Deep-Sea Fishing Seasons in Jamaica

Fishing rod
Photo by Mathieu Le Roux on Unsplash

Connecticut-based venture capital and private equity professional Kevin Graetz leverages more than 15 years of experience to provide consulting services to clients. An avid fisherman, he enjoys catching big game fish around the world. Kevin Graetz has previously caught marlins, tuna, and sailfish in such countries as the Bahamas and Jamaica.

Jamaica is one of the top destinations for deep-sea sport fishing thanks to its plentiful coral reefs and deep waters. The country hosts some of the world’s top sport fishing tournaments, including the Annual Port Antonio International Marlin Tournament and the Montego Bay Yacht Club Fishing Tournament. It is also a great spot for anglers seeking such species as wahoo, sailfish, barracuda, and white marlin.

Although fishing in Jamaica is great year-round, there are certain times of the year that are best for specific fish species. At the beginning of the year, anglers have the best chances of catching dolphin fish, also known as dorado. Dorado fishing in Jamaica is at its peak through April. Montego Bay is a particularly popular spot for dorado fishing in April and May.

From April to August, Jamaica experiences a rise in blackfin and yellowfin tuna fishing. These species do start becoming more common at different times of the year, depending on the area, but, as a whole, April to August is the best season for them.

Starting in August, the marlin population around Jamaica starts increasing. By this point, white marlin will already have experienced some of its peak population in February in areas such as Montego Bay, but blue marlin aren’t seen as much around the country until August, since that is when their breeding cycle usually begins. Peak blue marlin season doesn’t usually occur until September and October.

What to Do and Not Do While Landing a Big Fish

A professional involved in the private equity and venture capital sector, Kevin Graetz has been working in the field for more than 15 years. Aside from his professional pursuits, Kevin Graetz is an avid big game fisherman. Over the years, he has caught many yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, and marlin in such locations as the Hudson Canyon, Bahamas, and Jamaica. Listed below are a few suggestions on what to do and what not to do while trying to land a big fish.

1. Set the hook properly. To do this, firmly lift up your rod rip using your elbow and wrist. If you do this too early or too lightly, the hook will not penetrate the fish’s mouth and you will lose your catch. Meanwhile, if you do it too hard, you may tear the hook out of the fish’s mouth.

2. Don’t forget about the slack. Assuming you set the hook properly, you can pump the fish by lifting the rod tip to bring the fish closer, then lowering it to create a bit of slack. As soon as you lower the rod, reel the line in to eliminate this slack and repeat the process. However, slack in the line is detrimental if you haven’t set the hook right. If you’re uncertain, focus on applying steady pressure instead.

3. Be conscious of when you reel in your catch. Reeling in a fish at the wrong time increases strain on the line and increases the risk of losing the catch. Let the fish tire itself out by allowing it to run without reeling in the line. Once the fish has stopped pulling line out, reel it in slowly.

4. Don’t fight every fish the same. You must fight fish differently depending on both the species and the environment you are fishing in. For instance, in lakes where fish can snag the line around underwater obstacles, apply heavy pressure to the fish until it’s out in more open water. Conversely, when fishing in open water, let it tire itself out by swimming away.

A Look at Bloom Energy’s Energy Server Platform

Kevin Graetz leverages decades of venture capital experience as a consultant and private equity investor in Connecticut. Over this career, Kevin Graetz has worked closely with Silicon Valley executives. To date, he has raised and allocated more than a billion dollars for early-stage startup firms that include Raza, Iskoot, and Bloom Energy.

Bloom Energy, an innovative provider of on-site electric power solutions, has worked to provide reliable, sustainable electrical power since its founding in 2001. The San Jose, California-based company shipped its first commercial products to Google in 2008, and since that time has helped customers generate millions of kWhs of power through its high-tech Energy Server Platform.

The Energy Server Platform provides constant power through a distributed generation system. A customizable solution, the Energy Server Platform leverages technology rooted in NASA fuel cell concepts that used electric solar panels to produce air and fuel on other planets. By leveraging this technology, Bloom Energy’s platform offers one of the most efficient energy generators for corporate applications in the world. Moreover, the platform provides customization options for customers. 

For additional information on the Energy Server Platform, visit bloomenergy.com.

Blue Marlin Named Top Game Fish in Latest Rankings

A private equity executive in New Canaan, Connecticut, Kevin Graetz has raised in excess of $1 billion for technology-focused companies over the course of his career. Away from work, Kevin Graetz is a sportfishing enthusiast and has angled for marlin and other game fish in locations such as Jamaica and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

While game fishing offers anglers a wide range of targets, including tarpon, shark, and mahi-mahi, few fish offer the thrill and challenge of the blue marlin. According to a recent ranking of the top 100 game fish by Sport Fishing magazine, the blue marlin is officially the number-one game fish in the world. 

In compiling its rankings, the magazine considered many factors, including the speed and stamina of the fish and the aerobatics that add to the beauty and excitement of the catch. The blue marlin also received points for becoming increasingly rare. Due to illegal fishing practices and environmental degradation of its habitats, the blue marlin is now a relatively threatened species.

Golfing at the Woodway Country Club

Kevin Graetz is an experienced tech industry and real estate development consultant based in New Canaan, Connecticut. Away from work, Kevin Graetz enjoys staying active by playing golf. He is a member at the Woodway Country Club in Stamford.

Stamford’s Woodway Country Club features an 18 hole championship golf course occupying 184 acres of scenic greenery interspersed by the twisting Noroton River. There is perhaps no greater testament to the course’s natural beauty than the National Audubon Society’s recognition of Woodway as a bird sanctuary, the first golf course to receive such a distinction.

Designed by golf course architect Willie Park, Jr., Woodway is regarded as a challenging shotmaker’s course which measures 6,901 yards from the back tees. The course has hosted Connecticut Open Championship events in 1964, 1983, 1995, and most recently in 2016. In addition to the course itself, Woodway Country Club provides group clinics and individual training sessions, an active junior program, and a number of year round member tournaments.

NetLogic’s Strategic Acquisition of Raza Microelectronics

A respected Silicon Valley technology consultant and investor, Kevin Graetz seeks out positions in early- and late-stage growth companies with the potential to disrupt. Kevin Graetz has made impactful investments in companies including Raza Microelectronics (now RMI Corporation), which achieved a high-profile 2009 exit through a $184 million acquisition by NetLogic Microsystems. 

Established in 2004, RMI Corp. raised more than $150 million in financing over a five-year period through venture capital firms such as Kodiak Venture Partners, Benchmark, and DAG Ventures. Establishing a niche as a fabless semiconductor company, RMI Corp. developed a suite of low-power, high-performance processors that met industry needs for converged IP networks.

Built to function on 3G/4G mobile wireless infrastructures, the firm’s multi-threaded, multi-core processors provided advanced “data in flight” capacities that met consumer needs in the enterprise, infrastructure, and consumer media markets. Its high-performance “system on a chip” solutions were augmented by ultra-low-power processors designed to meet high-volume application requirements. 

The merger was described as enabling a significant expansion of NetLogic’s product and intellectual property portfolio, as well as bolstering its core OEM customer capacities.

Home Depot Partners with Bloom Energy in Renewables Deployments

Kevin Graetz is a longtime technology investor who has held leadership and investment positions in a variety of startups, including Amyris and Quantum Fuel Systems. Companies for which Kevin Graetz has raised significant money include Bloom Energy, which is rooted in K. R. Sridhar’s work to design a NASA fuel cell that would take the electricity produced via solar panel and direct it toward air and fuel generation. 

Though the NASA project ended in 2001, the core research continued, with a venture-financed focus on generating reliable and clean energy from any location worldwide. As reported in Green Tech Media, Bloom Energy’s efforts are integral to the overall mission of Home Depot, which has earned Energy Star recognition over the past six years and been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency through supply chain and water awards. 

Beginning in 2014, the nationwide chain initiated a partnership with Bloom Energy that resulted in nearly 200 two-hundred-kilowatt fuel cell system projects being installed at Connecticut, New York, California, and Massachusetts retail locations. The 27 projects that were completed in 2018 also featured newly introduced battery storage capacities. 

This sustained effort sets Home Depot comfortably on track to achieve its goal of 135 megawatts in offsite and onsite renewable capacity by 2020. With approximately 130 megawatts already in place, projections are that the goal will be attained as early as mid-2019. Renewables also figure prominently into Home Depot’s retail strategy, with $50 million in solar panel systems sold annually and wind turbines also available to consumers.