Here are the Numbers
No, I won't reveal numbers for my best fishing spots. But I do offer the numbers below as bits of wisdom and whimsy. Some are hard facts. Others are solid rules of thumb. And some are true in my opinion, but I have no solid data to back them up. Enjoy.
60 Percentage of boat electrical problems caused by a bad ground
7 Pounds of drag most albacore anglers actually use
12 Pounds of drag most albacore anglers think they use
100 Depth, in fathoms, that defines the edge of tuna water
12 Wind speed, in knots, when whitecaps start to take the fun out of being offshore
99 Percentage of boat owners who have broken something while backing the trailer
60 Percentage of times when dark lures catch more tuna on overcast days
15 The amount, in percent, that a nautical mile is longer than a statute mile
8 Ship-to-ship range, in nautical miles, of VHF radio on a small boat with an 8 foot antenna
50 Coast Guard VHF range, in nautical miles from the beach
70 Miles offshore where insurance coverage ends for many policies
90+ The percentage of EPIRB false alarms
21 Average length, in feet, of boats used by US West Coast tuna anglers
3 Percentage of my students that know the approximate lat/long of their home waters before they start coaching or classes
20 Percentage of chartplotter features captains that most captains actually understand
50 Percentage of captains who know which of the three lat/long formats they are using
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