Give or treat yourself to a subscription to Boats in Motion print + digital and for only 39 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
When fishing from the boat, the fish of a lifetime, the one that lurks in the dreams of every fishing enthusiast, may always be possible. In fact, our seas, despite intensive fishing, can still hold great surprises. Marco Volpi, one of the most famous sport fisherman from Livorno in Italy, considered as one of the strongest in fishing from the boat, 32 times world champion of fishing from a boat, knows something about this. Volpi made an exceptional catch, an amberjack over 52 kg, one of the largest ever caught in Italian waters by fishing from the boat.
The catch took place in Tuscan waters using the live bait trolling technique, and Marco Volpi was aboard his Tuccoli 250 VM, the fisherman center console designed by Oris Martino D’Ubaldo, with advice from Marco Volpi himself.
A double satisfaction in short, both for the exceptional fish and for having achieved the catch with what is somewhat “his” boat not only as an ownership, but also as a deck plan idea and project development.
“I had seen them the day before on a reef and I didn’t have adequate live bait, I went crazy…” says Marco Volpi, who had seen on a deep shoal, thanks to the echo sounder, “markings” from important fish, and his experience suggested the presence of amberjacks. But dealing with large “Lolas” requires a refined presentation of deception, as well as the right equipment.
“We went early in the day for big horse mackerel and mackerel and then we trolled to a place where we know there are barracuda and albacore, catching two about 600/700 grams, we had killer baits.” Volpi continues.
“I set the bait about 200 meters from the rock where I had seen the fish the day before and trolling, once I had laid out the line and lifted the bait off the bottom about ten meters, I headed with the Minn Kota Quest Qnsinct to the spot, at a speed of one knot. Arriving at the spot, four gorgeous bows appeared on the echosounder, there they were, and indeed after the first touch, the 30/50 stunner suddenly bent over. With the Minn Kota at top speed, we took the fish away from the rocks so as not to run into any nasty surprises, I know these fish, they are very smart.”
Volpi refers to the ability of amberjacks to rub their heads against rocks when they realize they have been lured, and they often manage to cut the line. Crucial to this was the role of electric propulsion, which was powerful enough to immediately bring the Tuccoli 250 VM away from the shoal and into a sandy area where it was possible to complete the fight without complications.
When the silhouette of the big amberjack appeared under the boat, here was the surprise. Volpi had imagined a fish over 40 kilograms, already over his personal best, found himself under the hull a 52,200-kilogram specimen.
The T250 VM is perfect for the angler’s needs: fast, stable and dry even in rough seas. With the accessories you need: rod holders, live and catch tanks, lockers for stowing tools and rods, showerheads for washing, and an incredible center seat that hides the storage rack. Propelling it is the Suzuki DF 300B, the first 300-hp outboard with a twin counter-rotating propeller.
Large cockpit with 4.3 sq. m. of walkable area with padding on the inner perimeter so the angler can use the broadside as a comfortable support while fighting larger fish.
Sign up for our Newsletter
Powerboats, its stories, from small open to motoryachts. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the editorial staff each week. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button.
We present the most renowned companies and people who have been working for years to improve the boat. We asked the leading players to tell us about their special features and the services they offer. We are confident that you
Welcome to the special Classic Boat Archive section, where Boats by Motor opens for you its paper archive where hundreds and hundreds of boats we have tested, presented and reviewed in the magazine’s more than 35-year history are kept. Technical
Our focus in this “Improving the Boat” Special on mooring lines. That is, a guide to the choice of essential ropes for your powerboat, especially when you are not on board. On motor boats, ropes play a vital role. They
We see them dancing around large cruise ships or container ships, moving sideways, rotating on themselves and releasing frightening force in just a few meters of water. But what is the technical secret that enables such compact hulls to steer
