DEPTH CHARGE! F-1 Firearms Creates Marine Art PG. 40 MAY-JUNE 2020 A STRAIT TEQUILA NIGHT King George Pours Out Good Times PG. 20 ZAC BROWN BAND On the Grind Down South Helping Kids PG. 26 THE DEADLIEST CATCH Capt. Wild Bill Takes on Alaska’s Worst PG. 48 CATCHES AMERICA: HOOK, LINE, AND…DINNER EMERIL LAGASSE CATCHES AMERICA: HOOK, LINE, AND…DINNER EMERIL LAGASSEADDITIONAL BISBEE TOURNAMENTS OVER $1 MILLION: EAST CAPE OFFSHORE > AUG. 4-8, 2020 LOS CABOS OFFSHORE > OCT. 15-18, 2020 OCT. 20-24 TH 2020 THE WORLD’S RICHEST FISHING TOURNAMENTS REGISTER TODAY! BASE ENTRY $5,000 BISBEES.COM LOS CABOS, B.C.S., MEXICO • EST. 1982 OVER $ 100 MILLION IN PRIZES HAVE BEEN AWARDED!42 BAM! Chef Emeril Lagasse kicks it up a notch, catching fish, hearts, and appetites for over 30 years. story and photos by john j. radzwilla 48 BORN TO BE WILD Deadliest Catch’s “Wild Bill” has a steady hand on the wheel as he and his crew challenge Alaska’s Bering Sea. by joe crowe 54 MAKING WAVES Marine art captures the imagination of those who love the sea. by patti verbanas TABLE OF CONTENTS MAY-JUNE 2020VOLUME THREE, ISSUE THREE WISDOM The great outdoors. GIVING BACK Vamos a Pescar: Fishing with a Hispanic view. 08 GEAR This season, get decked out, pun intended, from head to toe. HAPPY HOUR Country music legend George Strait is importing Mexico’s smoothest agave. 10 20 06 EDITOR’S NOTE 04 16 GOOD GRUB Chef Emeril Lagasse dishes out his favorite fresh catch recipes. CAN YOU SPOT THE HOOK & BARREL CRITTER? Each issue, the Critter is hiding somewhere in the table of contents picture. Happy hunting! @HOOKANDBARRELMAG 03 All material is strictly copyright protected and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the copyright holder. All prices and data are correct at the time of publication. The views and opinions expressed in Hook & Barrel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the advertisers. Any images supplied are at the owner’s risk and are the property of the Hook & Barrel Magazine. All content is owned in full by Hook & Barrel Magazine. Proudly Printed in America Hook & Barrel is a proud partner in the PrintReleaf program. PrintReleaf guarantees every sheet of paper we consume in the production of our magazine will be reforested. New trees are planted on our behalf in PrintReleaf Certified Reforestation Projects across the globe. Aldente, just a few days before his annual Line, Vine, and Dine fishing tournament, Emeril Lagasse poses for this photo as we head out for a day of fishing off the coast of Miami. Photo by John J. Radzwilla EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John J. Radzwilla MANAGING EDITOR Lee M. Hurley CONSULTING EDITOR Matt Morgan PRODUCTION MANAGER Jill Christiansen COPY EDITORS Barry Wise Smith Jim Hannaford CREATIVE DIRECTOR Claire Cormany PHOTO EDITOR Chris Irwin CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Natalie Radzwilla EDITORIAL OFFICE 1012 W. Eldorado Parkway P.O. Box 183 Little Elm, Texas 75068 214.997.1118 hookandbarrel.com CONTACT THE EDITOR editor@hookandbarrel.com FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@hookandbarrel.com EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Materials to be considered for use in Hook & Barrel Magazine should be emailed to editor@hookandbarrel.com or mailed to editorial office. Not responsible for the loss of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or other materials. Returns only when accompanied by return postage. We do not recommend sending original photography or artwork. SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe or manage your subscription to Hook & Barrel Magazine, visit www.hookandbarrel.com. PHOTO BY JOHN J. RADZWILLA THE WILD LIFE The trick to tarpon. PROFILE How Wayne Bisbee helped to grow the world’s richest sportfishing tournament. 34 THE TROPHY ROOM Three cheers for Allison Renn! JAMMING OUT Zac Brown wears many hats. 61 26 30 64 LAST LAUGH Sunblock? I don’t need no stinking sunblock! 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the Bisbee’s Black & Blue—the world’s richest sportsfishing tournament. Held the third week of October every year in Cabo San Lucas, the tournament attracts the world’s top anglers, all hoping to take home a million dollar check or more! Here, the start boat sits off of Medano Beach just after the shotgun start of the 2019 tournament.04 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | HOOKANDBARREL.COM here is just something about offshore sportfishing that I love. Maybe it’s the tropical destinations fish thrive in, or the idea of what lurks below, or maybe it’s the smell of boat exhaust in the morning. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but the thing I can honestly say is that the community of anglers who support the sport are perhaps some of the most welcoming, let’s-all-have-a-beer-on-the-boat, fun-loving, belly-laugh people I have ever met. Growing up in northeastern Pennsylvania, I was land-locked (except, maybe if you want to get technical, you could follow the Erie Canal to the north Atlantic somehow). My only real experi- ence with offshore fishing was when I would go on vacation and the random street vendors would hustle me on the marina sidewalks. “Can I get you something? Parasailing? Booze-cruise? Scuba diving? Fishing? Weed? Party favors? My sister?” (And yes, I was actually offered a man’s sister once in Mexico.) I would quickly walk past them as if I was navigating Times Square, pretending that I didn’t even see them, while semi-considering the booze cruise and pon- dering, light-heartedly, what his sister looked like ... I would look out into the marina and long to get on one of the pris- tinely clean sportfishers while also wondering who owned them. These boats aren’t cheap, often reaching well over $10 million. “No one would just invite me aboard,” I thought. All that changed nearly a decade ago when I met Wayne Bisbee. Wayne grew up on the planks of his father’s fuel dock in Orange County, California. You wouldn’t know that, though. Unlike me, who was trying to get on boats, Wayne was becoming a self-imposed “landlubber.” He moved to Texas to escape the politics and cost of living in California and found a passion for hunting—all while still running the world’s richest marlin fishing tournament from his office in Frisco, Texas, hundreds of miles from the closest ocean. “Come on down to the tournament,” he offered. “Third week of October in Cabo, you’ll have a ball.” Arriving later that year, I was greeted by hordes of salty, half- drunk anglers, anxious to toss down tens of thousands of dollars in hopes of catching a fish worth well into the millions. Music blasting, laughs echoing, smiles and high fives were as abundant as ice-cold Pacificos. I was in paradise, and I was quickly learning that the sport- fishing community was far more approachable than I had originally thought. Since then, I have met so many great boat owners and crew mem- bers. All have one thing in common—they’re down for a good time and willing to welcome you aboard. The hospitality seems to spread through some sort of coconut telegraph network. Once you meet one great crew, another will welcome you aboard because, without fail, the First Mate knows some other Captain’s brother-in-law, who has a boat, that he once worked on, hidden in some far-flung tropical destination, that the average tourist never heard of, but for offshore fishermen, is as common as Disneyland and —he will connect you via group text. The other thing I have learned is, unlike the hunting community, which often prides itself on the ego of who shot the biggest and how much it cost to do so, the fishing community does not. Now, don’t get me wrong, boats cost money, and with that comes its own set of ego- centric behaviors, but those generally include, “I have a better bar than you,” or “my boat can go faster,” or my personal favorite: “This is the smaller one. The mothership is kept in Kona. You should come to Hawaii some time.” But, I digress. Egos are out the door when it comes to fishing. No matter who you are, you can’t buy a bite, and you never know exactly what you’re really reeling in until it gets close to the boat. With that comes a certain equality. You’re just another member of the crew, enjoying the sun, just hoping to be lucky enough to come upon a fish. So next time you’re in a tropical marina, listen for the loudest table in the bar. Glance at their eyes. If they are surrounded by raccoon-like tan lines from a pair of Costas, chances are they have a boat. Buy them a round of shots, and introduce yourself. Who knows, maybe they will invite you to go fishing for the day or, at the very least, know a guy who has a good-looking sister. Tight lines, T John J. Radzwilla editor-in-chief EDITOR’S NOTE My wife, Natalie, and I—not some guy’s sister. All Aboard, but Leave Your Ego at the Dock A dorado caught in Cabo San Lucas.GulfShores.com / OrangeBeach.com 877-341-2400 Stay healthy, stay safe. We welcome your return when the time is right.06 @HOOKANDBARRELMAG | HOOKANDBARREL.COM young people to fishing but also to empowering commercial fisher- man in México to become fishing guides. This allows the population to earn more money for their families and to live better and fuller lives. Proudly, together we can say that we have empowered and trained well over 7,000 commercial fishermen in the art of sport fishing and conservation; many of whom have switched to fishing guides entirely. If you could only see my face when I encounter one of them in the water in his fishing attire, guiding clients, and doing what we taught them ... best payback I ever received in my life. Vamos a Pescar believes that for every kid we teach to fish, we have gained a future supporter of the sport and industry and have created another “soldier” for the defense of nature. Years and years of per- forming fishing summer camps, both in Mexico and the USA, have produced a legion of fisherman but, most importantly, much better and well-rounded human beings. Our job is to put a rod and reel in the hands of millions of Hispanics and teach them the wonderful feeling produced from a fish pulling your line, the feeling of fresh morning mist, or the colors of nature right before sundown. No one can love, respect protect, and promote what they do not know. No one understands this dilemma better than Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris, and, thus, he has been supporting the efforts taken by Take Me Fishing and donating large amounts of support so they can put rods and reels in the hands of kids who other- wise would spend their lives indoors, caring less about nature. Every day, new gadgets and games come up in the market and end up in the hands of our kids, keeping their heads bent down instead of watching the birds, the sky, the motions of nature with all its rhythm and mystery. It’s time we engage these kids and get them off of tech- nology and hook them on nature again. So, for the benefit of all, let’s join the effort and contribute to the cause, like Johnny and many others have in the past...we owe it to them, we owe it to us, we owe it to nature. Gracias, ishing is fishing, no mat- ter where you are, what religion you believe in, your race, your age, or what po- litical party you vote for. It is an experience more than an activity. Anglers like to fish because of the feeling it brings, and that feeling is one of universal joy. I personally believe that we all have a great fisherman or hunter inside of us. It’s in our DNA and naturally instinctive. As humans, we have hunted and fished since the beginning of time. Millions of years are just buried under our skin, waiting to be awakened, unleashing the primal feelings creat- ed when you connect with a fish or hunt a buck. Today, more than 55 million people in the United States have Hispanic roots and yet, for many reasons, the tradition of the outdoors, fishing and hunting, is becoming increasingly less pop- ular within the culture. We are missing out on the feeling and experience of the great natural resources we inherited from our forefathers. It would be a shame if so many pass their entire lives missing the outdoors. And shame on us if we don’t take action and do something to introduce our youth back to the outdoors. “Vamos a Pescar” is the Spanish-speaking version of the Take Me Fishing organization. We are a non-profit organization ded- icated to introducing the outdoors to all of these people who are missing out—especially the Hispanic population. In collaboration with Con Caña y Carrete, the oldest fishing TV show in Latin América, we are committed to bringing not only F Vamos a Pescar Fishing with a Hispanic view. At Hook & Barrel, we are firm believers in giving back to the greater good. In each issue, we showcase a business, group, or organization that gives back. Conservation is a team effort and takes many forms: from habitat and species conservation to preserving hunting and fishing rights or growing the sports by introducing new folks to the joys of the outdoors. Some of our key focuses are kids in the outdoors, habitat and wildlife, and veterans who protect our rights as Americans to live the lifestyle we all enjoy. Pedro Sors To learn more or donate to Vamos a Pescar, please visit vamosapescar.org or takemefishing.org. GIVING BACK “If you could only see my face when I encounter one of them in the water in his fishing attire, guiding clients and doing what we taught them ...best payback I ever received in my life.” – vamos a pescarBUSHMAN’S FAMOUS COTTONWOOD CANYON RANCH 3,642 Acres • $5,450,000 • Richland County, MT JEFF GARRETT (605) 641-0574 SAGE CREEK RANCH 1,056 Acres • $8,500,000 • Eagle County, CO DAX HAYDEN (970) 674-1990 THE STECKLINE PROPERTIES 890 Acres • $4,048,455 • Sedgwick County, KS LEO HAYDEN (785) 821-3683 501 MAIN ST., #A WINDSOR, CO 80550 | 866.741.8323 | WWW.HAYDENOUTDOORS.COM GRAND RIVER LODGE 4,471 Acres • $4,917,999 • Corson County, SD JAKE HYLAND (970) 227-8990 and JOHN HERRITY (970) 685-0645 3 BAR 2 BIGHORNS RANCH 3,072 Acres • $3,490,000 • Washakie County, WY JIM DIGBY (303) 883-8493 and JACI COLE (303) 880-3779 CORNERSTONE ELK RANCH 1,300 Acres • $3,500,000 • Montrose County, CO PHIL PHILLIPS (970) 209-3006 ARROWSMITH NIOBRARA RIVER RANCH 4,390 Acres • $4,995,000 • Keya Paha County, NE TERRY CONE (308) 750-1681 and JADE STUNKEL (308) 730-7071 OLD HIGHWAY TROPHY MULE DEER & ELK RANCH 2,038 Acres • $3,164,000 • Rio Arriba County, NM GREG LIDDLE (970) 946-0374 NEW LISTING NEW LISTING PRICE REDUCED PRICE REDUCED PRICE REDUCED PRICE REDUCED NEW LISTING NEW LISTING The Brand That Sells The L an d TMNext >