Bimini Twist Library

Bimini Twist Library The Bimini Twist Library, is a collection of stories dedicated to sport fishing. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07SBS951K/allbooks

Some of the biggest names in sport fishing are included in this library and all the books are available on Amazon.

Two iconic Living Legends of Sport Fishing. In 2004 Captain Bouncer Smith introduced me to Captain Ronnie Hamlin at the ...
05/30/2026

Two iconic Living Legends of Sport Fishing. In 2004 Captain Bouncer Smith introduced me to Captain Ronnie Hamlin at the Annual Meeting of The Billfish Foundation at the Miami Beach Rod and Reel Club. Both of these men became very important friends of mine from that time forward.

Captain Jimmy WillcoxFrom the backwaters of Islamorada to nationally televised fishing adventures, few captains have ear...
05/27/2026

Captain Jimmy Willcox

From the backwaters of Islamorada to nationally televised fishing adventures, few captains have earned the respect of the Florida Keys quite like Jimmy Willlcox. And when legendary guide Rick Stanczyk was asked who influenced him most, alongside his own father and uncle, Jimmy’s name was near the very top. That says everything.

Jimmy’s journey to becoming one of Islamorada’s most respected shallow-water guides was anything but ordinary. Raised near Philadelphia, educated at Bucknell University, and successful in multiple businesses in Pennsylvania, he could easily have stayed on a comfortable path far from the Florida Keys. Instead, like so many who first experience the magic of Islamorada, he heard the call of the flats and never let it go.

His connection to Bud n’ Mary’s Marina began as a teenager during a family trip to the Keys. Years later, after countless vacations trailering a small Boston Whaler to Lower Matecumbe, Jimmy made a life-changing decision in 1998 — he called home and told his wife Marina to sell everything because the family was moving to the Keys permanently.

What followed was not instant success. Jimmy worked odd jobs, collected tropical fish commercially, helped rebuild docks, and even emptied trash around Bud n’ Mary’s just to become part of the community he admired. He worked alongside maintenance manager Russell Fox rebuilding the guide dock for months without pay, simply because he wanted to earn his place among the legendary captains who called the marina home.

That determination paid off.

Over the next two decades, Jimmy developed into one of the premier backcountry guides in Islamorada. Fishing from his Action Craft skiff, he mastered the Everglades wilderness and the surrounding flats, targeting snook, tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish, mangrove snapper, and more. His reputation grew because he consistently put anglers on fish — but also because of the way he treated people.

Television producers quickly discovered Jimmy’s combination of knowledge, personality, and professionalism. He appeared on productions with ESPN, the Weather Channel, George Poveromo Outdoors, and North American Fisherman. His 2009 episode “Prehistoric Giant — Florida Sawfish” became the first filmed sawfish catch in the United States and later won the prestigious POMA Pinnacle Award for Best Broadcast.

Beyond television and tournament victories, Jimmy became deeply involved in conservation and research. When University of Florida scientists struggled to locate and tag endangered sawfish in the Keys, Jimmy stepped in and transformed the project. His intimate understanding of the backcountry allowed researchers to gather valuable data now helping scientists better understand these mysterious creatures.

And then there are the crocodiles.

Long before most visitors realized how common they had become, Jimmy was quietly observing the explosion of crocodile populations deep in the Everglades backcountry. His stories of massive crocs launching through the air or stalking mangrove shorelines remind us that the Florida wilderness remains wild and unpredictable.

Tournament fishing also became part of Jimmy’s legacy. After winning the World Bonefish Championship “Most Fish Caught” category three consecutive years, along with multiple Key Morada Tournament victories, fellow competitors jokingly suggested he should give everyone else a chance. Eventually, he stepped away from competitive fishing, preferring the rewards of guiding over trophies.

Today, Jimmy finds his greatest satisfaction introducing new anglers — especially young anglers — to the wonders of the Islamorada flats. Seeing a child hook a first tarpon or watch wildlife in the Everglades means more to him than prize money or television appearances ever could.

That spirit is exactly what the Bimini Twist Library celebrates — the people whose lives embody adventure, perseverance, conservation, mentorship, and a deep respect for the water.

Capt. Jimmy Willcox is one of those people.

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

Not many people ever get a chance to catch and release a sawfish. It's routine for Jimmy Wilcox.

Captain Bark Garnsey –Record Setter, Fishing Legend and HeroSome people build a life around the sea. Others build a life...
05/25/2026

Captain Bark Garnsey –Record Setter, Fishing Legend and Hero

Some people build a life around the sea. Others build a life around courage. Capt. Thomas “Bark” Garnsey somehow managed to do both.
Long before his name became synonymous with world records and legendary sportfishing expeditions, Bark faced challenges far greater than rough seas and giant marlin. During the War in Vietnam he traded fishing tackle for helicopter controls and served as an Army helicopter pilot in combat. Flying missions through some of the most dangerous conditions imaginable, Bark was shot down five times while serving his country. His extraordinary bravery earned him a chest full of decorations including two Bronze Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry. Military service shaped him in ways that remained visible throughout his life.
“The military was a good experience for me,” Bark once reflected. “You got a lot of responsibility, and that taught you something. After an experience like that, you start seeing life a little bit differently.”
After Vietnam, Bark returned to the water where, perhaps, destiny had been waiting all along. Actually, destiny may have been decided before he was even born.
Bark truly was the son of a son of a fisherman. His father, Capt. Dan Garnsey, is widely regarded as the father of modern-day drift fishing in South Florida. His mother, Janet Garnsey Hall, was no less remarkable, becoming the first woman in 1940 to earn a U.S. Coast Guard Ocean Operator’s License.
Fishing wasn’t simply something Bark learned. It was part of his bloodline. As a child he fished with his father aboard drift boats and absorbed lessons from some of the greatest captains of the era. Those early experiences became the foundation of a career that eventually spanned nearly every major offshore fishing destination on the planet.
Over the years Bark traveled and fished from Florida and the Bahamas to Venezuela, Australia, Indonesia, Africa, Madeira, and beyond. Then came his partnership with Stewart Campbell - one of sportfishing's great collaborations.
Together, Bark and Stewart rewrote the billfish record books. Their achievements included astonishing catches such as:

• 820-pound blue marlin on 16-pound line
• 872-pound blue marlin on 30-pound line
• Fifteen billfish world records over nearly three decades

Many of those records became so extraordinary that even some of the biggest names in the sport considered them nearly impossible to break. Yet Bark never viewed success as a personal accomplishment. His philosophy was simple: “Hire the best mates you can get. Listen to their ideas. Make it a team.”
That outlook carried him from combat missions over Vietnam to giant blue marlin in Madeira and black marlin on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. In a sport that often celebrates individual glory, Bark Garnsey reminds us that the greatest captains understand something deeper: There is no “I” in “we.”
Bimini Twist Library salutes Capt. Bark Garnsey - decorated veteran, legendary captain, mentor, one of the true giants of sportfishing, and recipient of the IGFA’s prestigious Tommy Gifford Award for Legendary Captains and Mates.

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

In good company at IGFA Annual Charity Auction: L-R Bart (Black Bart) Miller and wife Francesca, Bark (number 299) Peter Wright, Peter Bristow

Pioneers of Daytime Sword Fishing in South  Florida In the time period around 1976-78 boats in the Miami area began catc...
05/22/2026

Pioneers of Daytime Sword Fishing in South Florida

In the time period around 1976-78 boats in the Miami area began catching swordfish on rod and reel at night. This was a very specialized kind of fishing that required glow lights to bring up the bait, and very heavy rigs for terminal tackle. For several years the sword fishery was healthy and attracted plenty of South Florida’s charter captains. And no sooner had it become a viable specie for sport fishermen than the commercial long-liners came in and, in a very few years, nearly decimated the fishery. To add to the misery, they also caught their share of unintended bycatch. The sportfishing community was up in arms. The Billfish Foundation and other conservation-minded groups and individuals launched a full out attack on that industry. They finally got the most effective and destructive kinds of long line equipment banned, and within a few years the swordfish population began to recover.

Vic believed that he probably would never catch a swordfish. The Keys were not well known for that specie, and he rarely placed himself in offshore situations where swordfish was considered a target. But something happened that changed all that. Since the early 1990s Dr. Ruben Jaen, a heart surgeon from Venezuela, and later an IGFA Hall of Fame inductee, had been experimenting with daytime deep dropping for swordfish. He discovered that the swordfish moved deep to the bottom, 1,500 - 2,000 feet down during the day, and usually only came into the shallower depths, 250-450 feet at night to feed. Jaen decided to send his lines down very deep in the daytime to where he believed the swordfish might be; and he was successful.

It sounded a bit crazy to Vic that there was this fishing technique that required dropping ten to fifteen pounds of lead a quarter of a mile down. But he was intrigued and saw this as a much different kind of experience. By 2003 Jaen’s secret was out and Vic decided he wanted to be part of the development of daytime deep dropping for swordfish. At first they tried this technique sporadically, but soon enough they became more focused on it.

Vic was one of the innovators, along with the Stanczyks, Richard, Nick, and Scott, as they perfected a technique that had them frequently hitting home runs. Vic was the designated angler for most of these trips and says he believes they caught 200 swordfish before the rest of the fleet discovered it. At one point they caught at least one swordfish on 53 consecutive outings. He describes the fishery as the bottom being “paved with swordfish.” He goes on to add, “If you didn’t get a hit within five minutes, you thought your rig must be tangled up.” The expectations had become that high.

Vic later went on to introduce daytime swordfishing to Randy Morton and David Peck in the waters off Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Oregon Inlet in North Carolina. Their success with that technique caught on like wildfire in that area. From those experiences the area has begun to have daytime swordfish tournaments, and many of the captains in Virginia and North Carolina use lessons learned from Vic and, by extension, the Stanczyks. Since that technique has been discovered and perfected, daytime swordfishing is taking place in other parts of the world including in Australia, New Zealand, and the west coast of the U.S.

From the book Bud n' Mary's Marina, Islamorada, Florida

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

Father and son swordfish greats, Richard and Nick Stanczyk

Conservation and Science All his life Anthony Mendillo has had his eye on the ocean and observed changes that he finds d...
05/19/2026

Conservation and Science

All his life Anthony Mendillo has had his eye on the ocean and observed changes that he finds disturbing in various fisheries. As such he has made it his business to be a voice for change. This is something that is close to his heart and that he participates in at a high level. He serves on the Board of The Bluefin Collaborative, which is an international organization that collects scientific data about migratory patterns of bluefin tuna. These data are intended to be used to help regulate international quotas. Further, Anthony is the Isla Mujeres representative for the IGFA, which propagates rules for responsible approaches to fishery management of all kinds.

The rules for bluefin tuna fishing are strict, and support for a scientific approach to protection of the specie is of paramount importance. The migration patterns of bluefin tuna were largely unknown, and data gaps for small fish were an impediment to understanding the stock’s trajectory. Tag A Tiny is a cooperative tagging program for juvenile bluefin tuna. It was started in 2006 by the Large Pelagics Research Center (LPRC) led by Dr. Molly Lutcavage, who recognized the need to identify migration paths and habitats of juvenile Atlantic bluefin tuna. So Anthony has turned his attention to the work of the LPRC, which accomplishes a social and scientific purpose for the work he has been doing all his life.

The program began as a center to conduct research on key species of interest to commercial and recreational fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean including tunas, sharks, billfish, and sea turtles. The Center, established at the University of New Hampshire, but more recently operating under the auspices of U Mass, functions as a coordinator and source of funding for large pelagic species research.

The initial objective of Tag a Tiny was to determine the feasibility of developing a network of cooperative fishermen taggers in a region where commercial fishing for juveniles no longer occurred, and where scientific tagging via purse seine or bait boat was highly improbable. The model is working, and today the program enlists recreational anglers and charter boat captains to catch, measure, tag, and release juvenile bluefin tunas with conventional, double-barbed nylon “spaghetti” ID tags purchased from The Billfish Foundation.

With so many bluefin tuna encounters in his life, Anthony is well familiar with their behavior when they are brought to the boat. On account of this he invented a tagging system for bluefin tuna that is now used all over the world. This “hammer tag” has a long pole with an applicator on the end that is at a ninety-degree angle to the stick. This allows the person doing the tagging to reach far out from the boat to apply the tag. Because tunas usually come up to the boat on their side (as opposed to many billfish that come to the surface with their backs facing up) the hammer is much more likely to set the tag in the fish’s back, which avoids the possibility of accidentally sticking the tag in the bloodline of the fish and doing serious damage. Thus, clients of Anthony’s understand that any bluefins caught are to be tagged and released.
In Cape Cod, clients begin booking trips a year in advance of their fishing dates. Anthony is neither the captain nor the mate for these charters. Because these outings are for scientific purposes, Anthony is aboard for every trip. People are enthusiastic for the experience of catching one of these feisty monsters, and are happy to be part of the scientific effort. Anthony’s job is to manage the charter, and to be on board to make certain the rules are followed. But the heavy lifting is done by a captain, a mate, or sometimes two mates, and an angler. Because there is a possibility of catching multiple giant bluefin tunas in a day, the crews are kept busy and must be supervised by someone with the experience of a veteran like Anthony who has been catching giant bluefin tunas all his life.

Often, after a season up north, Anthony will head south to where his father lives in North Palm Beach, Florida. In 2022 the stay in North Palm was extended because he was taking possession of, and managing, Chachalaca for Lawrence Berry. Even though it had recently been released from dry dock, it still needed some work. So Kin and their son, Sonny, accompanied Anthony while this work was being done. Then Kin and Sonny flew home to Isla Mujeres while Anthony, with his friend, Brad Simonds, brought the boat from Key West to Isla Mujeres.

Also in 2022 Anthony had a successful fall charter season in Cape Cod. In the late summer of 2022 Anthony reported catching an average of four giant bluefin tunas a day, each averaging 600-700 pounds. With his scientific research license he tagged and released all of them.
On his way back to Florida from Cape Cod, Anthony purchased a new boat for the fleet at Enrique’s Dock. But that boat needed a lot of work, so Anthony remained in North Palm Beach for several weeks working on the boat and overseeing the installation of a new diesel motor. With the new engine, and a transmission he somehow found in New Jersey, Anthony reassembled the drive train, performed a sea trial, and then took off for Isla Mujeres. The balance of the work on that boat was planned for its arrival in Isla.

Such is a year in the life of Anthony Mendillo. Most of the year is spent with his family in his permanent home in Isla Mujeres where there is a busy dock and a successful charter business to manage. Then there is the annual migration north where Anthony’s steady book of business awaits his return so they can catch, tag, and release giant bluefin tunas.

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

Two famous ocean conservationists Dr. Guy Harvey and Captain Anthony Mendillo

Behind the Lens: Scott KerriganMany of us spend our lives trying to capture a fish of a lifetime. Scott Kerrigan has spe...
05/16/2026

Behind the Lens: Scott Kerrigan

Many of us spend our lives trying to capture a fish of a lifetime. Scott Kerrigan has spent his life capturing moments of a lifetime.

If you have ever opened a sport-fishing magazine and found yourself staring at a spectacular blue marlin exploding behind a lure, a sailfish lit up in electric colors, a pristine tropical anchorage, or a scene so beautiful it almost made you smell salt air through the page, there is a good chance you have already seen Scott's work.

Long before he became one of the world's premier nature and sport-fishing photographers, Scott was living the life many of us dream about. Growing up in South Florida, he pursued surfing, fishing, and boating. As a young man he worked as a mate aboard traveling sport-fishing boats, spending years in places that have become legendary names in the sport: the Bahamas, St. Thomas, Venezuela, Isla Mujeres, and countless corners of the Caribbean.

Back in the days when Isla Mujeres was still a sleepy island with dirt roads and skiffs carrying visitors over from Cancun, Scott was already exploring places few people ever saw. While working aboard boats such as Terminator and Revenge, he developed another passion alongside fishing — photography.

Then came one of those moments that changes a life.

After an accident aboard a sport-fishing boat injured his hand, Scott lay in a hospital and made a decision that would shape everything that followed. He decided to leave the cockpit and pursue photography full time.

It turned out to be a very good decision.

Scott went on to become one of the most recognizable photographers in sport fishing. His images have appeared in virtually every major sport-fishing publication, and his work has graced the cover of Marlin magazine an astonishing 95 times.

In 2002 he founded Aqua Paparazzi, building an extraordinary collection of marine and wildlife photography that today reaches audiences around the world.

For me personally, Scott's work has been special because he has generously contributed images to some of my own stories and book covers. A writer can tell readers what a place feels like, but sometimes a photograph does in one second what paragraphs cannot do at all.

The next time you see one of those incredible images of a billfish, a tropical horizon, or an unforgettable marine encounter, remember there is often a story behind the camera too.

And in Scott Kerrigan's case, that story is every bit as interesting as the photographs.

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

Before there was the Bimini Twist Library, before the books and the stories of legendary captains and tournament boats, ...
05/11/2026

Before there was the Bimini Twist Library, before the books and the stories of legendary captains and tournament boats, there was a period in my life when I drifted through Europe chasing adventure wherever I could find it.

One of those adventures came aboard a yacht called Kamarisa.

In 1976 I found myself in Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol. I had recently quit my job back in the States and was stretching my money as far as it would go by taking odd jobs along the way. Marbella in those days was already a playground for wealthy Europeans and Middle Eastern royalty. At the center of it all was Puerto Banús, one of the most glamorous marinas in the Mediterranean.

Naturally, I gravitated toward the docks.

The harbor was filled with spectacular yachts — polished stainless steel, gleaming teak, crews in uniform washing down boats under the Spanish sun. I had no connections, no real plan, and no reason to believe anybody would hire me.

But I walked up to the biggest and most beautiful yacht in the marina anyway.

Her name was Kamarisa.

She was a brand-new 90-foot Benetti owned by a wealthy German industrialist named Rudolph Plate. The name came from his three children — Karl, Maria, and Isabelle.

Standing on the aft deck were the captain, Walter Beihl, and his wife Ulli. Walter spoke rough English with a heavy German accent. I asked if they needed crew.

“Are you sailor?” he asked.

I was twenty-something, over six feet tall, willing to work, and just smart enough to say yes without hesitation.

A couple of hours later, against all odds, I had the job.

Looking back, it was one of the luckiest breaks of my life.

The crew consisted of Walter, Ulli, and me. Walter ran the yacht and handled the engineering. Ulli cooked, cleaned, provisioned, and somehow kept the entire operation together. I was the deckhand — which meant I did a little bit of everything.

But mostly, I made Kamarisa shine.

Many mornings I was awake before sunrise drying handrails with a chamois, wiping down glass, painting over tiny rust spots before anyone noticed them, and making sure no other yacht in the marina looked better than ours.

And usually, none did.

Soon we began cruising the western Mediterranean. Ibiza. Majorca. Antibes. San Remo. St. Tropez. Places I had only read about suddenly became part of daily life.

When Mr. Plate or his guests came aboard, we shifted into full yacht-crew mode. Matching shirts. Perfect service. Water skiing runs behind the Whaler. Fishing trips. Cocktails on the aft deck at sunset.

The guests were often wealthy executives and their families from Germany, but what I remember most was that very few of them acted superior to the crew. Most seemed fascinated by the life we were living.

Mr. Plate himself treated me surprisingly well. He knew I had worked around music festivals in Switzerland before arriving in Spain, so one day he handed me a wad of cash and sent me into town to buy records for the yacht stereo. I introduced him to Pink Floyd. He approved.

Not a bad moment for a wandering American kid working as a deckhand in the Mediterranean.

The ports themselves felt almost unreal.

Ibiza before the modern nightclub explosion still had the feel of a remote island paradise. Majorca had beautiful marinas and incredible restaurants tucked into old stone streets. Antibes was overflowing with yachts beyond imagination. Every harbor seemed to contain another floating palace.

And then there was the freedom of it all.

No long-term plan. No schedule beyond the next destination. Just boats, sea air, diesel engines, polished teak, and another horizon waiting somewhere ahead.

Months later I left the yacht when she went into Viareggio, Italy, for warranty work. The adventure seemed over.

But the following spring, while I was working aboard Caribbean cruise ships as a DJ, my father called to tell me a telegram had arrived.

It was from Walter and Ulli.

They wanted me back aboard Kamarisa for another summer in the Mediterranean.

Within weeks I was back in Spain.

For a while it felt like stepping back into a dream. We cruised through Gibraltar and returned to Puerto Banús, where Kamarisa once again sat among the glamorous yachts lining the quay.

But things had changed.

Walter had begun drinking heavily. The atmosphere aboard the boat slowly deteriorated. One night an ugly argument erupted between Walter and Ulli, and when I realized he had struck her, I decided I was finished.

The next morning I packed my bag, collected my pay, and walked off the yacht for the last time.

It was not the ending I would have chosen for such an extraordinary adventure.

But even now, nearly fifty years later, I still think about the beautiful Kamarisa.

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

Puerto Banus, Marbella, Spain.

05/10/2026

On Mother’s Day, the sport fishing world usually turns its attention to the great mothers among us — and rightly so. But today I’d also like to recognize three women whose names stand among the most accomplished figures in the entire history of big game fishing, regardless of gender.

All three are mothers. All three are pioneers. And all three helped shape modern sportfishing in ways that continue to influence the oceans today.

Ellen Peel has spent decades at the forefront of billfish conservation as President of The Billfish Foundation. Under her leadership, TBF became one of the most influential voices in the world for highly migratory species conservation, international fishery policy, billfish science, satellite tagging, circle hook development, and responsible fishery management.

What makes Ellen unique is that she did not simply participate in the conversation — she helped change it. Her work carried her from law school research projects into the halls of international fisheries negotiations and eventually to an appointment as the U.S. Recreational Fishing Commissioner to ICCAT, one of the most important international fisheries organizations in the world.

Over the years she helped advance stock assessments for Atlantic billfish, expand satellite tagging programs, advocate for closed longline zones that protected juvenile swordfish and marlin, and strengthen the scientific foundation upon which modern conservation policy is built. Many of the conservation practices anglers now take for granted were influenced directly by Ellen Peel’s persistence and leadership.

Strong, intelligent, relentless, and deeply respected, Ellen Peel became one of the defining conservation voices in the history of sport fishing.

Joan Vernon earned her place in fishing history in a very different but equally important way.

Long before women were fully welcomed into many of the major tournament circuits, Joan was already proving herself among the best anglers anywhere. She helped organize and lead women’s tournaments throughout Central America and the Caribbean during an era when opportunities for female anglers were far more limited than they are today.

As President of the International Women’s Fishing Association, Joan helped elevate women’s competitive sportfishing to new levels of visibility and respect. She fished alongside some of the greatest captains in the world in some of the world’s most exotic fishing destinations while building a reputation of her own as an exceptional angler and conservationist.

Her accomplishments earned her induction into both the IWFA Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame — honors reserved for the true giants of the sport.

Joan also played a major role in advancing billfish conservation through satellite tagging initiatives and circle hook development, helping bridge the worlds of tournament fishing, science, and conservation at a time when catch-and-release fishing was still evolving into the standard it is today. Joan’s legacy continues through her Presidential Challenge Charitable Foundation and her ever popular Presidential Challenge tournament series throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

Deborah Dunaway carved out a legacy unlike anyone else in the history of sport fishing.

Together with her husband Jerry aboard the legendary Madam and Ho**er mothership operation, Deborah traveled the globe in pursuit of billfish, adventure, and world records. What followed became one of the most remarkable competitive angling careers ever assembled.

Between 1986 and 1997, Deborah caught thirty-one IGFA world records, twenty-three of them in billfish categories — more than any other billfish angler in the world at the time. In 1993 she achieved something no other angler has ever duplicated: holding IGFA world records in all nine species of billfish simultaneously, a feat known as the Royal Billfish Slam of World Records.

Her accomplishments were not simply a matter of fishing skill. They required extraordinary toughness, patience, discipline, and endurance. One of her most famous catches came in Panama when she fought a 381-pound black marlin on 16-pound test for nearly ten hours. Another came in Kona, Hawaii, when she landed a spearfish on 4-pound test after a three-hour battle that completed her historic Royal Slam.

For seven consecutive years Deborah was named one of Power & Motoryacht Magazine’s Top 10 Anglers in the World. She was named IGFA Angler of the Year in 1993 and later received the IGFA World Record Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, Deborah and Jerry Dunaway were inducted into the IGFA Hall of Fame for their pioneering achievements in global sport fishing and mothership exploration.

What also stands out about Deborah is the humility with which she speaks about those accomplishments. She consistently credits the captains, mates, and crews who worked alongside her — names like Skip Smith, Peter B. Wright, and many others who became part of one of the most legendary operations in offshore fishing history.

These remarkable women built legacies that extend far beyond motherhood, though being mothers is certainly part of who they are.

Today, on Mother’s Day, I simply want to recognize Ellen Peel, Joan Vernon, and Deborah Dunaway as three of the most important women ever to enter the world of big game fishing — pioneers, conservationists, competitors, record setters, and true living legends.

Happy Mother’s Day to all three: Ellen Peel, Joan Vernon, and Deborah Dunaway

Patrick Mansell
Bimini Twist Library

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