Perhaps you have heard of the Madam and the Hooker, mothership and gameboat, whose accomplishments in Big Game Fishing are legendary.

Just read the IGFA Record Book and marvel at the World Records they have recorded as the team traveled the oceans in search of Blue Marlin, Black Marlin and other record billfish. The owner and team leader was Jerry Dunaway, along with Captains Skip Smith and Trevor Cockle broke new ground (water) as the “Hooker Team” scoured the blue waters of exotic and faraway locations.

The Madam was a converted oil-field boat that had been engineered to fit the vision that Jerry wanted to bring to reality. The Hooker was a custom made G&S and a perfect match as the gameboat. Their successes have fueled the dreams of others that desire the fishing adventure of a mothership/gameboat.

Other mothership/gameboat combinations came along at a slow pace over the next couple of decades.

Avid readers of sportfishing magazines like On the Edge and Marlin have certainly come across articles on the mothership French Look and its sport-boat (a 40' Gamefisherman) and the Freedom and its mothership Sea Condo. You’ve also read of the mothership Horizons and its sport-boat Tyson’s Pride. The Sea Condo tows the Freedom from location to location and Tyson’s Pride runs alongside its mothership.

The French Look carries its gameboat loaded on deck. Existing motherships, except Greg Norman’s Aussie Rules were converted from commercial vessels…Gulf oil mud boats, Chilean tuna boats, Alaskan crabbers, Canadian mine sweepers etc. After spending millions of dollars an owner still has an old boat that is fighting rust daily and a diminished resale value. These combinations have proven to be very successful for their respective operations, but a new and better mouse-trap has been developed.

Continue reading Mike's Story.