GULF RASCAL STAYS ON TOP FOR THE SECOND DAY AT THE 46TH ANNUAL JULY OPEN BILLFISH TOURNAMENT WITH THREE MORE BLUE MARLIN RELEASES
by Carol Bareuther, RD
July 5, 2009
The rain poured down and the bite picked up during the second day of fishing in the 46th Annual July Open Billfish Tournament, fished out of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 19-boat fleet caught and released a total of 16 blue marlin, nearly double the first day's release of 9 blue and 1 white marlin.
"The bite turned on, especially in the afternoon," says Capt. Billy Borer, who is helming the 54-foot Hatteras, Gulf Rascal. "We pitched baited three and hooked all three. Really cool."
The release of five blue marlin total gives Gulf Rascal the top boat lead for two days in a row.
In second place, Florida angler Rudy Polselli, Jr., aboard his 47-foot Viking, Rude Awakening, released three blue marlin total. This sum all by one angler puts Polselli in the lead for the prestigious Capt. Johnny Harms 'Give Him Line' Trophy, presented to the angler who releases the most billfish first.
Finally, Alican, a 72' Tribute, is third in the top boat standings by being the first to release two blue marlin.
Five boats total released two blue marlin for the tournament so far. One of these was the Cabo 40, Peje, from Puerto Rico. "It would have been three for us, but we lost one after a 30-minute fight," said owner/anger, Carlos Garcia.
Any doubts that dream-catching granders continue to lurk in Virgin Islands waters were dispelled early Sunday morning. That was when Florida angler, J.R. Bergeron, aboard his 47-foot Cabo, Reel Escape, released what Capt. Rusty Watters judged to be a 1000-plus-pounder at 2:30 a.m. after an 8 1/2 hour fight.
"We were just out for a fun day of fishing, me, the captain and our mate, Vince Vanmeerten," says Bergeron. "We saw two 300- to 400-pounders in the morning and pulled the hook on both. It was about 6 p.m. when Watters said lets make one more turn on the Drop. Bam. We knew it was a big one when I hooked up."
Bergeron fought the mega blue marlin and dusk turned to dark and beyond. The fish sounded for a long time before Bergeron finally got it up to the back of the boat where it took all three of them to wire it and make the release.
"Its bill and tail fin extended a foot or two on either side of the transom, so we estimated it was a good 18-foot long and wide," says Bergeron.
Knowing that a blue marlin this big is female made it a no-brainer to release, said a conservation-minded Bergeron.
Reel Escape's no-show at the dock by midnight combined with no way to communicate with the vessel since cell phones and VHF radios don't reach 20-plus miles offshore led Bergeron's frantic family to put a call into the U.S. Coast Guard. A rescue helicopter dispatched from Puerto Rico located the vessel and didn't leave until guardsmen got a thumbs up from the crew that all was well.
Fishing concludes tomorrow with lines in at 8:30 a.m. and lines out at 4 p.m.
Up for grabs is not only the Top Boat award, but the prestigious Capt. Johnny Harms 'Give Him Line' Trophy for the angler who releases the most billfish first. The Awards Ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. at the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Clubhouse in Red Hook.
Proceeds from the JOBT benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Virgin Islands.
GULF RASCAL LEADS FIRST DAY OF 46TH ANNUAL JULY OPEN BILLFISH TOURNAMENT WITH TWO BLUE MARLIN RELEASES
by Carol Bareuther, RD
July 4, 2009
Fishing proved red hot aboard the 54-foot Hatteras, Gulf Rascal, where the St. Thomas father-and-son team of Rick and Lee Steiner released a blue marlin apiece to put the team in the top boat lead during the first day of the 46th Annual July Open Billfish Tournament.
"We had a great day," says Gulf Rascal captain, Billy Borer. "We saw four, had three bites and released two.
Gulf Rascal angler, Rick Steiner, caught and released the first blue marlin of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Alican, a 72-foot Tribute owned by Florida-based Andres Fanjul, with Capt. Doug Heaton at the helm, finished second for the day with a pair of blue marlin released after those on Gulf Rascal.
Nelson Morales' Prime Time PR, out of Puerto Rico, rounded out the top three boats with Morales release of a blue marlin early in the day.
"I made my release about 11 a.m.," says Morales. "It was a beautiful day. Calm seas."
In total, the 19-boat fleet caught and released nine blue marlin and one white marlin.
A nearly full-moon light up the docks at American Yacht Harbor where the evening's dock party celebrated the Fourth of July as much as a good fishing day.
Fishing continues tomorrow with lines in at 8:30 a.m. and lines out at 5 p.m.
The JOBT concludes Monday. Up for grabs is not only the Top Boat award, but the prestigious Capt. Johnny Harms 'Give Him Line' Trophy for the angler who releases the most billfish first. The Awards Ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. at the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Clubhouse in Red Hook.
Proceeds from the JOBT benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Virgin Islands.
46TH ANNUAL JULY OPEN BILLFISH TOURNAMENT SET FOR JULY 4, 5 & 6
by Carol Bareuther, RD
July 3,2009
The 46th Annual July Open Billfish Tournament (JOBT) - the longest annually held angling contest in the Virgin Islands - will kick-off tomorrow with a fleet of 18 boats hailing from St. Thomas, St. Croix, Virgin Gorda, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.
The economic downturn hasn't dented participation.
"I think a lot of people said, 'I have a boat, it's Fourth of July, let's go fishing and have some fun'," said tournament director, Jeffrey Kreiner.
Anglers will set their sights on catching and releasing the most blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish. "This is an all-release tournament," says Kreiner. "No fish will be boated or brought to the dock for weigh-in."
Lines go in the water at 8:30 a.m. and out at 5 p.m., except on the final day of the three-day tournament when lines out will be at 4 p.m.
The public is invited to greet the fleet as the boats come back to the dock around sunset. The number of flags flying on the outriggers indicates how many billfish the boat's anglers caught and released for the day. There will also be dock parties each night at American Yacht Harbor marina.
Past winners of the prestigious Capt. Johnny Harms 'Give Him Line' Trophy read like a Who's Who of blue marlin sport fishing. Angler Elliot Fishman's winning 845-pound catch in 1968 set an all-tackle world record. Only two anglers have reeled in this honor two times - the late Howard Crouse in 1965 and 1988, and Puerto Rico's legendary angler Ralph Christiansen in 1973 and 1984. Christiansen, who died in February following a plane crash, will be posthumously honored.
"Ralph was the premier sports fishermen in the Caribbean," says Capt. Red Bailey, who fished this tournament for all but its first year, often with Christiansen as competition. "We always had good friendly competition. I respected Ralph a lot. Win, lose or draw, he always had a smile."
Proceeds from the JOBT benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Virgin Islands.
For more information, visit: www.vigfc.com.
See the July
Open tournament page for all the details!
Past
winners are a who's who of Marlin fishing, and the competition
for the
Give Him Line Trophy is tremendous, with
the winner never certain until the last minute of the last day.
The first worlds record Blue Marlin caught in a tournament was
set by angler Elliot Fishman (845lbs.) in the 1968 July Open.
The
Woman's current World Record Blue Marlin (1073lbs.) was caught
July 6, by Maudi Lopez.
The long standing World record (1282lbs.) was held by Larry Martin
and only recently broken.
The Virgin Islands, the only place to be for serious Blue Marlin
in July.
This tournament benefits the Boys and Girls Club, of the Virgin
Islands.
