LEGACY SEASON

The Rebuild: Brad Philipps 2.0

In early 2020, we were close to a milestone years in the making: forty thousand billfish released. The rhythm was sharp. The reputation global. And then the world shut down.

Guatemala locked its borders. Decisive went into dry storage. Our crew dispersed for work. As a family, we made the call to leave — to protect our children and begin building Toro River Lodges while waiting for the world to return to normal.

When we finally returned in late 2023, nothing was the same. The boat needed a full rebuild. The industry was slow. The team had to be re-formed from scratch. It wasn’t instant. It wasn’t glamorous. It was the beginning of the slow curve.

That line guided every step of the rebuild — replacing, retraining, refining, and refusing to rush the process.

Slow Work, Hidden Progress

From the outside, it looked static — a boat in the yard, a business restructuring, a captain on the phone more than behind the wheel. But below the surface, the work was compounding.

Everything mattered:

• Rebuilding a high-performance boat from the ground up.
• Training a new crew to anticipate — not react.
• Re-establishing a high-performance system where every detail counts.

This was the slow phase — essential, demanding, and invisible to most. But the ocean rewards those who stay committed.

Then Fast: When It All Comes Together

And then — it shifted.

Days with multiple blue marlin on fly. Sails stacked on the edge. A boat, crew, and anglers moving as one. To outsiders, it looked like luck. On the bridge, I knew better: this was the return that months of slow work had earned.

This is the rhythm of mastery: long quiet stretches followed by explosive breakthroughs.

What This Means for You as an Angler

The same curve applies to every serious angler. You don’t build greatness by chasing only the hot bite. You build it through:

• Practising your cast long before the fish appears.
• Staying calm when clearing a tangle.
• Watching how a fish tracks and switches on the teaser.
• Reviewing each day with honesty — not excuses.

Takeaway: Trust the Curve

Everything we’ve rebuilt — the boat, the crew, the systems, and the high-performance standards — has proven one truth:

The process is slow, slow… then fast.

Respect the slow phase. Embrace the rebuild. Stay patient. The ocean will reward your preparation when the window opens.

Why Some Anglers Are Impossible to Outfish

“We know more about the moon than we know about the habits of billfish.” I said that years ago, half in jest, half in truth. After thousands of days at sea, I still believe it. Mastery isn’t about knowing everything — it’s about being prepared for anything.

On the ocean, you can tell within an hour who’s built for it — and who’s guessing. Some anglers have strong days when the bite’s hot, but they fall apart when it isn’t. The great ones? They don’t rely on luck — they build a game that works in any condition.

In 2000, I carried forward 300 days fished from my formative years — and added 51 more on the Pacific. That year alone: 487 sailfish and 4 blue/black marlin released — every one on precision, not chance. Those early years taught me one truth: consistency beats everything.

The Goal: Become the Angler No One Can Expose

Every captain and angler has a weakness:

• The drift they can’t line up.
• The spread they can’t balance.
• The rhythm they lose when the bite slows.

Your goal? Eliminate all of it. Build a game that no one — and nothing — can expose. When you reach that level, every trip becomes predictable in one way: success.

Fix the Gaps Before the Storm

Don’t wait for calm seas to test your skill. Work your weaknesses when the water’s rough and the fish are scarce. That’s where mastery lives.

Structure matters:

• Review your spread after every trip.
• Train your eye to spot tension before it happens.
• Rehearse the release — until it’s second nature.

Why It Matters

By 2008, I had released over 17,000 billfish. Today, it’s more than 40,000 and counting. That didn’t happen by chasing the perfect day — it happened by removing weak spots, one at a time.

It’s not about catching more fish. It’s about mastering yourself.

You Are the Captain of Your Own Legacy

It doesn’t matter if you’re on the bridge or on the rod — your success is yours to command. Don’t wait for someone else to teach you how to lead.

Hold yourself accountable. Build your system. Trust your process. Never stop refining. And keep coming.

As featured in Bite Magazine, where this philosophy of preparation, precision and respect for the ocean continues to set the benchmark for modern billfishing.

Ready…

With your tackle set, double-check that the fly is snugged tightly to the hooks. This keeps them ready for the strike and prevents the fly or hooks from flipping over on the shock tippet during the cast or when tossed in the water. Right-handed anglers typically cast from the port side; left-handers can adapt easily without switching the entire spread.

We place a wooden stopper in the covering-board rod holder with a looped cord to secure the rod butt, tip on the transom, so the rod lies perfectly in wait. The exact casting distance of line is loosely flaked on the aft deck corner, all snags cleared, and outriggers left up so nothing interferes with the backcast.

🎥 Watch: How to rig a swimming Spanish mackerel

Set…

Before the captain calls “Cast!”, glance down: make sure the line isn’t looped over the reel handle, the rod butt, or anything else. Hold the rod like a bat, ready to swing; with lighter drags, pinch the line between two fingers so no extra line spills off the reel.

A cut-down, heavy, thin-diameter shooting-head fly line helps turn over big flies and minimizes drag during a billfish’s run. Be acutely aware of apparent wind—it dictates your backcast and forward presentation.

Recently refitted, the nimble, 40-foot Gamefisherman Decisive is the perfect platform to sharpen your billfish-on-fly skills. — Photo: Mark Hatter

Cast!

When the moment comes, load the rod with a swift, deliberate backcast and a purposeful pause. Then deliver a forceful forward cast—this isn’t the time for a soft trout presentation. The incoming billfish is fired up from the teaser; make sure it knows your fly is there.

Ideally, the fly should land in the clear lane between the prop wash and the incoming teaser. As the fly splashes down, the teaser is ripped past and yanked from the water in one motion, triggering the eat. With crisp presentation and well-timed teamwork, the fish turns and eats—and it’s a sight you’ll never forget.