HOW TO FLY YOUR FISH FLAG You need not worry about official regulations for displaying fish capture flags. Protocols vary from location to location. That said, more experienced fishermen tend to follow some informal rules of thumb. • Fish flags are generally
flown on the port or starboard outrigger
halyard and in order of merit, meaning game fish with bills (marlins, swordfish and sailfish) go at the top and others follow in order of size from largest to smallest. Shark flags are often flown on the bottom. • It’s appropriate to fly a flag for each fish caught, though some say you should only fly one
Santa Catalina Island
number and size of sailfish captured and brought aboard boats during the derby. To help incentivize the policy, they encour- aged contestants to raise a triangular red pennant to signify smaller sailfish that were caught and released so they could still be given their proper due.The national media seized on it with vigor. And in turn, the red pennant inspired other contests geared toward catch-and-release fishing and helped change the nature of big game fishing. It also furthered the practice and the prevalence of flying fish flags. As sport fishing became more popular and accessible to Americans in the 1960s and 1970s, so too did fish flags.This was driven in part by a growing number of game fishing tournaments with affordable entry fees and guaranteed prize money. Competitors wanted to show off their fishing prowess, so flag companies were more than happy to begin making and supplying 12"x18" canvas and nylon flags featuring the most popular varieties of sport fish — marlin, swordfish, sailfish, tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo, etc. that we still see on boats today. Sharks, by the way, merit a capture flag. You can’t miss it. It’s usually a vibrant red color and features a white shark. To the best of my knowledge, there’s still not a starfish flag. m l
they pulled into the docks. In Florida, the West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) added a different twist to the fish flag. Founded in 1934 during the Great Depression, the WPBFC’s mission was to promote fishing to lure visitors to the Palm Beaches and stimulate the local economy. Given the proximity of the Gulf Stream and its big game fish, the club initiated the Silver Sailfish Derby fishing competition, a celebration of one of the world’s most elegant and iconic sport fishes.The Derby was the first serious billfish competition in the country. It quickly became the “in thing” to do for wealthy tourists. And it still occurs every January. Here’s the twist. Club members soon became concerned that too many sailfish were being caught and not consumed or mounted as trophies. As a result, WPBFC established new rules to restrict the
yellow mahi-mahi flag no matter how many you land. In Hawaii, some
boats will run a black pirate flag beneath the mahi-mahi when more than 20 are caught. • Never run flags all the way to the top of the rigger; keep them about
three quarters up the rigger and spaced at
least six inches apart as this is optimal for visibility. • Flying a fish flag upside down is the most common way to signal a successful catch and release. Some fishermen, however, prefer to fly a fish flag right side up with a smaller square red flag beneath it or a red T-flag to indicate a fish was tagged and released. Red pennants are still sometimes used. • A fish flag should never hang on the halyard for more than a few hours, though charter boats might fly them for 24 hours to help attract clients.
Derby Queen with red sailfish capture flag
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