Did not make it down there, but just got off the phone with Rick Alvarez in Venezuela. 28 boats fished in the Super Slam and released 150 billfish. The whites did not bite as hard as they did the previous week, but more blue marlin showed than usual. There were approximately 50 blues, 50 whites and 50 sails released. Big Oh from Florida took 1st place, Someday Lady from Venezuela was 2nd and Eliza from Aruba was 3rd. Chavez has decided to enforce a law to charge foreign vessels more for fuel than the local boats. Diesel went from 14 cents a gallon to $1.70 a gallon. That is still not to bad considering it is $4.00 plus here.
What would you expect form a prick like that.
16 mitzi 40 Merc
240 0utrage 250 verado
if they get it for 14 cents per gallon than why do we pay 4.50??? is our gas that much better or is the government too stuck up to let us pay fair price for it? They may have a reason to put limit on ARS if gast was affordable for the average person to take their boat out far enough to catch them!
1996 21’ TROPHY
1996 150 MARINER
Venezuela has such a phenominal fishery. We used to run groups down there to fish back in the early 90’s. What a shame that Chavez and his ant-american sentiment has made it so bad there now for the American traveler. When I stopped feeling safe there, I stopped bringing groups there as well.
I used to fly into Caracas, Fish LaGuaira and take a quick flight over to Puerto La Cruz to party for a few days. It does’nt surprise me that he is charging foreign vessels more for gas, although it’s still cheap there for fuel.
I remember just before leaving Florida for good, we could’nt get Expomar Sardines any more because he halted the export of them to the U.S. They were the best sardines on the market for bottom fishing.
