BLUEWATER CURRENTS
BAR South and Showtime win their second burgundy jackets
The final tournament of the 2021 Quest for the Crest series, Final Sail, returned to the docks of Miami Beach Marina and certainly lived up to the hype: A fleet of 41 boats tallied 402 sailfish releases in two days of fishing. The bite was on and the competition was as fierce as ever in South Florida as the world’s best live-bait teams battled it out within sight of the picturesque Miami Beach skyline.
In the end, two teams would emerge as champions. With the final event of the 2020 Quest series canceled, the winner from last year would also be determined at Final Sail. Rob Gothier Jr.’s BAR South released just three sailfish on Day One but
rebounded with 11 more on the second day—a strong rally that secured first place in the standings for the 2020 Quest for the Crest, winning the team their second champion burgundy jackets. BAR South’s Capt. Raul Gonzales also was named the top captain of the 2020 series.
Capt. Nick Carullo led Showtime to a comeback of their own. In 13th place in the standings after a lackluster first day, their chances of a championship title seemed slim. But champion teams don’t quit; 15 sailfish releases on Day Two and 21 for the tournament gave them a boost ahead of first-place-team Native Son to win the 2021 Quest for the Crest series and their second set of burgundy jackets as well.
The team on Priceless had a solid start and never slowed down, with 11 sails on the first day and another 15 releases on Day Two, setting a new tournament record for the most releases at 26. With their prize money and optional jackpots, they won $185,750. Not a bad weekend of fishing.
Capt. Art Sapp’s Native Son team came up just short of the Quest championship by six releases but won $128,215 in optional jackpots. Showtime held on to second place with 21 releases, good for $115,550, while Sandman finished third with 18.
ROENICK STAYS ON TOP IN KEY WEST Great fishing highlights the popular tournament
Just eight minutes after lines in, Rosalie Apostoleres released a sailfish on the 50-foot Viking Roenick, the first release of the Viking Key West Challenge. A minute later, Capt. Casey Hunt called in a sail for her husband, Nick. That began a torrid two days of fishing for the team, who tallied an amazing 24 sailfish releases during the tournament to sweep nearly every position on the leaderboard: Top Boat, Top Angler, Top Lady Angler and Top Sailfish Boat, among many others. In addition to their tableful of trophies, the Apostoleres also won a Spot Zero mobile unit and Switlik Coastal Passage raft.
Game Changer, Robert Boyce’s Viking 80, had a strong Day Two with 10 sailfish releases, taking home second place in the sailfish division with a total of 15 releases. Boyce’s son, Matthew, had five
of those to win the Top Junior Angler trophy. Fishing on his 72-foot Manna Ray, Jack Sheehan and his team rounded out the top three with 11 sailfish. The 50-boat fleet, which included four Valhalla center-consoles this year, also enjoyed a lay-day poolside barbecue, kid’s dock tournament, bar crawl, poker run and other festivities.
THE CUSTOM SHOOTOUT RETURNS A cornerstone of Bahamas sport fishing reemerges
The popular Custom Shootout triumphantly returned to the beautifully rebuilt and fully remodeled Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina
May 12-15, 2021, with 51 registered custom boats and a perfect weather forecast for the participants.
On Day One, the 61-foot B&D Turn
It Blue released two blue marlin and a sailfish to tally 1,300 points and the clubhouse lead, although the 64-foot Jarrett Bay Builder’s Choice was right behind
them with one blue marlin and one sailfish release and 700 points. The fleet released eight blue marlin, eight white marlin and 14 sailfish for the day.
Day Two belonged to Jr. Davis’ Wave Paver, a 77-foot Bayliss. They scored one blue marlin, three white marlin and a sailfish, earning additional points for the grand slam—enough to move into first place. Bobby Jacobsen’s Marlin Darlin, a 66-foot Spencer, released a blue and two whites for 900 points, and Kickin’ Tires
also slammed out as the fishing seemed to improve.
For the third and final day, El Cazador,
an 85-foot Scarborough, released two blue marlin to take home the daily, while Marlin Darlin had a grand slam, enough to move them into first place for the tournament with a total of 2,200 points in a come-from-behind victory. For their efforts, the team won $192,630; Capt. Chris Kaulen was named Top Captain. El Cazador won $189,550 for second place overall, and Wave Paver earned $67,150 for placing third, including the Day One daily. The top angler of the tournament was Frank Villasante on Temptress, who released two blue marlin, one white and one sailfish.
CLOSE FINISH AT OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Just one billfish release separated the top three
The Costa Offshore World Championship, held April 11-16, 2021, once again gathered anglers from around the world who earned an invitation by winning one of the championship’s qualifying events. Teams spend four days on the water fishing out of Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, aboard a different charter boat each day, following IGFA angling and tackle rules. It is a demanding format that requires preparation, skill and a bit of luck to be successful.
Emerging as the 2021 champions was a group of American anglers representing the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo Costa Rica. Scoring 3,500 points from 15 sailfish and one blue marlin release were anglers Dell Dembosky,
Dwight Wolf and Michael Moretti. Dembosky was named Top Angler for the tournament, releasing eight sailfish and the blue marlin for the team. They took home a variety of trophies and prizes, among them the coveted VanMark Jewelry champion’s gold rings. As the 2021 winners, the team will have the opportunity to apply for future championship tournaments for many years to come.
A new group of anglers representing the Oregon Tuna Classic took advantage of the invitation to fish and ventured to Costa Rica for the first time. The team scored 3,433 points, releasing 14 sailfish and one blue marlin, and weighing a 54.44pound tuna, a 47.90-pound dorado and a 30.98-pound dorado, earning secondplace-team honors for Jason Ford, Josh Cloke, Troy Grasseth and Chris Mayeda.
This year’s third-place team qualified by winning the San Carlos Hammer Down Tournament in Mexico. The team of US anglers included Pete Finocchiaro,
Alex Hammer and Frank Kastl; they brought Capt. Gilberto Lachica from Mexico, who helped them earn the invitation, to round out the team. They scored 3,400 points from seven sailfish and four blue marlin releases. Kastl also earned fourth-place-angler honors, with Lachica taking second place in the angler division. Incredibly, just one billfish release separated the top three teams in one of the closest finishes in Offshore World Championship history.
TWO BIG WINNERS IN GEORGETOWN The event kicks off South Carolina’s Governor’s Cup series
Reading the weather is a critical part of any offshore-fishing venture, and doubly so at tournament time. Boats
fishing the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament made the most of the first two days, when a small craft advisory forced the cancellation of the third and final day of fishing.
Sportin’ Life, owned by Graham Eubank and captained by Mike Glaesner, leaped into the lead when they boated a blue marlin weighing 445.3 pounds on the first day, then released the first blue marlin on the second and final day. They won $156,750 of the tournament’s $508,100 cash purse for their efforts.
Inappropriate, a 69-foot Spencer owned by Frank Holtham and captained by Andy Crews, won first place in the release division with 2,400 points. The team released one blue on the first day, and then incredibly scored three additional blue marlin in just 11 minutes on the second morning of fishing to bank $135,960 over the course of the tournament. Reel Hook Up released three blues on the second day to bring home $101,890 for second place. Bench Mark finished third with two blue marlin releases and 1,200 points, edging out seven additional teams on time. The tournament scored 46 blue marlin, three white marlin and seven sailfish. The event is the first of three South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series events for 2021.