yes, but I told him, “I’m not going perch fishing, I’m going to be sitting in the chair fishing for blue marlin!’”

Fishing stories come in many shapes and sizes. Few have more dimensions than the tale of 2020 MONGO champion blue marlin…

2020 was an up and down year for many. While the year will be remembered for its roller coaster of emotions by just about everyone, few people escaped the year with a more representative tale than Ginger Myers.

Ginger is a wonderfully nice woman who, along with her husband Keith, owns the 72 Viking, Fleur de Lis. Ginger’s Louisiana roots come through clearly when speaking with her—both in the manner of her speech and its content. Like any good Cajun, Myers can tell a fishing story… and does she ever have a fishing story to tell.

Were it not enough that the Fleur De Lis set the all-time Gulf of Mexico blue marlin record with 63 in the year, but they also won the MONGO and set the new Alabama state record. Any time you catch an 851-pound tournament-winning fish that sets a state record you’re likely to have a story. But considering the circumstances surrounding Ginger Myers, the fish and the tournament are more of an after thought than the main idea.

Ginger Myers: Cancer Survivor, Blue Marlin State Record Holder and MONGO Champion

Yes, you read this correctly. The timeline that leads up to July 5, 2020—the day when she caught the fish– is an incredible one.

“I was diagnosed with cancer in February 2020,” Myers begins. “My big surgery was in March. I then experienced some complications and had to have two more surgeries.”

As Myers recovered from her third of four surgeries, summer was fast approaching. The Fleur De Lis was an early registrant in the MONGO and had designs on winning the Blue Marlin World Cup on the 4th of July.

The Fleur de Lis, a 72 Viking, based in Orange Beach, Alabama.

The crew was planning the trip as Ginger visited her doctor for a surgical follow up. “I asked the doctor if I could fish. He said yes, but I told him, “I’m not going perch fishing, I’m going to be sitting in the chair fishing for blue marlin!’”

Satisfied with her recovery, the doctor gave Myers the go ahead. This doctor’s note set up an encounter with a sea monster.

Captain Scooter Porto

Captain Scooter Porto is hell of a fisherman (he was at the helm for all 63 of those blue marlin this year). A humble, thoughtful person, I would be skeptical of anyone who claims not to like Captain Scooter. It was Porto who Myers credits with getting Keith and Ginger into blue marlin fishing.

After a long and accomplished tenure running the Reel Addiction for Rocky Jones in Pensacola, Porto’s position at the helm of the Fleur De Lis is good fit. It seems, in fact, the type of arrangement that people aspire to—the type that benefits everyone involved.

Veteran Gulf Coast Captain Scooter Porto is a hell of a nice guy who is also a hell of a marlin fisherman.

“It was the day after the World Cup. We decided to stay out because the fishing was good,” Porto begins. The Blue Marlin World Cup is a one day, world wide quest to catch the biggest blue marlin. The Gulf of Mexico holds it own against the many of the world’s great big fish destinations—Bermuda, Hawaii, Madeira, Cape Verde.

A Trip to Remember

“We caught a few fish (on the 4th of July), but not the right one,” Porto recalls. “In the morning, we had four bites. We had a fish on every bait we put out.”

Why is catching a blue marlin such an amazing thing to do? Read this for some context…

The Fleur De Lis was fishing was live baiting using blackfin tuna. They were fishing in the same area where Captain Jason Buck caught a 650-pound blue the day before—a fish that would contend for, but ultimately fall short of the 964-pound World Cup winning fish that as caught in Cape Verde.

“We decided to make one more pass before heading in. We didn’t make it around the rig before this fish bit,” the veteran explains. As fate would have it, it was Ginger’s turn to be in the chair. “It never jumped and we didn’t realize how big it was,” Porto recalls.

“Once we hooked it, I was reeling and reeling. The fish never fought very hard until we got her near the boat,” Myers explains. When the fish neared the boat, something changed. “She pulled so hard that it stood me up in the chair. I said, ‘Oh no… You’re not winning!’”

Myers estimates the fight around 20 minutes. “We weren’t really prepared to kill the fish. I looked down and saw her and thought she might qualify for the MONGO. The state record was an afterthought,” Porto describes.

“We got her to the side of the boat. Five men, with four gaffs… it took some doing. It took longer to get her into the boat than it did for me to reel it in,” says Myers with a laugh.

Headed to the Dock With a MONGO Blue Marlin

Upon wrangling the sea monster of a blue marlin onto the boat, the Fleur de Lis was faced with a new dilemma. Looking down at a cockpit full of blue marlin, they would need someone to weigh the fish.

The problem for Porto and the Myers was that it was Sunday and the weigh at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama was closed. Scooter called in to tell them that they were headed in with a huMONGOus blue marlin.

After a few calls and offering something in way of a financial incentive, the scales opened as they arrived at the dock. Thinking it would be a normal, sleepy Sunday afternoon, the Fleur de Lis backed its way in the slip.

Awaiting them was a carnival atmosphere. Word of the big fish had begun to spread around Orange Beach and over social media. Among the crowd of onlookers were MONGO tournament directors—Captain Jeremy Cox, his brother JD, and friend Brian Johnson were on hand to greet them and film what would come.

“There was a little boy in the crowd. He looked up at the marlin and asked, ‘Who caught that fish?’ I said, ‘Me!’” recalls Ginger with a smile. He couldn’t believe it.  “’No way!’ the boy said.” 

The Fish of A Lifetime

Marlin fishing is a team game. Success requires many skillful participants who all do their part. The Fleur de Lis is no different.

Congratulations to Keith and Ginger Myers, Captain Scooter Porto, mates Zac Taylor and Jake Glass and Nate Dennis– the photographer/chef/ do-it-all crewman who specializes in drinking FireBall. Corey and Chris Stagg are anglers who round out the team.

“Catching that fish was the highlight of our year,” concludes Miss Ginger. “We’re going across the board in the MONGO this year.”

Catch them if you can…

Fish The 2021 MONGO
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The MONGO: Changing the Tournament Landscape

To win the MONGO, you must simply catch the biggest blue marlin, swordfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo or dolphin in the Gulf of Mexico.

While the MONGO Offshore Challenge is a fishing tournament, the event is much more than that. As much as anything, the MONGO showcases the incredible fishing and camaraderie within the Gulf Coast sportfishing community.

The MONGO creates an umbrella from which boats from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas can compete in the quest to catch the biggest fish. The sportfishing scene on the Gulf Coast is an interconnected community.

Boats from all five states not only fish similar conditions, but share a kindred relationship that is more prominent here than in other places. As much as Gulf boats enjoy trying to catch bigger fish than each other, captains here are the first to help and welcome each other on their travels.

Venice, Louisiana’s Captain Hunter Caballero and Paradise Outfitters took home the top tuna in 2020.

While the MONGO Offshore Challenge showcases the Gulf Coast’s great fishing (to win the 2020 edition, it took an 851.9 pound blue marlin, 313.2 pound swordfish, 197 pound yellowfin tuna, and 73.3 pound wahoo), the tournament is more than a fishing profile. The MONGO Offshore Challenge is a celebration of the Gulf Coast sportfishing scene and all of the things that make it so great.

What is the MONGO?

The MONGO Offshore Challenge is a season long quest to catch the biggest fish in the Gulf of Mexico. The tournament lasts 153 days—from May 1- September 30, 2021. 

The MONGO is a season-long proposition with a simple objective. To win the MONGO, you must simply catch the biggest blue marlin, swordfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo or dolphin in the Gulf of Mexico.

This approach relates directly to the prime objective of most anyone who has ever fished: catch big (huMONGOus) fish.   The tournament’s format results in many benefits to the Gulf sportfishing community and sponsors.

These include:

1. The MONGO is inclusive.

Because the tournament is 153 days long, boats of all sizes can participate. In 2020, boats from 25’- 95’ fished the MONGO.

The 66 participating teams in 2020 included center consoles, express boats, multimillion-dollar sportfish boats, novice private boats, charter boats, and professionals– all fishing on the same, level playing field.

Not only is the tournament open to boats of all sizes, but fish caught in other Gulf of Mexico tournaments are eligible to win the MONGO. The same fish that can win the Gulf Coast Triple Crown or the Texas Legends can win the MONGO. 

Any one who has ever picked up a fishing pole has dreamed of catching a huMONGOus blue marlin. This blue won the 2020 MONGO.

That said, the winning fish could also be caught by a boat and crew and that normally doesn’t fish tournaments.  That is part of the charm of the MONGO—everyone is welcome.

2. The MONGO promotes fishing.

The MONGO’s format allows participating boats to fish as often as they like. Whether it be simply picking a weather window or making it a special trip, the MONGO makes everyone a tournament angler.

The MONGO gives charter captains like Destin’s Adam Peeples (www.oneshotcharters.com) the chance to make everyone a tournament angler.

The season-long approach not only invites smaller vessels, but the duration of the event makes it possible for anyone to win. Winning the MONGO takes one big fish… a fish that can be caught any day between May 1 and September 30.

Why is fishing such a good thing? Many reasons…. Here’s a few.

Traditional tournaments—those that last a weekend and require a combination of release numbers and a big fish or two, increasingly require a dedicated, professional crew to consistently compete. By opening the competition to the biggest of each species caught over the span of 152 days, the MONGO creates an equal opportunity, all are welcome environment that results in more boats spending more time on the water.

3. The MONGO is geographically expansive.

From Port Isabel, Texas to Key West, Florida all 1,680 miles of US Gulf Coastline are in bounds. In 2020, all five Gulf States were represented in MONGO’s participating fleet.

Sportfishing boats docked behind Boshamps’ in Destin, Florida.

Not only can boats fish anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the MONGO works with a network of Gulf Coast marinas to allow captains to weigh their catch across the Gulf. Participating marinas—the facilities where MONGO catches must be weighed—are located in all five Gulf States.

4. The MONGO’s price tag invites participation.

These days, the price tag to enter big game sportfishing tournaments can set a barrier to entry. Including entry fees and calcuttas, the price tag to go across the board can surpass $80,000.  Investments of this magnitude effectively limits participation.

The MONGO is not only priced to promote participation, but captains can choose their targets. Blue marlin entry is $2,500 per boat… wahoo and dolphin are $500 for the entry.

This pricing structure opens participation to boats from across the Gulf of Mexico—whether or not the owner of the boat can afford a private island in the Caribbean.  All are welcome—biggest fish wins.

The 2021 edition of the MONGO will feature two new bonus, optional entries. The first is payable to the first team in each division that catches a fish that meets the tournament’s minimum size.

The minimums are set high to promote conservation. After all, the tournament’s motto is: “Let the little ones go so they can grow!”

The second optional entry is a winner take all entry open to the biggest fish in each division.

5. The MONGO is boat based… everyone who comes on the boat can fish.

The MONGO is set up to allow everyone who comes on the boat to participate. The MONGO Offshore Challenge has an app that allows captains to check in before each trip.

When checking in, captains list the anglers on they have on board. Some boats have the same group of five guys fishing every trip. Others have put together whichever of their buddies can make the trip at the time.

The fact that the tournament can accommodate either scenario is part of the MONGO’s charm. The tournament’s layout promotes fishing and participation—rather than stifling boats with rules and regulations.  


The benefits of this set up are especially apparent when it comes to charter boats. Not only can every angler fishing on a participating charter boat be a tournament angler… but they can win the tournament any day of fishing.

In fact, a charter angler on the Breathe Reel Deep out of Orange Beach caught the winning wahoo. Paradise Outfitters in Venice, Louisiana put a charter customer on the winning tuna as well.

6. The MONGO is just getting started.

2020 was the inaugural MONGO Offshore Challenge. In spite of the uncertainty that surrounded much spring of 2020, the MONGO had a fleet of 66 boats.

With a successful year one under its belt, the MONGO Offshore Challenge 2021 looks bright. Given a total 2020 payout of $144,550 (and the mahi division’s $17,425 rolling over to 2021), the future is bright for the MONGO.