Our goal aboard the On Location is to furnish you with the ultimate fishing experience, a customizable trip to fit your needs and desires. Want to fill the box with sushi-grade tuna? Katie is certified in the art of Ike Jime and we can make it happen. Want to catch your son or daughter their first billfish? Our crew is skilled in education and sharing our knowledge. Want to perfect your light tackle angling skills on the Gulf summer sailfish bite? The On Location has ranked top in some of the world’s best light tackle fisheries.
Because the Gulf of Mexico can be notorious for its rough seas and high winds, we book week long blocks to furnish you with the best weather conditions possilble. We require a minimum commitment of two days within each week block, and a deposit of 50%.
Tournament fishing is our passion. If you want to try your hand at one or multiple exciting Gulf tournaments, the crew of the On Location can lead you to success. Below is a list of tournaments in Texas, contact us for more details.
The On Location is a privately owned, 57' Capps sportfish
She has been traveling the world for the last 10 years, and has now been made available to take you on an exclusive, world-class, sportfishing adventure.
The On Location is custom built with sportfishing and comfort in mind. Powered by 2 Caterpillar motors with 1,000 horse power per motor, the boat cruises at a comfortable 27 knots, only burning 60 gallons an hour in fuel.
There are 2 state rooms, each with full beds, and 2 bunks in the hall. The boat is capable of sleeping 4 adults or 3 couples comfortable. Additionally, there are two bathrooms with full showers and hot water to clean up at the end of the day. The staterooms, salon, and galley are fully air-conditioned, an often welcomed reprieve from the Texas heat in between bites.
The cockpit is very spacious with a large mezzanine, teak deck, and Release Marine fighting chair. It is designed to eliminate clutter so that you can fish in comfort with plenty of space to move around. All aspects of the cockpit, fishing equipment, and boat organization have been put to the test in many destinations and on many different fish.
The bridge has two comfortable benches, endeared for an elevated view of the spread or to have a cocktail during the trip in after a day of fishing. The On Location is equipped with Simrad electronics that Capt. Drake has fine tuned over the years to locate the targeted species.
The boat has everything you need to enjoy as many days on the water as you wish.
With water maker, ice maker, water heater, 2 generators, and an all star crew, we only have to go in when you want to.
- 57′ Capps Custom Sportfish
- 2 x 1,000 hp CAT Motors
- Comfortable cockpit and mezzanine
- Release Marine fighting chair
- State-of-the-Art Tackle
- Airconditioned interior
- 2 x Staterooms with full beds
- Bunk
- 2 x full heads w/shower
- Aft Galley
- Spacious and comfortable
We are fully equipped to chase the fish of your dreams
All the tackle on board is specifically designed for whatever species you may be targeting. Whether it is giant bluefin tuna on 130 lb gear, or stand up light tackle for sailfish and white marlin, all of the equipment onboard the On Location is top of the line.
All of the rods have been custom built and designed with each specific application in mind. Additionally, all of our Shimano Tiagra reels have been installed with upgraded drag systems and blueprinted by Cal Sheets.
The On Location is equipped with Lindgren-Pitman electric reels for pulling dredges, and accompanied by Capt. Drake’s over-indulgent lure collection.
The On Location spent 6 seasons fishing in the fish-rich waters off of central pacific Costa Rica. It was there that the crew was able to dial in their dredge fishing style and become one of the top boats in the entire central pacific fleet.
Fishing in Costa Rica exposes a captain, angler, and mate to a lot of opportunity each day. As a result, our entire team was able to perfect the light-tackle art form that is catching multiple billfish at once.
This same style of fishing can be directly applied right here in Port Aransas. Port A is famous for the amount of billfish it produces in the late summer and early fall, and having the opportunity to catch multiple at once is not uncommon, especially with a skilled crew such as ours!
This type of fishing usually takes place around 50-80 miles from Port A. It can be reached in a day trip, however opting to stay overnight will keep you on the fishing grounds longer.
Each trip can be customized to you, contact us for more information!
You’ve probably heard about the FAD fishing in Costa Rica.
The crew of the On Location was fortunate enough to be there from the beginning! They fished a total of 6 FAD seasons, releasing over 1100 blue marlin in total. This is where the On Location perfected the art of bait and switch marlin fishing.
Bait and Switch is a technique used to ensure the fish is caught on a circle hook, thus allowing it to be released in a healthy condition. It is performed by trolling only teasers behind the boat (that’s right, there are no hooks in the water). Once a fish shows itself in the spread, a bait with a circle hook is deployed. At this point, the angler and the crew work intimately to bring the fish closer to the hooked bait.
Bait and switch is by far the most thrilling way to catch blue marlin. Seeing a lit up, hungry fish eat a pitch bait a few feet from the transom is undoubtably one the most exciting sights in all of sportfishing!
If you would like to try your hand at bait and switch, it can be done at the floating oil platforms, or “floaters,” nearly year round in Texas. These floaters are giant FADs floating in thousands of feet of water, often in the middle of changing ocean currents. It is not uncommon to have multiple encounters at blue marlin in a trip, and often also a chance to load the box with Tuna!
In 2018, the On Location traveled 1800 miles from Costa Rica to Baja California in search of the incredible striped marlin bite in Bahia Magdalena or “Mags Bay.”
An incredible bite they found, releasing several hundred striped marlin every trip! This fishing is very similar to the light-tackle style of fishing in Costa Rica, but instead of sailfish there are marlin at the end of each line.. talk about challenge!
The striped marlin is the pacific cousin of the white marlin commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico. They are a tricky fish to catch and very acrobatic once hooked.
White marlin fishing can be very good in Port A in the late summer and early fall. With sailfish and blue marlin mixed into the fishery, a boat has a shot at a grand slam any day it is on the water!
The On Location traveled the eastern Atlantic for three years, during which it fished the infamously calm waters of Madeira.
Madeira is famous for its giant blue marlin, but notorious for its few bites. To capitalize on every opportunity provided, the On Location mixed up its regular bait and switch technique to include 2 lures in the farthest positions of the spread.
All but one fish released by the On Lo in their Madeira season were over 500lbs, with 3 fish over 700 and one estimated at 800+! Catching giant marlin like this is no joke, and you better have the best tackle and crew when you encounter one.
In Texas, it is not uncommon to catch marlin over 500 lbs and even bigger. The state record is 972 lbs! Many massive marlin have been spotted at floaters in late summer and early fall. If your dream is to catch a big marlin in the Gulf of Mexico, Team On Location is the crew you want to help you achieve it!
La Gomera is a very small island located in the Canaries off the west coast of Africa.
Every spring, giant bluefin tuna surround this tiny Spanish Island. The bluefin is a top predator, the strongest fish in the ocean, and the pinnacle of heavy tackle fishing.
To catch a fish correctly, 130 lb tackle is a must. At 50-70 lbs of drag this fish will test every part of the tackle and the angler.
The little known fishery in La Gomera has one of the best bluefin tuna bites on the planet. It was there that the On Location released 17-20 bluefin tuna in 5 days! All these fish ranged in size from 600-800 lbs, and on the best day the boat released 8 (until the owner couldn’t catch any more)!
Every spring, bluefin tuna migrate to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. This means that you can chase this giant fish here in Texas. This fishery has been getting better over the last few years and now anglers are able to harvest their catch until the quota is met.
Katie and Drake work hard every trip to make sure your experience will be an unforgettable one.
- Catering to dietary restrictions/preferences
- Teaching you and your group our billfishing techniques
- Helping your loved ones fall in love with fishing
Email Us for more information
Seabros Fishing
Podcast
“Captain Drake and Katie Sawyer – discuss their lives, fishing, tackle, and travel for the last 7 years aboard the On Location”
In The Bite Magazine
"Young Guns"
Captain Drake Sawyer
Awarded “Young Gun” in 2019, this article written by Charlie Levine showcases Drake’s story; where he came from and how he became one of the top Captain’s in the fleet.
The numbers game
by
Katie Coeckelenbergh
Inside look at what it takes to compete with the best in light tackle tournament fishing. This is a must-read if you are looking to sight in your billfishing skills!