With 25 years of experience as a professional Charter Captain and Marine Biologist, I was recently contracted to perform a tagging research project in the Florida Keys where I successfully tagged and vented some 2000 Snapper and Grouper during a 16 day period. The needle stayed sharp, didn't clog and worked well on fish of all sizes. I purchased my Pre-Vent from Team Marine a little over two years ago and have now successfully vented an estimated 10,000 fish. With the work we do, we put everything to the hard test and most people would not vent that many fish in a lifetime. Thank you Team Marine for building the best venting tool I've ever used. Capt. Buddy Bradham
http://www.auduboninstitute.org 10th. December 2008. Jeff
Strane Good’ay
Jeff, How’s it going mate ? 21deg.
52’28.S. 152deg. 27’37.E. After travelling to the Port of Gladstone in Central Queensland, from the Sunshine Coast, We headed to sea on board the MV. Booby Bird, around 3pm Saturday afternoon the 1st of November, the “Bird” is an 85ft. charter vessel which will be the mother ship for the 12 of us for the next 7 days. It also carries 6 aluminium “Tinnies” or dories on the upper deck. Our destination is a group of reefs on the outer edge of the GBR, 135 Nm. North-east of Gladstone, 21deg. 52’28,S. 152deg. 27’37.E. about 16 to 18 hours of over night steaming. On clearing the harbour heads and turning north-east, into the open waters of the SW Coral Sea, we knew that we were going to have a comfortable trip. The wind was about 5-8 knots of afternoon sea breeze and the ocean had around 2 foot of wind slop on it. The forecast for the following week was for more of the same. The prediction of perfect weather, for the week, came true. We had 15 knots one night and it dropped out from daylight on. That was our “Bad Weather” for the week. Daylight saw us entering the Swain Reefs and we keep travelling till around 9am. The skipper, Captain Ben Grose, decided that we should try a bit of deep water drift fishing, with the wind and swell being all most non-existent, the conditions were in our favour. We were hoping to find ourselves being stretched and getting braid burns of the thumb by a few big Red Emperor, Lutjanus Sebae or Coral Trout, Plectropomus Leopardus. Mate, we had a ball. There is usually a bit of a competition between some of us, (Yeh, the ego’s don’t fade with age.) as to who lands the first and biggest Coral Trout for the trip. This year I got the points over the rest of them, around 5 kilos of Coral Trout as my first fish. The big Reds were there, but the fish were too good for some of the boys. They found out all about their fishing gear in that first hour or two. The knots were not up to standard,….that fishing reel, got on special, was a heap of junk, it died on the first fish, and the excuses kept coming thick and fast. Some of the blokes hadn’t had a line in the water for many months and I reckon that it takes a good day or more to get tuned into the fishing on the Great Barrier Reef. On the trip out I handed out the Pre-Venters, to the Skipper, Deckhands, Darren and Roy, and some of the other fellows on the fishing trip, that you had sent out to me. We went through the instructions and spoke about the benefits of venting fish prior to releasing the ones we did not want to add to the freezer. Some of us have been tagging and releasing fish for the last 20 odd years and can see the beliefs and theories to venting fish prior to releasing them. We have a boat policy on our trips that if you have to measure a fish, to see if it is of legal size, then it goes back. I like to see fish at least 50mm, (2/3 inches for you guys), longer than the minimum and I also like to release the larger of the species, these are the breeders and the future to our fishing enjoyment. By day three, the Pre-Venters had been used by all of us fishing in the tinnies/dories or on the back deck of the Bird, and the remarks were similar. “You
could see the stomach deflate, and hear it. “ Roy,
one of our Deckies … All of the crew agreed that it, Venting, will be part of the routine on future trips before releasing the undersized or not wanted fish. Their main concern was that the fishoes might pinch the Pre-Venters, if they didn’t keep an eye on them. The charter boat crews and operators have a very good understanding of the need to protect and help in the sustainability of fish stocks on the GBR. My fishing mate, Bryan, and I did a few tests with a couple of the smaller Sweet-lip, Lethrinus Miniatus that we caught at the same time. We vented only one and then, let them both go together. The vented one was well on it’s way back to the reef, about 20 metres down, and it’s mate was still in mid water. With the visibility of the water, out in the GBR, it was easy to watch the larger fish, we released, all the way to the bottom. So Jeff, needless to say, I feel that all of us, on the trip, can now see the benefits in venting fish prior to releasing them and the Pre-Venters will be a much used item in their tackle box. Out of the 3 models you sent out, no body had a preference as to which one that they wanted to use. Well, the rest of the week went much the same, Good Weather, Good Fishing, Good Food, Good Crew, Good Laughs, Good Bunch of Blokes, Good Week… Where the Bloody Hell were U Jeff ??? Only one complaint for the trip, “ Bob, can’t you F*#~’n organize a couple of extra days in the week ? ” Guess
there’s one whinger in every group, ah… Once again, Jeff, thanks heaps for the Pre-Venters and the Team Marine products. There are now a few more converted anglers using the vent tool and spreading the word on the benefits of venting fish prior to releasing them. It all helps for the future of our favourite pastime. A couple of the boys are going Barra fishing up north on the week-ends, over the next month, and have a venting tool on the boat. So, photos and feed back to come on that lot of outings. ~ ~ ~ I’m
heading up to Hichenbrook Island and the Cairns area over the
Christmas, with my lady. Might have to do a little bit of crabbing, and a lot of looking over the shoulder, while in the mangroves. It’s Croc nesting time… I’ll give you a call and discuss a couple of things with you before we leave. Sea
U Mate…
Hypodermic Needles and Boating………Not Good!
On Tuesday March 11, 2008, a couple of buddies and I were returning to Johns Pass from a day of fishing offshore. As we approached the Pass, we were boarded by U.S. Customs/ Dept. of Homeland Security. The boat was pretty awesome. Looked like a 40 foot Midnight Express and had 4 motors. The agents were all business and were primarily looking only for drugs, weapons and illegal contraband. They searched us and every inch of our boat and all they found was my hypodermic needle that I use as a bladder popper. When they found this the agents wanted to know why I had it. I can only imagine what was going through his mind. For the next five to ten minutes I tried my best to convince him that I don’t do drugs, don’t have drugs and tried to explain to him how the bladder popper was used to help a released fish to survive. The whole search and explanation session lasted thirty five minutes or so, plus they also ran our driver’s licenses to see if we had any warrants out for our arrests. I don’t know if by having a hypodermic needle in possession gives them reason for Probable Cause or not, but one thing is for sure, I’ll never put myself in that position again. I’ve used a hypodermic needle for a bladder popper for over three years. They can be a real headache and safety risk also. They would rust pretty quickly and become flimsy. The safety risk involved with the hypodermic needle is that they can easily poke you and you run the risk of a nasty infection, especially while on a boat in pitching and rolling seas or simply just reaching into your tackle bag to find it. They do have a push on cover for the needle, but it’s very common for me to lose it in my tackle bag or just plain lose it on the boat. Jeff Strane of Team Marine USA heard about this incident on the Florida Sportsman’s Forum, contacted me and asked my permission to put my experience into writing. Jeff offered to give me a Pre-Vent and I plan to keep it readily accessible and in plain view! Lucas D.
Jeff, I wanted to share a recent fishing experience with you. I was invited on a Middle Grounds trip by Captain David Walker. He had a client that wanted to make the run and wanted someone else experienced with him on his boat. The day was by far, my best offshore experience ever. I’ve made more than my fair share of trips and to use the words of Captain Walker, we vaporized them. I assumed the mate role on his boat, aiding in the landing and releasing of fish. We saw your product at the Captain Mel’s Tournament and commented throughout the day (while using the syringe) about how much easier and safer your venting tool is. Then it happened, yes, you guessed it, I was in the process of venting a fish and as he flopped, the syringe went into my hand. As the fish was flopping all over the place, I had the line wrapped around my hand, a needle 3/8” deep in my palm, easy to say the fishing was halted. I looked to make sure it had not gone thru my hand then pulled it out. Capt. Walker, understanding better than most the effects of flesh eating bacteria (he was one of the 6 guides that contracted it from the Tampa Bay area the year before and had to undergo an extreme regiment of treatment to fight it off) said we need to clean it and clean it good. So while I was forcing it to bleed, he washed the wound with bleach and I’m sure I created some new words during this process. So, we get it cleaned and now we need to bandage it up. It needed to be water tight, so Captain Walker got some thin plastic and super glue and applied the bandage, more new words came out. The whole time his client is looking on in awe. We finished the day making the ride back in and then on we went to the clinic. It’s Sunday, so my doctor was not opened and wanting to treat the wound as soon as possible, my only choice was a walk in clinic. The next day I paid a return visit to my doctor and some serious antibiotics to kill any potential bacteria. Grand total with insurance $387.00. This would have been more if not for the treatment I got from Captain Walker. I will never make another trip offshore without Team Marine USA’s venting tool and nor should anyone else but if some people still choose to use inferior venting tools, as my Dad always told me “IF YOUR GONNA BE DUMB YOU BETTER BE TOUGH” Sincerely, Hey guys I wanted to comment and thank you for developing an outstanding product! Your “Pre-Vent Pro” is perfect for venting and aides in the survival of our released fish. I operate an Offshore Charter service here in the Big Bend region. Throughout the year we release thousands of Grouper and Red Snapper in the deep depths of the Gulf of Mexico. I like that the Pro-Vent is made of aluminum. Your product keeps up with the intense saltwater fishing elements we are subject too. We have been using this tool for over a year now and I’m proud to say, “No problems and no rust whatsoever!” Your tools exceed our demands. I have seen and used other products in today’s market and they just don’t compare to the Pro-Vent. What I also like about the tool is there’s no need to dispose of dangerous needles or try to find the smaller ones in the boat when they are needed. We don’t have to worry about stepping on a needle in the boat with your product because of the needle retracts into the tool and needle is always reusable. Also for liability reasons the Pro-vent is a win-win! All in all, I like that you guys are a local company with great products, service, and truly helpful staff! When my clients and friends are looking for a venting tool I send them to Team Marine USA! Keep up the great work!!
I spend a lot of time fishing off shore of Ft Myers, Florida in water that is deeper than a hundred foot. When reeling in fish from those depths it is inevitable that they develop excessive air in their bladders. We release a substantial amount of our catches of Grouper, Snapper and whatever else we catch. For those released fish to survive, it is imperative that they be vented. The tools that I have found to be the absolute best on the market to achieve that is the Pre-Vent tools, by Team Marine USA. They are manufactured to safely hold onto, to quickly vent fish of all sizes from a 500 lb Goliath Grouper to a short Snapper. It is easy to use the perfectly sized tools and the hollow needle is very sharp and durable. You can actually hear the air escaping when you insert the needle. I wouldn't be without one on my vessel. TEAM ENVIRONMENTAL
"IN HOT PURSUIT"
CAPT CHICK MELFI
The Pre-Vent is outstanding, it is very well made, easy to use, and safe. I have seen people use hyperdermic needles and syringes to achieve this.
"I fish offshore often to seek photograph opportunities for my line of work. Of course we catch smaller benthic species from deep water. As these fish are important to our future, so is the health of each fish. This is why the Pre-Vent tool from Team Marine USA is a tool every offshore angler and captain needs to possess. Knowing confidently a small grouper or snapper can return to its environment is a piece of mind that our offshore fishing will be there for us tomorrow. Thank you Team Marine USA for producing a fantastic product." Capt. Bret Gamrot "The Pre-Vent tool is the best conservation tool I have
seen and used to date. Fish mortality is an important issue and
this new product addresses the problem of fish decompression better
than anything I have seen. Most competitor's tools are cumbersome
and rather dangerous on a boat in rough seas. The Pre-Vent tool,
with it's retractable needle is easy to use and most important,
safe for both the fisherman and the fish." Although I fish primarily inshore, occasionally on calm days I will take clients for so some near shore Grouper fishing and anyone doing deeper water fishing knows not all fish fall within the size limit which means they must go back. Here is where the Team Marine USA group came to the rescue by creating a viable means of deflating the abdominal cavities with minimal damage to the fish. We’ve used various methods over the years but nothings as simple and non-invasive as the Pre-Vent Tool when it comes to preserving undersize or unwanted fish. I strongly recommend it to anyone. On another note they also make tool called “It’s a Cinch”. What a handy little device for tying knots, swivels or terminal tackle, it sure saves your hands and fingers. I use mine everyday and love it. Capt. Woody Gore
"The Cinch Tool is one of my go to tools either on my
Maverick skiff or my 27 Panga LX gulf boat, fishing 250+ day's a
year. That's allot of knots !!!! I can still remember how cut up
my hands were before I was introduced to this tool by Jeff at Team
Marine USA. Thanks Jeff. I don't leave the dock without the Cinch
Tool."
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