4 minute read
HOOKED ON SUCCESS
Bay Point Billfish Open Returns for a Thrilling Second Year
By Scott Rossman & Gabby Champagne
Summertime brings some of the biggest and best sports fishing around. This year proved to be nothing short of that for the revamped Bay Point Billfish Open presented by Visit Panama City Beach, hosted by the beautiful Point South Marina-Bay Point where 80 teams converged to take to the open waters of the Gulf Coast, July 24th – July 30th, 2024.
In early 2022, four Bay County locals- John Warren, Jay Quave, George Roberts, and WJHG Newschannel 7 Sports Director Scott Rossman came together to bring back the big-time blue marlin sportfishing tournament to the area. The hope was to mimic and then build upon the great success of the initial tournament, the Bay Point Invitational, which was among the crown jewels of the sportfishing season along the Gulf Coast from the early 1980s to 2012, to turn it into the area’s “newest” addition to the event scene.
Getting that ball rolling was no easy feat. After a year or so of meeting and planning, everything began to come together, piece by meticulous piece. Come late June 2023, the first Bay Point Billfish Open took place at Point South Marina-Bay Point.
Boasting 80 teams from up and down the Gulf Coast, anglers signed up and showed out to compete alongside the elite of sports fishing. Putting on a show for all to see, teams took to the Gulf of Mexico in search of the prize-winning big blue, the largest tuna, wahoo, and dolphin, knowing there was a total of $1.4 million in tournament prize money up for grabs.
In total, this year’s tournament saw 48 blue marlins, 16 white marlins, 12 sailfishes, 16 tunas, 17 wahoos, and 10 dolphins.
While teams began arriving the Sunday of tournament week and into the next few days, the event officially kicked off on Wednesday with registration, a Captain’s meeting, dinner for the competitors, and an in-the-water boat show of sorts. The tournament also featured three nights of live music on the big stage, with a special guest appearance from country music star Randy Houser, entertaining captains, crews, anglers, and spectators alike!
Despite the tumultuous weather conditions, the Thursday of tournament week saw the fleet depart in a parade-like fashion. Boats lined up in the Point South Marina and followed out a Viking 68 provided by Galati Yacht Sales, moving through the St. Andrews Pass and into the Gulf, turning west to show themselves to locals and tourists along the beaches. Following the lead of Tournament Director Bert Merritt, the boats turned south and were given the go to head out towards whatever fishing ground in the Gulf they had chosen.
Fishing took place Thursday through the weekend, as is common in most events of the sort, with the vast majority of the fleet weighing in their product on Saturday, delivering quite a show.
Led by angler Reese Johnson, the Destin based crew of Wynsong hauled in a blue marlin that tipped the scale at a whopping 567.4lbs, walking away with first place in the blue marlin division and a payout of $289,320. Team Jolene boated a 514.6lbs blue taking second place, and team Done Pickin nabbed third with 463.3lbs.
In addition to the blue marlins boated and released, the second Bay Point Billfish Open saw several large tuna, wahoo, and dolphin weighed in. The heaviest tuna came from angler Jaselyn Berthelot aboard Rising Sons, weighing in at 181.6lbs. The Rising Sons crew walked away with a check for $128,025. The second and third-place tunas weighed in at 162.9lbs and 158.9lbs respectively.
In the Wahoo division, it was angler Strother Allen aboard Hey Jack leading the way with a 69.9lbs fish that netted that team a check of $28,800.
And in the Dolphin division, Breathe Easy turned in the biggest fish caught by angler Craig Smith, weighing in at 41.8lbs. Craig and his team hauled in $45,000 for their catch.
Beyond just the great fishing teams, a spectacular fleet of big-time sportfishing yachts, and the big fish, the event turned out to be a big success in other ways as well. Huge crowds took in four nights of great live music, terrific food and beverages, and a fantastic party atmosphere. Many used to call the Bay Point Invitational the social event of the summer. And that’s what the Bay Point Billfish Open seems to be in line to become once again.
