FISH WIDE OPEN

TODAY'S NEW BREED OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE OUTBOARD BOATS EXPANDS ANGLING HORIZONS

- RON BALLANTI

I remember when a run to the offshore fishing grounds went something like this: Get to the boat the night before to load up gear, bait and tackle. Once we cleared the breakwater, we'd settle in for a long, slow chug through the inky darkness. If there was any weather, the inability to see approaching waves meant slowing down even more. After eight or 10 hours of creeping along and taking turns at the helm, a faint horizon would materialize along the hem of the purple-gray sky, and our fishing day would officially begin.

Today a new breed of high-speed fishing boats has created a new paradigm for serious offshore anglers coast to coast. Owners of these powerful fishing machines are likely to hop on board in the morning, fire up the four or five high-performance outboards sitting shoulder-to-shoulder across the ample transom, and motor out of the harbor to the oohs and aahs of onlookers and envious anglers.

When the captain reaches open water and opens the throttles on up to 3,000 hp of outboard power, the true appeal of these speed machines becomes apparent. With a jaw-dropping amount of available horsepower, high-tech mono- or multihulls rocket to the offshore destinations in a fraction of the time required in yesteryears. The concept of comfortably running 100 miles or more, catching a load of fish, and returning home on the same day is not just possible but also common.