Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Lachman.
Gary, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
A New York native, Gary’s family has lived in Palm Beach, Florida since 1975. In fact, Gary started fishing in Miami in 1963 with his younger brother, Billy.
Hooked forever on the denizens of the salty deep as well as fly fishing for trout, steelhead, and salmon in the rivers of Colorado, Montana, British Columbia, Great Britain, Central America, and Africa, Gary is the complete angler. His more notable catches include an 850 lb. Blue Marlin off the coast of Lome, Togo, a 75 lb. Wahoo in the waters off Ghana in West Africa, a 22 lb. Tiger Fish in the Zambezi River of Zambia in East Africa, numerous Tyee (40+ lbs.) King Chinook Salmon in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia, a 7 ½ ft. 180 lb. White Sturgeon in the Upper Fraser River of British Columbia, a 26 lb. Rainbow Trout in the River Itchen in Winchester, UK, a 135 lb. Pacific Sailfish in the Fiji Islands, and a 70 lb. Cobia off Ocean Ridge, Florida.
An early adherent to the practice of catch and release, Gary’s motto is: “If you aren’t going to eat it, I’m going to release it.” If you want to memorialize your catch with something more substantial than a photograph, Gary will put you together with Florida’s premier mounting service, Gray Taxidermy. (The actual fish is never used anymore in fish mounts, so no need to kill your catch.)
Gary established Blue Devil Fishing LLC in early 2016 and purchased the first Blue Devil, a Boston Whaler 280 Outrage, that same year. In November of 2017, he upgraded to a new Boston Whaler 330 Outrage equipped with twin Mercury Verado 350 horsepower engines with Joystick piloting and Skyhook GPS technology. Honoring the team that represents his alma mater, Duke University, the Blue Devil Sport Fishing logo portrays the iconic mascot holding a saltwater trolling rod instead of a pitchfork and sporting a tail that ends in a fish hook.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Fishing involves the intimate and often contentious relationship between humans and our environment. Therefore, Mother Nature ultimately determines whether a fishing trip will be successful. We have endured days of sterile seas when nary a seabird, turtle or flying fish was to be seen, much less gamefish to fill our fish boxes. More often during the winter months, strong winds and high seas have limited our trips to only the most hale and hearty, experienced anglers.
The acquisition of our current fishing boat was an ordeal in itself. Unethical, dishonest yacht brokers representing the seller of the vessel we decided to acquire delayed the purchase by over a month, costing us many thousands of dollars in lost charters.
But at the end of the day, fishermen (a gender-neutral term) are an optimistic lot. We always believe that the next monster billfish is just about to swim into our bait spread and crush that ballyhoo with the razor-sharp circle hook.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Blue Devil Fishing – what should we know?
Simply put, Blue Devil Sport Fishing offers the best fishing experience in South Eastern Florida at the best price available. We will pick you up in Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge, West Palm Beach or your preferred location to enjoy your day!
While we always provide the ultimate fishing for experienced anglers, the Blue Devil crew also delights in introducing youngsters to the world of offshore sport fishing. We target species like sailfish, swordfish, mahi-mahi, cobia, tuna, wahoo, kingfish, and sharks. We teach a variety of fishing techniques and bait rigging to clients who are interested in the mechanics of catching trophy fish. For those who want to catch their lunch, we can find snapper and grouper and grill it up for our customers right on the boat.
Perhaps most importantly, we educate our customers about the South Florida marine ecosystem and the profound importance of maintaining a sustainable, natural fishery. The process of resuscitating and releasing a billfish is almost as arduous as catching the fish itself, often requiring 20 minutes or more of holding the fish alongside the boat as we slowly drive forward, pushing water through its gills. And as for other pelagic species, if we aren’t going to eat it or use it as bait, captured fish are carefully released unharmed and without hooks back into the sea.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
A successful sportfishing adventure depends on a knowledgeable, hardworking, and enthusiastic crew. In addition to myself, (as principal Owner and Crew Chief), USCG Captain Steve Magassy, Tournament Master Matt Magassy and Rigging Mates Jack Myers and James Nevin provide our customers with a terrific experience on the salt.
Matt and Steve were integral in helping me with the selection of the best boats for our Florida waters and handled the purchasing and deployment of all of our high-quality equipment. They have trained Jack and James with countless hours of hands-on guidance, imparting their 25+ years of successful tournament fishing experience along the entire US East Coast.
Jack, James and I recently took third place in the prestigious “Anglers For The Cure” fishing tournament in Palm Beach. Even on those occasions when Matt and Steve are otherwise occupied with tournaments in the Mid-Atlantic, the three of us can deliver a superb fishing experience for our summer customers.
Pricing:
- Blue Devil Sport Fishing offers ½ day, ¾ day and full day fishing trips. Prices for our fishing charters are $595/$750/$895 respectively + bait costs and tips for the mates
- Sunset cruises available with drop-offs at local waterfront restaurants starting at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bluedevilfishing.com
- Phone: (301) 535-1234
- Email: gary.lachman@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @bluedevilfishing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluedevilfishing/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-devil-fishing-ocean-ridge
- Other: https://plus.google.com/+Bluedevilfishing
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