Let's say that you have great live bait.  The conditions are perfect.  The fish are in the area.  Suddenly, no bait and no strike.  Then you spot the beloved Bottlenose Dolphin and you try to remember why they are considered beloved.  Actually, the Marlin tends to swim amidst the schools of Dolphin.  The Dolphin with their uncanny sonar would never bite into a steel hook, they will take the bait directly behind it.  A simple solution is to take an ordinary stapler and staple the fins on the bait all the way around the body. 

The clever Dolphin will not touch the bait whereas the not so clever Marlin may think that it looks more appetizing than ever.  Try it, it really works.  This tip was given to Phil by Richard Richardson, a contender in the World Billfish Championship held here last month.

Considering Phil's background as Harbor Master on Catalina and all of the experience that he has gained here, we expected some really great tips for the reports in months to come, but so far he cannot spit out anything that is worth writing about.  If any of you have a fishing tip, please e-mail it to Phil, get him off the hook and we will be so happy to include your information.