Vol 7, Issue 3 by Linda Fisher

VOLUME 7 NO. 3

MARCH 2007

CONSERVATION UPDATE

WBS WORLD TOUR FT. LAUDERDALE MIAMI MAYOR’S CUP CAPT. BOB LEWIS

PLUS Caught On Tour Industry News Angler Profiles Standings & More!

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Table of Contents

18 DEPARTMENTS Publisher’s Message/Calendar Industry News Caught On The WBS World TourTM

7 8 12

TOURNAMENT TALES Ft.Lauderdale Billfish Tournament

Always a favorite with anglers, this year’s event doesn’t disappoint.

Miami Mayor’s Cup

The Mayor’s Cup has become a hot event in just three short years.

Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge

The Qualifier takes home the gold in this year’s Bob Lewis.

PROFILES WBS Anglers

Bob Beasley, Jim Motsko, Alec Breaud

INSIDE THE WBS 2007 Standings 2007 Tournament Schedule

50 52

FRONT COVER: Another south Florida sunrise brings the promise of a great day offshore for tournament anglers. Photo by Greg Gawlikowski courtesy of Endless Imagery.

15 Billfishing Magazine

FROM THE WBS

It appears that the circle hook requirement for Atlantic billfish tournaments has once again come to the forefront for the recreational tournament angler. As most of you know, the National Marine Fisheries Service mandated that competing teams in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf Coasts were required to use non-offset circle hooks with either natural bait or bait/lure combinations—this rule went into effect as of January 1, 2007. However, after receiving a tremendous amount of public comment from a variety of sources including anglers and tournament directors, NMFS has now proposed to suspend this requirement until January, 2008 in order to give these teams a full season to practice the new rigging and angling techniques that are required when using circle hooks (see this month’s Industry News for more information). No matter what the final decision, we believe the real issue is not the recreational tournament angler but rather the international highseas longline fishery, which causes more damage to billfish stocks than any other end user of this resource. Recreational anglers actively support conservation and will do whatever is required to protect the stocks of billfish worldwide, while the commercial fishery seeks only to continue their wanton ways. Recreational anglers are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Become active. Voice your opinions to the National Marine Fisheries. Join the WBS Bluewater Patrons program (www.fishWBS.com) and support conservation. Good luck this year on the World Tour, —Jim Simons President and CEO, World Billfish Series

Upcoming Events

March 29 - April 1 Yamaha Contender Miami Tourn. April 16 - 19 Bahamas White Marlin Open April 20-23 Presidential Challenge, Costa Rica

April 22 - 27 BBC Marsh Harbour Championship May 2 - 5 Marine Max/Hatteras Billfish Invt’l. May 6 - 11 BBC Harbour Island Championship May 20 - 25 BBC Central Abaco Championship May 25 - 28 Mobile BGFC Memorial Day Tourn. Order the WBS Tournament Calendar at www.FishWBS.com.

Publisher’s Message

The Official Monthly Publication of the WBS Volume 7 No. 3, March 2007

Published monthly by SportsUSA Group, Inc. Seminole Office Center 7985 113th Street N, Suite #330 Seminole, Florida 33772 phone: (727) 319-3449 • fax: (727) 319-8279 email: info@worldbillfishseries.com

Publisher

James R. Simons

Editor-in-Chief Sam White

Art Director

Linda Fisher-Morgan

Director of Administration Jana E. Simons

BILLFISHING® Contributors Bailey Bobbitt David A. Brown Jacqueline Caspari Peter Caspari Laurie Ciecierski Bart K. Davis Brenda Fletcher Rick Gaffney Greg Gawlikoski Scott Kerrigan Marty Locke

Heather Maxwell Kitty McGowan Jeff Merrill Jim Niemiec Bruce Paul John E. Phillips Walt Rhodes Capt. Jim Sharpe Tom Twyford Capt. Joan Vernon Eric West

WBS OPERATIONS: President & CEO

James R. Simons

World Tour Coordinator Anthony Mendillo

Membership Director Kathryn Chappetto

Special Thanks to:

All the companies, associations and individuals who give back to the sport of billfishing so that future generations can enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes.

Industry News

BERTRAM YACHT SELECTED AS 2006 MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

eading Miami-based manufacturer of sport-fishing yachts for over 45 years, Bertram Yacht, has been selected by the South Florida Manufacturers Association as the 2006 Manufacturer of the Year. The prestigious award was presented to Bertram at the 28th Annual SFMA Recognition of Excellence Banquet, attended by over 300 leading South Florida manufacturers and local media. “This award is a symbol of the hard efforts and dedication of the entire Bertram Yacht team,” stated Joe Bubenzer, president of Bertram Yacht, who graciously accepted the impressive trophy at the award’s banquet on March 14th, following the announcement of Bertram’s win for 2006 Manufacturer of the Year. The Manufacturer of the Year is selected from the 160 member companies of the SFMA. The selection was made by a 13 member selection committee who visited Bertram along with other candidates and selected Bertram based on company growth, commitment to employees, commitment to quality, com-

mitment to community, continuous improvements in manufacturing and product innovations. The committee particularly noted Bertram’s tripling of revenues and doubling of it’s workforce since 2003, continuing improvements in quality, overall plant improvements in the facility via 5S programs and significant employee training programs. "With over 4,000 manufacturing companies in South Florida, we are extremely honored to have been recognized amongst them as Manufacturer of the Year,” said Giovanni Vacchi, executive chairman of Bertram Yacht/Ferretti Group USA. “This award clearly reflects Bertram’s strong commitment to manufacturing excellence and continuous advancements in new technologies, design, quality, and service.”

The Ferretti Group, founded by Norberto Ferretti in 1968, is in the forefront of the nautical industry, thanks to a constant product and process innovation and a continuous technological research. Luxury yachts are designed by a team of over 100 specialized engineers and built in the Group’s 22 production units. Over 2,800 employees share the same continuous strive towards quality, technological excellence, top performance, exclusive and innovative design, maximizing comfort and attention to detail. This daily commitment, common to all Ferretti Group employees, has taken it to the very heights of the nautical world. For more information, please visit www.bertram.com.

Bertram Yacht is part of the Ferretti Group, a leader within the sphere of luxury motoryachts, which encompasses the most exclusive brands in the nautical world: Ferretti Yachts, Pershing, Itama, Bertram, Riva, Apreamare, Mochi Craft, Custom Line and CRN.

NMFS UPDATE: CIRCLE HOOKS

he National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to suspend existing regulations that require Atlantic billfish tournament participants fishing from HMS-permitted vessels to use non-offset circle hooks when deploying natural bait or natural bait/lure combinations through December 31, 2007. Under this proposed rule, the current requirements for use of non-offset circle hooks for Atlantic billfish tournament participants would be reinstated as of January 1, 2008. This proposed rule change would provide additional time for recreational billfish tournament anglers to become more familiar and proficient with circle hooks and to increase awareness among tournament 8

Billfishing Magazine

anglers of the conservation benefits resulting from their use. The National Marine Fisheries Service has continued to receive public comment on the circle hook requirement since its implementation on January 1, 2006 as part of the Final Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan. In response to these concerns, NMFS had considered development of an exempted fishery permit program in order to collect additional data to further evaluate the impact of J-hooks and heavy tackle on Atlantic blue marlin in a tournament environment. However, comments received over the development of an EFP in order to collect data pointed toward the difficulty of collecting such

data in a tournament environment. Based on this public input, NMFS elected not to issue EFPs to Atlantic billfish tournaments. Available studies demonstrate the benefits for circle hooks when used for billfish and other species and NMFS believes that concerns over their effectiveness for Atlantic blue marlin can be overcome as anglers become more proficient with their use. For more information, please visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov.

Industry News

SHIMANO, ANGLERS TO BE HONORED AT IGFA ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

himano will be honored with the International Game Fish Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the IGFA’s 4th Annual World Record Achievement Awards celebration, to be held April 28th. “Shimano is receiving a lifetime achievement award as the only rod and reel manufacturer ever to have achieved the incredible feat of 3,000 IGFA world records,” said IGFA conservation director Jason Schratweiser. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Shimano led among the manufacturers of rods and reels, receiving first place finishes in three categories including saltwater reels used in world records (153) and reels used in freshwater records (88). They also took top honors for their rods with saltwater records (23) and tying for second in freshwater records (12). Also highlighting this year’s ceremony will be Dr. Martin Arostegui, of Coral Gables, Florida, for his astonishing world record accomplishments. For the third year in a row, Dr. Arostegui scored a grand slam as the

top male angler for the most world records in freshwater with 24, fly tackle (24) and tied for first in saltwater with 11, each caught in 2006. Last year the fishing physician was presented with the IGFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for setting over 100 world records. Ms. Jodie Johnson from Waltham, Massachusetts led the female angler standings with 27 new records in saltwater and 26 on the flyrod. Among junior anglers, Florida’s Heather Harkavy set 10 records in the smallfry category. In 2006, a total of 925 applications for world records were received and reviewed by the IGFA record department. Of those, 670 were approved for the year. The total number of fish record categories stands at 9,490.

IGFA WORLD RECORD HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2006 Top Five Record-Producing Nations United States: 401 records Japan: 61 records Brazil: 51 records Australia: 19 records Thailand: 19 records Most Popular Species Saltwater: bonnethead shark, 26 records Freshwater: largemouth bass, 45 records

For more information on the IGFA World Record Achievement Awards, please contact Jessica Arb by telephone at 954-924-4340 or via email at jarb@igfa.org.

DOLPHIN TAGGING PROJECT UPDATE

wo new archival satellite tags were attached to 30-pound bull dolphin off South Carolina, where the fish were tracked for ten and six days respectively. During the 16 days of atlarge monitoring, the instruments catalogued over 4,000 time-sensitive records of pressure and temperature. One of the big advantages of these miniature computers is that they do not have to be recovered from the fish. Instead, they are pre-programmed to release from the fish after a set time period where they then float to the surface and transmit their data via an Argos satellite back to the research base. The water pressure records showed that the South Carolina dolphin used the deeper ocean layers nearly twice as often as dolphin off Florida, making dives to

depths over 400 feet. The research showed that the pair spent 15 percent of their surface time and 29 percent of the night at depths below 30 meters/98 feet, proving that dolphin are more than just surface dwellers, using a large portion of the water column. Also of interest was the fish’s narrow range of preferred surface temperature, within a range from 75 to 83 degrees F. Over the course of monitoring from the two fish, the average surface temperature used by each was 79 and 81 degrees F, respectively. For more information on this project, please contact Don Hammond by telephone at 843-795-7524 or via email at CSSLLC@bellsouth.net. Billfishing Magazine

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Billfishing Magazine

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Congratulations to our most recent contest winners: Karin Englund—Naples, FL Jeff Stingel—Asheville, NC Pat Johnson—Hollywood, FL

“Caught On WBS Tour” Contest

The WBS Anglers Club member who correctly identifies the most people on pages 12, 13 and 15 by April 15, 2007 will win a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses. Send your entries—including photo number, names of individuals in photo, tournament name, and magazine issue— to sam@worldbillfishseries.com, fax to 727-319-8279 or mail to 7985 113th St. N, Suite 330, Seminole, FL 33772. Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Fax, e-mail or mail entries only. Entries will be judged on individual identification first, tournament identification second. Any ties will be decided by time and date of entry. Billfishing Magazine

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Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament

High-Rise Billfishing By Anthony Mendillo

outh Florida’s Everglades dominate almost the entire southern tip of the state with the exception of a small stretch of coastline, where hordes of Atlantic sailfish roam just a few miles offshore—the twin urban metropolis centers of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. This thriving area is home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, while towering condominiums and office buildings line the coast shoulder-to-shoulder for over 40 miles, making this some of the most high-priced real estate found anywhere in the Sunshine State. And yet the palm trees and flowers greet tourists and residents alike with plenty of south Florida greenery. The World Billfish Series sanctions seven tournaments between these two booming urban centers each year. Stepping up to the plate this time would be an old favorite, the 41st Annual Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament. At sunrise on February 9, the fleet filed out of Las Olas Marina past the highrise condos lining the beach heading for the productive offshore fishing grounds. By 8:30 a.m., the bite was on as Gaston Legorburo onboard the Tagline caught and released the first sailfish of the tournament. 18

Billfishing Magazine

Photos by Peter Caspari

As with most other tournaments in these waters, live baiting for sailfish takes a major precedence over all other techniques. The ability of a team to present a good-looking spread of baits in front of feeding sailfish, and then capitalize on the ensuing bite, would mean the difference between a spot in the winner’s circle or just another fun few days on the water. And following that form, a number of familiar names would reappear time and again on the tournament catch logs. Capt. Alex Castellanos and anglers Bill Danko, Scott Cummings, David Cummings and Rob Ramirez aboard the Miss Britt II soon followed the Tagline’s first release with four releases over the next couple hours. The bite during the afternoon would slow down, but not before the Miss Britt II released three more sails before the lines out call at 4 p.m. But it would be the Wound Up that would be in the lead after the first day of fishing. The Wound Up, a 50-foot Viking captained by John Dudas and with anglers Warren Sands, Brett Dudas and Roy Huff in the cockpit were able to catch and release eight sailfish for a total of 1600 points, just one release and 200 points ahead of their fellow competitors aboard the Miss Britt II. When a tournament brings together as many truly talented teams as

Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament A side division of the main event, the 3rd Annual MIASF One-Day Slam also took place on the second day of fishing. Twenty-two boats hit the waters on Saturday, February 10th to compete in highly popular event sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida. The one-day event was designed to entice those new to fishing in billfish tournaments that were not able to commit to a three-day tournament. Winner Matthew White aboard the O-Sea-D was excited with the new opportunity. “This was exactly the format we were looking for to get into billfishing,” remarked White. “We’ll definitely be back next year!” The Wound Up entered the third day of fishing with a slim two-fish lead over Miss Britt II and a four-fish lead over Reely Tight. However, in this fishery that is indeed the slimmest of margins since double-, triple- and even quadruple-headers of sailfish can and do happen at just about any moment during the day. All three of the top boats exchanged releases back and forth right up to the lines out call.

Day Two saw the bite play out to be very similar to Day One, with the sailfish on the feed early. Eighty-six billfish were caught and released before 1 p.m, while only 34 were released during the remainder of the afternoon.

this, it’s usually a nail-biting footrace to the finish and this year’s Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament would follow that tradition. Day Two saw the bite play out to be very similar to Day One, with the sailfish on the feed early. Eighty-six billfish were caught and released before 1 p.m, while only 34 were released during the remainder of the afternoon. This made it absolutely imperative for a team to select the correct spots early in the day—there would be no room for error or time to make a long run up or down the coast. Choose wisely or miss out on the fish. Team Reely Tight, captained by James Lambert with anglers Tim Maddock, Chris Meeks, Kyle Sherman and Mike Dinnen released a total of five sailfish on Day Two, giving them a total of eight fish and 1600 points entering the final day of fishing. The Wound Up still held a two-fish 400 point lead over second place Miss Britt II. Billfishing Magazine

Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament

Putting up yet another solid fishing performance on Day Three was the team aboard the Wound Up. They felt confident that their five more sailfish releases would be enough to hold off the rest of the fleet. That would not be the case. Reely Tight had really found the bite. Tim Maddock and the rest of his teammates would catch 11 sailfish on the final day to catapult them ahead of Wound Up by just two fish. But there was still one more boat that was in contention. Miss Britt II had also found a hot bite. All day long, Radio Control seemed to be giving confirmation numbers back and forth to Miss Britt II and Reely Tight. The competing crews knew the top three boats would all be just a few fish apart.

The Miss Britt II brought home over $70,000 with their top total of 5,000 points in this year’s event.

When all boats returned back to the docks and the scorecards were totaled, it would be Miss Britt II’s incredible 13 fish final day that would be enough to capture first place of the 41st Annual Fort Lauderdale Billfish Tournament with a total of 5,000 points. Second place belonged to Reely Tight who finished the tournament with 4,000 points while third place was taken by last year’s defending champions aboard the Wound Up with 3,600 points. The teams soon returned back to the tournament tent for a delicious steak dinner sponsored by The Outback Steakhouse. There were loads of festivities to keep the party going. Live music was blasting as a fashion show, bikini contest and silent auction took center stage. New WBS World Tour Sponsor XM WX Satellite Weather displayed a fully-functional custom-built center console unit that allowed captains, anglers and spectators the opportunity to view live radar, wave heights, sea temperature and much more with a touch of a button. Tournament director McGowan took advantage of having XMWX onsite when she saw a weather cell flare up just a couple miles away.

Capt. Alex Castellanos and the Miss Britt II team swept nearly every category in the tournament, making this a big weekend indeed.

“When we saw that cell pop up on the radar, we quickly moved the festivities inside the tournament tent before the rain arrived,” she explained. “Without the XM WX Satellite Weather system, the rain would have dampened the spirits of the packed house.” When it came down to handing out the money, one boat seemed to get all the big checks. Miss Britt II was the big winner for the weekend, capturing over $70,000. Tim Maddock onboard the second place boat Reely Tight was awarded the WBS Top Angler award for releasing a tournament-high ten sailfish. With the award, Tim earns a three-year invitation to represent the Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament each year at the WBS Grand Championships held each year in December. The 66 boats in this year’s event totaled 352 sailfish releases. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes was given away during the awards dinner on Sunday.

WBS veteran angler Tim Maddock took home the Top Angler trophy for his performance aboard the second place boat, Reely Tight.

“The 2007 tournament, in many ways, was our best tournament ever,” McGowan explained. “We had outstanding fishing, great sponsors and a large and lively spectator crowd.” For more information about next year’s Fort Lauderdale Billfish Tournament, visit the tournament website at www.billfishtournament.com. Billfishing Magazine

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By Bart K. Davis

Photos by Greg Gawlikowski

iami, Florida is one of the finest destinations on the WBS World Tour for a number of reasons. Let’s take a quick look.

The area is one of the most urbanized areas of the world so consequently, whatever you desire can be found here. Want to go clubbing and rub elbows with movie stars and professional athletes until the sun comes up? No problem, South Beach has you covered. Wife wants world-class shopping? Point her to any corner of the city and watch the credit card bills come rolling in. Dining? With an eclectic mixture of cultures, Miami is home to some of the finest dining available anywhere in the world, from down-home Cuban specialties to the latest in haute cuisine. It’s a city that dances to its own beat, fueled by the great year-round weather as 24

Billfishing Magazine

well as the proximity to miles of white sand beaches and easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, there’s the great fishing. A wide variety of species are readily available, from inshore and nearshore species like tarpon, snook and snapper to the offshore pelagics: billfish, dolphin, wahoo and tuna. However, it’s the Atlantic sailfish that dances its way into the spotlight for both the recreational and charter fleets in this part of the world. While these fish might be considered the lightweights of the billfish world (most caught off southern Florida weigh less than 50 pounds), they make up for it through their acrobatics and in sheer numbers. It’s not uncommon for a hooked sail to seemingly spend more time in the air than in the water as they attempt to throw the hook in a series of wild gyrations and aerial

Miami Mayor’s Cup

In just three years, this tournament has moved into the forefront of the South Florida fishing scene thanks to a great atmosphere for the participants as well as technological innovations like real-time scoring updates and live broadcasts of the VHF radio traffic over the Internet as well as great payouts and social functions. This year, tournament director Tony Albelo and his staff raised an already high bar to a new level as they offered something totally new: a million-dollar prize for releasing a single sailfish.

fireworks, especially when caught using light tackle. And it’s also possible to rack up numerous sailfish releases in just a few short hours of fishing. This is due to the fish’s preference to travel in packs as they search for baitfish—find the right area and anglers can enjoy good fishing with multiple shots at sailfish. Because of the popularity of the sailfish, tournament fishing for this species has become wildly popular across the globe but nowhere more so than Miami. On any given weekend it’s possible to enter a tournament and test your skills against some of the best anglers and captains in the sportfishing world. However, one event has set itself apart from the rest with a history of innovation and, for lack of a better term, customer service—the Miami Mayor’s Cup.

A few months prior to the start of the tournament, a select team of anglers, reporters, photographers and a film crew headed out with the intent to tag and release a sailfish. This one would be special though, as the unique tag would carry a special serial number. Should anyone fishing the Mayor’s Cup tournament be fortunate enough to recapture that particular fish, the grand prize would be one million dollars. That’s right, seven figures. The tournament’s captain’s party kicked off with the usual South Beach flair at Monty’s, as platters of stone crab claws and plenty of cold drinks were passed around the gathered mix of anglers, owners, captains and crew. As with any major billfish event, though, there was a fair amount of gamesmanship in the mix as well—no one was going to be too forthcoming with their top secret information concerning locations of baitfish or the sails that followed. It would be up to the individuals to determine the best places to drop their lines the next day. As with most any other south Florida sailfish event, live bait rules the day. With the pods of sails concentrated in a relatively Billfishing Magazine

Miami Mayor’s Cup

small area, a frisky bait suspended from a fishing kite near the surface is a deadly technique and one that’s been perfected by these crews. To watch them hang multiple baits from a pair of kites, plus add additional lines in the water around the boat is similar to watching a choreographed dance number—it’s a symphony in motion with no wasted effort.

It would be the amazing performance put on by the crew of the Wound Up that would be the talk of the docks. Anglers Brett Dudas, Roy Huff and Warren Sands released six sails on Day Two to finish the tournament with eleven releases and first place overall, making this their third tournament victory in just over 10 days. For their efforts they were presented with a check for $93,000 and the Mayor’s Cup trophy, a perpetual cup that resides in the home city of the victor. The L & H took home $38,000 for second place and were also crowned the Dewar’s 12 Billfish Champions by releasing the most sailfish during the FYI Sailfish Kickoff and the Mayor’s Cup. Anglers Freddy, James and Debbie David took home first place in the Sailfish Kickoff and second in the Mayor’s Cup, once again proving that consistency is handsomely rewarded in a competitive tournament environment.

The Reel Tension took home third place honors in the Mayor’s Cup.

The first day of fishing was about par for the course for the fleet of 78 registered tournament boats, with 131 sails released using non-offset circle hooks to fight again another day. The bite seemed to be concentrated in 120 to 130 feet of water right off the Miami skyline, an easy run for every boat in the fleet. Team XXX, a 36-foot Contender powered by triple Mercury Verado outboards, had the hot hand on Day One as anglers Chris Marvel, Max Tower, James Cleare and Brian Rhaghan moved into the lead with eight releases. It wouldn’t be a runaway for them just yet though, as the Reel Tension and constant tournament threat L&H were right behind them with seven releases each.

Warren and Janice Sands and the Wound Up team are on a hot streak this year, adding the Mayor’s Cup to their list of tournament victories.

And the million dollar sailfish? It was still at large. Close, but no cigar. Tournament director Tony Albelo still awarded over $200,000 in cash and promised another world-class event for next year with yet another shot at that seven-figure fish.

The L&H placed second in the Mayor’s Cup but walked away with the Dewar’s 12 Billfish Series title and bonus cash award.

The next day saw a similar result with 108 sails released despite a shortened fishing day. The XXX found the going a bit tougher as they were unable to add to their release totals from Day One, while the L & H proved why consistency is important in a tournament environment—they released four additional sails to finish the two-day event with a total of 11 to place second. The Reel Tension also found a few on Day Two, releasing three more to finish in third place overall.

The aptly named Dream Team took home first place in the Amateur Division of the event.

Billfishing Magazine

Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge

hile the technique of using a kite to deploy a fishermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baited line can trace its origins back to the ancient Chinese and the innovative Pacific islanders, it was Capt. Bob Lewis that really defined the use of the fishing kite in the sailfish-rich waters off southern Florida. By using a kite to suspend a frisky live bait, Capt. Bob soon realized the inherent benefits of such a technique (in fact there are many). First, the kite kept the bait swimming in frantic circles very close to the oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface and within easy reach of the sailfish and other gamefish that he was targeting. It also kept the heavier leader material suspended vertically above the bait and out of the water, leaving less to spook a wary adversary. And by fishing the kite on the upwind side of the vessel, it allowed a larger spread of additional lines to be deployed, covering a much larger swath of ocean.

Today, the technique of kite fishing has been adapted to many far-flung locations such as North Carolina for yellowfin tuna, the canyons of the Northeast for bluefin tuna and even the partyboats of California on their long-range trips lasting many days off the Pacific coast of Mexico. But its roots in modern fishing lie firmly attached to the south Florida region and Capt. Bob Lewis. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anglers have modified the original kites to fly in a variety of winds, even attaching helium balloons in order to put their baits aloft in the calmest of conditions. Flying multiple kites, done by weighting the edges of the kites so they fly apart from each other, has also become standard fare as has fishing multiple lines from each kite in order to cover even more ground in search of sailfish. As an early innovator of kite fishing, Capt. Bob would smile at these modern twists upon his original theme.

Above It All By Eric West

Billfishing Magazine

Photos by Greg Gawlikowski

Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge

Billfishing Magazine

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Capt. Bob LewisBillfish Challenge The Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge was formed in 1993 and incorporated in 1998, obtaining 501 c. (3) status as a nonprofit organization in January of 2000. It was named in honor of Capt. Bob Lewis, who passed away in January, 1997. The first tournament, planned on short notice, registered only five boats but was still deemed a success to those who participated. Expanding each year, in 2002 the tournament became an invitational and was limited to the first 60 paid entries, expanding to 65 entries in 2005. The proceeds benefit the youth of south Florida through educational and fishing/diving programs, with the tournament proceeds distributed to beneficiaries that exemplify the ideals of the tournament. Total contributions to various youth programs have reached nearly $300,000 as of 2006. All tournament directors and committee members serve on a volunteer basis with the exception of the executive director. One new change in the event for 2007 was the introduction of Capt. Ernie Portuondo as the new executive director. Portuondo takes the reins from Capt. Marty Locke who successfully drove the event for four seasons before recently relocating to Texas. As the tournament enters its 14th season, Portuondo has his sights set on increasing the overall tournament purse as well as increasing the tournament’s contributions to their charity-driven beneficiaries.

The Qualifier emerged victorious in this year’s tournament with fourteen sailfish releases over the course of the two-day tournament.

While they finished just two releases behind the Qualifier, the team aboard the Owl’s Nest also had a great weekend during the Capt. Bob Lewis, releasing 12 sails and banking over $100,000 with their participation in the optional categories in which the winning team elected not to pursue. The Game Time, Sandman and 4 Aces rounded out the top five, respectively, in the tournament with 11 releases each. Fishing aboard the Hook, Bob Christoph, Jr. was the tournament’s Top Angler with six releases—he will have the opportunity to represent the Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge during this year’s World Billfish Series Grand Championships in Costa Rica, to be held Dec. 5-8, 2007.

The Owl’s Nest returns to port with their flags flying proudly. They took home second place honors.

With a new tournament director and a plan for expanded growth, this should be one event that’s on everyone’s calendar in 2008. For more information, visit www.billfishchallenge.com.

This year’s tournament fielded 56 of the region’s finest fishing teams, each searching not only for the tournament’s top cash prizes but also the fame and notoriety that goes along with a prestigious victory against a field of tough, seasoned competitors. To back up this point, 50 of the registered teams scored at least one sailfish release during the two-day event. Just take a look at some of the teams who have won this event in the past (and who were also in this year’s field): Uptight, L&H, Chopper/Complete Angler, Get Lit, Contender One…and the list goes on. It would take both an extremely talented team as well as a healthy pinch of luck to make it to the winner’s circle. While all eyes were on the Wound Up, winner of three south Florida tournaments to date, it would be the team aboard the Qualifier that would sneak in under the radar to steal the glory on this weekend. With a super-steady performance, the team released seven sailfish on Day One, then backed up that feat with another seven on Day Two to finish the tournament with 14 releases and 2800 points, good enough for not only the win but the top event prize of $15,000. The team also netted an additional $22,000 and change for their participation in the optional categories.

Bob Christoph, Jr. accepts his Top Angler trophy from tournament president Jose Fonseca during the awards. Billfishing Magazine

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Bob Beasley Profile

Tournament Awards 1987 1st Place: Cayman Airway Pilot’s Tournament, Cayman Islands 3rd Place: Port Antonio Marlin Tournament, Jamaica Favorite Billfishing Location: ”The Cayman Islands, simply because of all the wonderful locals we’ve met there who are still our loved friends today. And the great fishing!” Favorite “Fun Fishing” Location: “Costa Rica because of the number of shots at billfish and the people are also nice and friendly.” Other Interests: ”Hunting, SCUBA diving, traveling and snow skiing.” Occupation: “President and broker/owner of RWB Real Estate, Inc. on Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.” Thoughts on the Future of Sportfishing: “We need to make sure that for the kids growing up today there will still be plenty of fish to catch in the seas. We also need to do everything we can to get kids off the computer and video games and get them out there fishing—that’s the only way they’ll catch that fishing bug and become the future protectors of our great sport for future generations.”

was born and raised on Ft. Myers Beach on the southwestern coast of Florida surrounded by water, so it was only natural that I had my first fishing skiff at age 10. By the time I turned 18 I had both my 100 Ton USCG captain’s license and my Florida real estate license, but all I wanted to do was fish. I started running local charter boats and fishing in some local grouper tournaments because in that area you had to go almost 100 miles offshore to get into the real marlin territory. I got interested in billfishing when I was hired to work on a 44foot Striker called the Mombo in 1986 with Rick Kemper, Tom Lombardi and Mike LeBlank. We fished the Cayman Islands Million Dollar Month, which consisted of fishing every day for 30 days, two years in a row.”

“Our best day was breaking the Cayman Islands record for the most blue marlin caught in one day. The tournament director had asked us to take a broadcast journalist with the BBC in England along with us so he could tape us for a radio show. We managed to catch five blues off a place called Rum Point in a time span of only about two and a half hours—I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m told we still hold the record although a few others have come close in the past few years.”

Favorite Fish Story: “I was about 14 or 15 when we were on our way back from a fishing trip in the Dry Tortugas with my friend Bob Lea and his dad. We were trolling along when we saw something in the distance and decided to troll past it. It turned out to be the wheelhouse of a sunken boat and as soon as we went by the wahoo attacked our lines. I was reeling mine in and had the lure about five feet out of the water when a 40pound wahoo came out of the water like a rocket and grabbed the lure in midair—it was the coolest thing this 15-year old had ever seen! I had it mounted and it’s still on my wall today.”

Billfishing Magazine

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Jim Motsko Profile

Tournament Awards 2006 Top Circle Hook Team: Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, NC 6th Place: Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, NC 1999 5th Place: Gold Cup Tournament, Florida Favorite Billfishing Location: “The best fishing hole anywhere—Venezuela! You can catch billfish there year-round, with plenty of ‘slams,’ friendly people and the run to the grounds is usually less than 20 miles.” Favorite “Fun Fishing” Location: “Since I live in Ocean City, I take for granted all the fun things to do here. The Tropic Star Lodge in Panama is also a fun place to be, totally isolated in the Darien jungle yet with top-notch service and great fishing.” Other Interests: “I like to shoot billiards, photography, swimming, travel, dining out and being with my family.” Occupation: “I’m in real estate sales as an associate broker in Ocean City, Maryland. I am also president and tournament director for the White Marlin Open, and serve on the advisory board for the Recreational Fishing Alliance.” Thoughts on the Future of Sportfishing: ”Conservation is a main focus. Circle hooks are the way to go, without a doubt! The sportfishing community must continue to be vocal in our efforts to protect our rights as recreational fishermen, letting our lawmakers know that longline boats, both foreign and domestic, must be strictly regulated or even outlawed so they do not continue to catch marlin as by-catch.”

started fishing tournaments in 1966 as a mate on a charter boat out of Ocean City, Maryland. I have fished in over 50 events as an angler and try to fish in four to six each year, mostly light-tackle tournaments.” “I’ve been fortunate to have lots of memorable days on the water. Our best fish day so far is 25 Atlantic sailfish releases, which I’ve done twice—once on the Pelican out of Isla Mujeres in January of 2006 and again on the Obsession in January of 2007, also fishing out of Isla. My biggest billfish so far was a 700-plus pound blue marlin on the Pelican fishing off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. One really memorable day that stands out was fishing in Venezuela with Capt. Eric Blanks when we got covered up with white marlin. There were only two anglers on the boat, myself and Tom Jackson—I had a hooked white in each hand, Tom was hooked up, there were fish on both teasers and on all the other baits, all at the same time. We ended up releasing four.” “Since I don’t own a boat, I don’t worry too much about tournament preparation. As an angler, I do make sure my line is fresh, my rod guides are smooth and the drags are all set correctly. Then I just try to get a good night’s sleep before the days when I fish.”

Favorite Fish Story: “My favorite was on a Gulf Stream crossing to Bimini from Ft. Lauderdale we made in 1969 aboard the Gannet. When we put out the lines, a yellowfin tuna crashed the bait. As we got the tuna to the boat, a huge hammerhead shark bit it in half, then a 250-pound blue marlin showed up and wanted the tuna head. Both the shark and the marlin were about 15 feet behind what was left of the tuna, zig-zagging back and forth. It was my first trip to Bimini and I thought I was in heaven!”

When not busy with real estate sales or as director of the White Marlin Open, Jim is an avid angler who enjoys the thrill of light-tackle fishing for a variety of species. Billfishing Magazine

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Alec Breaud Profile

Favorite Billfishing Location: ”Being a native of southern Louisiana, I have to stick to my roots. Our oil rigs provide such a vast array of species to catch but the billfish love them too. We plan to fish in Louisiana waters for any tournament in the near vicinity since we’ve always had good luck there.” Favorite “Fun Fishing” Location: “Every location is fun but I still enjoy Louisiana. I love being able to catch redfish and trout in the morning, then taking the same bay boat out six miles offshore to catch mangrove snapper on light tackle for the rest of the day. My other favorite is Orange Beach, Alabama— their swordfishing grounds and reefs are amazing.” Other Interests: ”I enjoy being outdoors, working on cars and advancing my boating career. I also like working with my new dog Pirogue and hunting when the opportunity arises.” Occupation: “I’m the current chairman of the Recreational Fishing Alliance in Louisiana and the co-chairman in Alabama while being back in school for my MBA, after which I hope to enter a new market with real estate development.”

grew up as a fisherman and have always been involved in the sport even during my ‘rebellion years.’ My Dad got me started when he purchased a 1976 Hatteras 58 and then a bit later, an Ocean 44. We fished those boats on both charters and tournaments but took a few years off recently to pursue other interests. Our latest boat together is an Everglades 35 and we will be fishing in most, if not all, the major Gulf Coast tournaments this year. We hope to take delivery of the new boat in March so we’re excited about the upcoming season.”

Thoughts on the Future of Sportfishing: “Conservation! If we want to keep this sport alive and viable for our children and grandchildren then action must be taken now. Groups like the TBF and RFA are constantly working to help your rights to fish so please join and give what you can. Without public support, the future of sportfishing may not exist.” Favorite Fish Story: “Just like everyone else’s—the one that got away! I’m sure he was a 2,000-pound blue marlin or a 300-pound yellowfin, too bad we lost him.”

“My most memorable day on the water so far was during the Marlin University in Cabo San Lucas last year. After the first few days of fishing we were feeling pretty unlucky. On the last day of fishing in our tournament, we had Peter B. Wright and Dave Ferrell on board and in the last three hours of fishing we finally had our shot when a nice striped marlin light up on the right rigger. I pitched him a live goggle-eye on a Senator 4/0 and 30-pound test line. It was our only successful catch and release during the entire trip and I was there to do my part to help win our small tournament. I’ll remember fishing with those guys for the rest of my life.” “Maintenance is the key when it comes to tournament preparation. Saltwater will destroy just about anything so you have to make sure everything is properly cared for—you don’t want a failure in a competitive situation. We also use both Hilton’s Realtime-Navigator and ROFFS so we have at least two sources of information on water conditions prior to a big tournament. You can never have too much information or do too much preventive maintenance.”

Billfishing Magazine

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2007 WORLD TOUR STANDINGS

Sa ilf ish

BOAT NAME Wound Up Reely Tight Sandman Gilligans Revenge Miss Britt II Wound Up Get Lit Get Lit Wound Up Hatterascal Native Son Sandman Chip's Ahoy Gilligans Revenge Reel Tension No Mercy Catch One Fish Pig L&H Off The Wall Off the Hook Off The Hook Miss Britt II Contender One

200 500 275 350 125 275 275 200 350 725 125 200 575 275 575

275 350

500 350 350 200 575 275

200 50

275 350

275 125

200

500

125

575 200 125 575 275 125 350

ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION POINTS

ANGLER Brett Dudas Tim Maddock Sandra Kirkpatrick Alex Bienese Bill Danko Warren Sands Peter Miller Kitt Toomey Roy Huff Debbi David Brandon Laurintano Todd Kirkpatrick Chip Sheehan Carlos Martinez Victor Jensen Rick Arnold Mark Wodlinger James Quinn Freddy David John Anderson Robert Southard Sr. Robert Southard Jr. Scott Cummings Wayne Savage

Ki ck Si of lve f rS ail fis Bu h cc an ee rC Ch up ee ca Lo d M iam ge iM ay Ft or .L ’s au Cu de p r da Ca le pt ain Bo YC b Le M wi BT s Is lam or ad M iam a To i ur S na wo m rd en fis t h

S O U T H E A ST D I V I S I O N

575 800 200 425 575 575 275 425 350 50 575 200 125 275 500

275 425 575 200 200 125 125 125

125

350 125

275 200 200 125

200 200 125 350

425 350 350 350 200 725

300

350

1625 1500 1450 1350 1325 1325 1300 1250 1250 1200 1150 1075 1000 975 900 825 825 775 750 750 750 750 725 700

Billfishing Magazine

2100 1600 1475 1250 1200 1125 1075 1075 1050 975 975 925 925 825 825 750 750 750 725 675 675 675 675 675

PC CA G ua te m ala

Bi llfi sh M az at lan

PC CA

Co st sR ica

ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION POINTS

BOAT NAME Stephanie Lee El Jefe Grande High Hook Adios Prime Time Tico Time Dos Kasanova Penguin Stephanie Lee Double Trouble El Tingo Dealers Choice Reel Screamer Dream Maker Sailfish Let it Ride Mimi Miss Behavin Spanish Fly Clean Sweep Predator Priority Priority Super Fly

Lo sS eu ño sS er ies

ANGLER Mitchell Pierson O'Dell DeCarol Einer Tenorio David Badilla Roger Perez Dennis Zamora Lawrence Rowland Chris Lepping John LaGrone Albertov Sanchez Jose Santos Cortes Nick LaViola Glen Gee Warner Porra Randall Garcia Jeffrey Villarol Greg Voell Jason Nolan Carlos Espinoza Andrew Shapiro Juan Gonzalez Jim McCord Hans Kaspencetz William Easum

Lo sS ue ño sS er ies

PA C I F I C R I M D I V I S I O N

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Become a WBS Anglers Club member and receive a subscription to Billfishing Magazine. Member benefits include discounted rates on boat insurance, travel packages, financing, WBS Gear and more. Get a one-year membership for $25, a threeyear convenience membership for $75 or join the Bluewater Patron Program for just $95 annually (this includes membership in the WBS, RFA and IGFA). For more info call 727-864-4400 or go to www.FishWBS.com.

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Billfishing Magazine

2 0 0 7 WO R L D TO U R S C H E D U L E TOURNAMENTS BY DIVISION MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION Charleston Harbor Billfish Tournament, 6/27 – 6/30 HMY-Viking Megadock Billfishing Tourn. 7/11 – 7/14 N.C. Ducks Unlimited Band the Billfish, 7/26 – 7/28 White Marlin Open, 8/6 – 8/10 Pirate's Cove Billfish Tournament, 8/13 – 8/17 Mid-Atlantic $500,000, 8/19 – 8/24

SOUTHEAST DIVISION South Florida Sailfish Kickoff, 11/30 – 12/3 (2006) Silver Sailfish Derby, 1/3 – 1/6 Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tourn., 1/16 – 1/20 Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tourn., 1/18 – 1/20 Miami Mayor’s Cup, 1/25 – 1/28 Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament, 2/7 – 2/11 Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge, 3/1 – 3/4 Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tourn., 3/29 – 4/1 Islamorada Swordfish Tournament, 8/24 – 8/26 Miami Swordfish Tournament, 9/27 – 9/30

GULF COAST DIVISION Mobile BGFC Memorial Day Tournament, 5/25 – 5/28 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, 6/6 – 6/10 New Orleans Invt’l Billfish Tournament, 6/13 – 6/17 Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, 6/19 – 6/24 Pensacola Int’l Billfish Tournament, 6/28 – 7/1 Bay Point Billfish Invitational, 7/11 – 7/15 Orange Beach Billfish Classic, 8/1 – 8/5 Sarasota HBA/MarineMax Billfish Pro-Am, 8/8 – 8/11 Old Salt Loop Tournament, 8/15 – 8/19

2 0 0 7

W O R L D

NOV 30 - DEC 3, 2006 Miami, Florida South Florida Sailfish Kickoff Anthony Albelo (305) 461-2700

MARCH 15 - 18 Playa Herradura, Costa Rica Los Sueños Signature Series - #2 Ashley Bretecher abretecher@lossuenosresort.com

JANUARY 3 - 6 Palm Beach, Florida Silver Sailfish Derby Tom Twyford (561) 832-6780

MARCH 18 - 19 New South Wales, Australia Broken Bay Game Fishing Club Craig Findlay cfindlay@sge.com

JANUARY 16 - 20 Palm Beach Shores, Florida Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Gary Caputi caputifish@comcast.net

MAR 29 - APRIL 1 Miami, Florida Yamaha Contender Miami Judy Layne (305) 598-2525

JANUARY 18 - 20 Islamorada, Florida Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Liz Hill (305) 451-5094

APRIL 16 - 19 Boat Harbour, Bahamas Bahamas White Marlin Open Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

JANUARY 18 - 21 Playa Herradura, Costa Rica Los Sueños Signature Series - #I Ashley Bretecher abretecher@lossuenosresort.com

APRIL 20 - 23 Guanamar, Costa Rica Riviera Presidential Challenge Joan Vernon (305) 361-9258

JANUARY 25 - 28 Miami, Florida Miami Mayor’s Cup Anthony Albelo (305) 461-2700

APRIL 22 - 27 Boat Harbour, Bahamas BBC Marsh Harbour Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

FEBRUARY 7 - 11 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale Billfish Tourn. Kitty McGowan (954) 523-1004

MAY 2 - 5 Marsh Harbour, Bahamas MarineMax/Hatteras Billfish Invt'l Jessica Chavez (954) 618-0440 ext. 10634

FEB 25 - MARCH 3 Black River, Mauritius South Indian Ocean Billfish Tourn. JP de Ravel 011-230-483-6528

MAY 6 - 11 Eleuthera, Bahamas BBC Harbour Island Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

MARCH 1 - 4 Miami, Florida Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge Capt. Ernie Portuondo (305) 259-7273

MAY 20 - 25 Treasure Cay, Bahamas BBC Central Abaco Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

MARCH 4 - 10 Raiatea, Tahiti, French Polynesia Raiatea Int’l Billfish Tournament Dominique Goche 011-689-60-05-45

MAY 25 - 28 Orange Beach, Alabama Mobile BGFC Memorial Day Roger Setzler (251) 342-5326

CARIBBEAN DIVISION Bahamas White Marlin Open, 4/16 – 4/19 BBC Marsh Harbour Championship, 4/22 – 4/27 MarineMax/Hatteras Billfish Invt'l, 5/2 – 5/5 BBC Harbour Island Championship, 5/6 – 5/11 BBC Central Abaco Championship, 5/20 – 5/25 Boat Harbour Billfish Blast, 5/28 – 6/1 BBC Treasure Cay Championship, 6/3 – 6/8 BBC Boat Harbour Championship, 6/17 – 6/22 Int’l Billfish Tournament of San Juan, 8/16 – 8/22 U.S.V.I. Open Atlantic Blue Marlin Tourn., 8/25 – 8/29 Presidential Caribbean Cup-Venezuela, 10/11 – 10/14

PACIFIC DIVISION Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series - Tourn. I, 1/18 – 1/21 Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series - Tourn. II, 3/15 – 3/18 Presidential Challenge-Costa Rica, 4/20 – 4/23 Mazatlán Billfish Classic, 11/7 – 11/10 Presidential Challenge-Guatemala, 11/15 – 11/18

SOUTH PACIFIC DIVISION South Indian Ocean Billfish Tournament, 2/25 – 3/3 Raiatea Int’l Billfish Tournament, 3/4 – 3/10 Broken Bay Game Fishing Club, 3/18 – 3/19 Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic, 10/13 – 10/20

2007 WBS GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS December 5 – 8, 2007 *The World Billfish Series reserves the right to make any changes in the Tournament Schedule, including additions and deletions of events, at any time during the course of the year. Please visit www.worldbillfishseries.com for the most up-to-date tournament information.

2 0 0 7 WO R L D TO U R S C H E D U L E T O U R

S C H E D U L E

B Y

D AT E

MAY 28 - JUNE 1 Marsh Harbour, Bahamas Boat Harbour Billfish Blast Mike Dickman (954) 926-0400

JULY 26 - 28 Morehead City, North Carolina N.C. Ducks Unlimited Mark Shouse (252) 247-2106

SEPTEMBER 27 - 30 Miami, Florida Miami Swordfish Tournament Richard Peeples III (305) 282-1006

JUNE 3 - 8 Treasure Cay, Bahamas BBC Treasure Cay Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

AUGUST 1 - 5 Orange Beach, Alabama Orange Beach Billfish Classic Joan Norris (251) 458-4656

OCTOBER 11 - 14 La Guaira, Venezuela Presidential Caribbean Cup Joan Vernon (305) 361-9258

JUNE 6 - 10 Biloxi, Mississippi Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Bobby Carter (228) 436-7928

AUGUST 6 - 10 Ocean City, Maryland White Marlin Open Jim Motsko (410) 289-9229

OCTOBER 13 - 20 Lizard Island, Australia Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic Bob Lowe 011-61-2-9546-8540

JUNE 13 - 17 Venice, Louisiana New Orleans Invt’l Billfish Tourn. Gino Rendeiro (504) 529-5100

AUGUST 8 - 11 Sarasota, Florida Sarasota HBA/MarineMax Pro-Am T.J. Nutter (941) 650-2321

NOVEMBER 15 - 18 Mazatlán, Mexico Mazatlán Billfish Classic Kathie Hundley (714) 258-0445

JUNE 17 - 22 Boat Harbour, Bahamas BBC Boat Harbour Championship Brenda Fletcher (954) 920-5577

AUGUST 13 - 17 Manteo, North Carolina Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tourn. Nick Griffith (800) 422-3610

NOVEMBER 15 - 18 Iztapa, Guatemala Presidential Challenge Joan Vernon (305) 361-9258

JUNE 19 - 24 Sandestin, Florida Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic Shawna Meisner (866) 505-4458

AUGUST 15 - 19 St. Petersburg, Florida Old Salt Loop Tournament Tom Verdensky (727) 867-9388

JUNE 27 - 30 Charleston, South Carolina Charleston Harbor Billfish Tourn. Deidre Menefee (843) 345-0369

AUGUST 16 - 22 San Juan, Puerto Rico Club Náutico Int’l Billfish Tourn. Luis Infanzon (787) 722-0177

JUNE 28 - JULY 1 Pensacola, Florida Pensacola Int’l Billfish Tourn. Greg Whibbs (850) 433-7671

AUGUST 19 - 24 Cape May, New Jersey Mid-Atlantic $500,000 Bob Glover (609) 884-2400

JULY 11 - 14 Charleston, South Carolina HMY-Viking Megadock Billfishing Tourn. K.C. Rennie (843) 278-4914

AUGUST 24 - 26 Islamorada, Florida Islamorada Swordfish Tourn. Richard Peeples III (305) 282-1006

JULY 11 - 15 Panama City, Florida Bay Point Billfish Invt’l Josh McCulley (850) 235-6911

AUGUST 25 - 29 Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands U.S.V.I. Open Atlantic Jimmy Loveland (340) 775-9500

DECEMBER 5 - 8 WBS GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Los Sueños, Costa Rica Sam White (727) 319-3449 www.worldbillfishseries.com

The WBS World Tour is a group of individual billfish tournaments, each operated individually but sanctioned by the World Billfish Series. These events are grouped according to geographic location in one of six WBS worldwide divisions. Competing WBS anglers strive to not only win or place in these individual events but also to accrue enough points to win one or more of these divisions. Top anglers at each sanctioned event as well as divisional winners and top points qualifiers will receive an invitation to compete in the WBS Grand Championships at the end of the season, where the WBS will crown the World Champion of Billfishing. Billfishing Magazine

74 Enclosed Bridge

Whether your passion is tournament fishing or long-range cruising, leading the fleet in a Bimini start or idling into a secluded anchorage, the Viking 74 awaits your command. Available in Open and Enclosed Bridge configurations with your choice of four or five staterooms, the Viking 74 Convertible is the benchmark of luxury and performance.

Available five-stateroom layout

Four-stateroom with private crew quarters

Enclosed Bridge salon with spiral staircase

Enclosed Bridge

Master Stateroom

Salon

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Viking Yacht Company Route 9, “On the Bass River” New Gretna, N.J. 08224 U.S.A. Phone: 609-296-6000 Fax: 609-296-3956 www.VikingYachts.com

Some boats are destined to make an impression â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on scoreboards, record books, and in the minds of sportfishermen. After nearly 40 years, Topaz is still impressing them with speed, advanced fiberglass construction, and big, high-visibility helmdecks. Topaz models are built to endure the elements, to fish far offshore with efficiency and success, to conquer trophies and the competition. Topaz has everything die-hard anglers want. And generous amenities they might not expect.

THE TOPAZ 33 EXPRESS AND 40 EXPRESS For those who believe that the meaning of life is found at the end of a hook

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609-965-8143