The goal for this project was to take a solid center console fishing platform and “max it out”. To do this the Hughes contracted with Professional Sportfish Services in Brielle NJ. Working together it was decided that the boat would be rigged with all Northstar and Simrad electronics, along with a host of accessories.

This boat needed to be able to perform in all types of fishing situations. From livebaiting bunkers for Striped Bass in Sandy Hook Bay to being able to perform the blistering runs to the furthest Northeast Canyons. The boat needed to be functional, good looking and safe.

Gearing Up

The heart of the electronics system is 2 12” Northstar 6100 head units. These units are interfaced and display both Radar and Sounder information along with Sirius weather and DVD video input.. The radar antenna for this application is a 4kW dome, this style offers light weight for T-Top installations also the HD images provide crystal clear target information. The sounder uses Northstars 491 “black box” unit coupled to an Airmar 1kW shoot through the hull transducer. Finishing the system off is a Sirius Satellite upgrade that shows weather and water temperatures. Simply move the cursor over the puddle of water you want to fish and hit “goto”. The course and bearing immediately show up on your screen and your off to the fishing grounds.

The next link in the system is the Autopilot. For this it was decided that Simrads new AP26 “virtual feedback” system be installed. The beauty of autopilots is truly realized when fishing with small crews. Simply press the “auto” button and you are free to set lines or lend a hand in the cockpit. When interfaced to the Northstar 6100 its simply a matter of finding where you want to fish setting a waypoint and hitting the “Nav” button. Then sit back and keep a lookout while the autopilot does the work.

The VHF’s are Northstar units and there are 2. This allows the operator to monitor Coast Guard channels and still listen to the fishing reports. This also gives the owner a redundant back up should something ever go wrong with one of the units.

Needing to be a completely flexible fishing machine Prime Coat is equipped with many other fishing necessities. Such as massive amounts of rod storage and enough gunnel rod holders to fish for everything from fluke to sailfish. With 3 Livewells, a custom Nautical Design tackle center and a full enclosure with fold out “wings” for shelter in rough weather this boat is ready to go places. Even if it means going at night. Lighting on this boat is as creative as the rest of rigging. Whether spending a night in the Hudson Canyon or tying up for dinner and a cocktail this “Ultimate Contender” is ready. The 12v flood lights on the T-Top provide good light for working the boat at night while the 3 - 2010 Ocean LED underwater lights let the fish no its time to eat. If its just a little dinner and a cocktail the blue accent lighting under the gunnels and radio box set this boat off from the rest.

Keeping it Clean

How many times have you looked at a new boat and thought “nice looking boat” only to come back and take a look at it after the riggers have left and wonder to yourself “what happened?”. There is a real trick to getting installations to look neat and clean. It’s a delicate balance between being able to see everything you need and use everything you have. Let’s use the stereo as an example. There is no need in todays world to have a stereo unit out in the elements. Most like the Jensen system used in this application come with or at least have available a small full function remote that takes up a quarter of the space the head unit would. This allows the installers to place the stereo head unit in a protceted location (like the inside of the console) and still give the owner access to all the features available through the small remote. Another example of “keeping it clean” is knowing how to run wires. Contender provides a good base and everything in the console is very neatly done. But when you need to add lighting, stereos, VHF’s, GPS and autopilot systems, there is a lot of stuff that needs to be managed. The group at Professional Sportfish Services takes this business very seriously. I would challenge anyone to go on this boat to find something that doesn’t look factory installed or better.

Everything takes time and effort, attention to detail is key. This boat came with a factory T-Top that had no available wire routing. So instead of taking the easy way out and leaving wires exposed to the elements the folks at PSF contracted Ocean Towers for custom wire routes so that all would be exposed wires were protected. There was also a custom combination antenna built to hold the gps sensor, sirius weather receiver and a 3 db vhf antenna. This type of creativity and ingenuity only comes from a business that truly cares about the final product.

Buddy and Kathy Hughes chose Professional Sportfish Services to rig their Contender because they knew they would get a high quality job done right the first time. This was a succesful project the finished Prime Coat provides her owners with the ability to get to the fishing grounds safely in all types of conditions. To date Buddy and Kathy have placed in 2 tournaments and continue to fish this “Ultimate Contender” up and down the coast.

Team Bandits contender is outfitted with OceanLED Thru Hull fixtures and Fish Strobes making them an unbeatable force on the water.

Captain Ron Mitchell, Curt Johnson, Justin Burgreen, David Pendergraft and Tom Kenney won saltwater fishing's most prestigious title, the Southern Kingfish Association's Yamaha Professional Kingfish Tour Angler of The Year honors, and they did it in convincing fashion by shattering all the existing records (see related chart).

Side chart:

'91 Clayton Kirby
'92 Joe Bruce..................... 255.75
'93 Wyndall Vereen............ 239.85
'94 Dave Workman, Jr....... 225.92
'95 Dave Workman, Jr....... 211.96
'96 Rick Smith.................... 185.68
'97 Clayton Kirby................ 241.55
'98 Steve Shook................. 248.91
'99 Dave Workman, Jr....... 264.86
'00 David Van Lent............. 234.50
'01 Chris Chase.................. 222.93
'02 Ed Mecchella................ 243.33
'03 Paul Massey.................. 251.78
'04 Dean Spatholt.............. 246.38
'05 Terry Johnson............. 245.06
'06 Ron Mitchell................. 283.14

Coming soon: 2007 Tournament positions

There are in fact many fishing shows on the tube these days, many are quite similar going to the same spots, fishing for the same fish week in, week out. This series focuses on only strong fighting shallow water fish in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean and the name says it all, Fishing the Flats which really means inshore, shallow waters.

It is a known fact green and blue colored lights are best for attracting fish, but why?

White light is a combination of all colors of the spectrum. As we walk around we see white light reflecting off of surfaces that give off different colors.

Imagine being put into a solid white room with solid white lights coming at you from all sides, it would drive your vision crazy! Now if you were to take a single color light and turn it on in that same room say blue or green it is easy to deal with. The same thing happens with a fish. You bring it to the boat and into the overwhelming white light and that is a very unhappy fish. But what if you were to bring him into a single color of light such as Blue orGreen, you have a fish that remains very calm by comparison and is easier to control for boating or release.

Imagine fighting that tuna or swordfish for an hour or more only to lose it at the boat when you brought it into the white light. Why risk losing fish when you can have a single pure color LED light that is easier on yours and the fishes eyes. Fish on!

Don't take out word for it. We have testimonials from many fisherman that have tested and testified to this exact happening using our lights.

"I installed the Flush Mount Super Blue in the bottom of my 31' Jupiter and had the best week of swordfishing in my entire life with 28 fish! We have nicknamed the blue light the calming light because the fish do not get skittish when being brought to the boat." - Captain Mark Pratt

A traditional white light around docks or on boats will attract some bait and game fish however you will find that most of the time they will hang around the outer edges of the glow on the dark. Always cast and bring your lure along the edge of the light right? What if you could bring the fish closer to you? The pure color attracts bait right into the lights not bothering their eyes. If the bait is ok with it, the game fish are.

Pictured are a school of flying fish and squid about 2 miles off of Palm Beach, FL. In an attempt to find clean water for the photoshoot we headed out a bit then stopped. In seconds we were covered up in bait. Some were even jumping in the boat!

In conclusion - why use white underwater lights when fishing when it is a world reknown face the best colors to use are green and blue? The answer is simple - OceanLED.

It attracts your attention and you know where to go. The same works for fish and this was proven many times in different scenarios.

One study was conducted at a hydropower plant. When water was released to produce power or to reduce the level of the reservoir the fish were being drawn into the spillway. In an effort to attract the fish away from the area to another part of the lake an underwater strobe light mounted on a platform was used. Studies at this location showed that the strobe attracted fish away from the dam and reduced mortality rate by over 30%. Proof again that strobes attract more than just human eyes.

From these studies came the idea for OceanLED to develop and introduce our LED Fish Strobe. Available in Super Green and Super Blue and in two different sizes, these strobes offer 9 adjustable strobing patterns. For use during the day to simulate a very powerful and deep penetrating reflection off of lures and baitfish or for use at night to attract tuna, swordfish, and other species to the boat. Use at night should also include non strobing lights in the boat to keep the anglers eyes acclimatized to a constant light.

Our LED Fish Strobe, unlike a strobing filament style bulb such as a Xenon, can be strobed endlessly with no reduction in life to the LEDs. A filament style bulb can not take the constant on and off nor change of strobe patterns like an LED.