Lead changes on Day 2 IGFA Offshore Championship

by Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications on 24 May 2007 The Australian Teams from the Perth Game Fishing Club Vodafone WA Open (Rottenest WA), 27th Blue Marlin Classic (East Fremantle, WA), Sunshine Coast Sailfish Shootout (Mooloolaba) lie well down the leaderboard in the IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

After a day one record eight marlin releases for 2400 points, Mexico’s Copa del Gobernador San Jose del Cabo team turned in a big fat zero Tuesday falling to second place among 63 world class teams at the eighth annual International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore Championship Tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Jumping from second to first with 2745.6 points after adding three marlin releases is an east coast Florida, U.S.A., team that qualified by winning a bid at the Master Angler Billfish Tournament in Balboa, California last year. Halfway through the championship the team of Burt Moss and Tim Hamilton of Pompano Beach, along with George and Stuart Disbury, Deerfield Beach have nine marlin releases and a 45.6 lb yellowfin tuna as a weight fish.

Oscar Daccarett of Copa del Gobernador said they saw at least 50 billfish, hooking one but losing it. The other team members from the San Jose del Cabo area are Jobe Villavicencio, Daniel Fisher and Medesdo Miranda.

Alone in third place with 2100 points for a two-day total of seven marlin releases is the YCSS-IMD Fishing Tournament team from Rome, Italy. They released four fish on Tuesday.

Making the biggest jump of the day was the Caicos (Turks and Caicos) Classic Release Tournament team who after having a scoreless day on Monday released six marlin for 1800 points. They are tied for fourth at 1800 points with teams from Bermuda, Brazil and the U.S.

IGFA tournament director Mike Myatt said 84 marlin were released with many of the teams reporting the sightings of hundreds of billfish.

For some like Iain Nicolson an Englishman on the ( Luanda ) Angola Billfish Tournament team the 'bite was off' quipping, 'There should be a fine for the amount of bait we killed.'

Each catch-and-release of a marlin (blue, black and striped) or a swordfish equals 300 points. The catches are scored and released alive at the boat in accordance with the IGFA tournament rules with all anglers using 30 lb. Momoi fishing line

Though no tuna, wahoo or dorado were caught on Tuesday, the teams can also receive 'weight' points (per pound) over 25 lbs. Local charities receive the donations of all fish weighed at the Cabo docks.

The prestigious four-day tournament is believed to host the single largest contingent of international anglers and teams (30 countries represented) to compete in a fishing competition.

The United States has 19 teams competing. More than 40 teams are representing tournaments in the countries and territories of Angola, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kingdom of Tonga, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, St. Lucia, Senegal, Spain, Sultanate of Oman, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Vanuatu and Venezuela. Additionally the countries of Holland, Singapore, the Canary Islands and Ireland are represented by anglers on several of the teams.

The tournament has attracted many of the world’s best angling teams who won one of 132 IGFA sanctioned qualifying offshore events held in 40 countries across the globe during 2006.

The team with the most points at the end of the four days of competition will receive engraved watches and trophies. Eighteen other prizes will be presented to the three top male and female anglers, top three captains and top three places for the heaviest tuna, wahoo and dorado.

Sponsors and partners for the IGFA Offshore World Championship are Secretaria de Turismo de Baja California Sur, Costa Del Mar, Hotel Finisterra, Momoi, Guy Harvey, Inc., Mold Craft Products, Picante Sport Fishing and Yacht Sales, Cabo Yachts, Outdoor Channel, K D & G Sea Life Masterpieces, Shimano, Hook & Tackle, Murray Products, AFTCO Bluewater, Bodo Muche, IWS Scales, King Sailfish Mounts, Stidd Systems, Corona and Modelo S.A. de C.V. Mexico, Trans Cabo Group, API Dock, Daiichi, Minerva’s Baja Tackle, Pisces Fleet Sportfishing and UltraJewels.

Founded in 1939 the IGFA is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. IGFA members are located in over 125 countries and territories. The IGFA welcomes visitors to its 60,000-square-foot interactive Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

IGFA web site at www.igfa.org.

Team	DAY 1	DAY 2	TOTAL	Marlin	Country
Master Angler Billfish Tournament	1845.6	900	2745.6	9	USA. - California
"Copa del Gobernador" San Jose del Cabo	2400	0	2400	8	Mexico
YCSS-IMD Fishing Tournament	900	1200	2100	7	Italy - Rome
Caicos Classic Release Tournament	0	1800	1800	6	Turks and Caicos
Cabo Frio Marlin Invitational	1500	300	1800	6	Brazil
Bermuda Anglers ILTT	1200	600	1800	6	Bermuda
Blake Bunk Memorial	1200	600	1800	6	USA – S. Padre Island, Texas
Bayleys Gamefish Tournament	1500	0	1500	5	NewZealand – Bay of Islands
Marina Rubicon Marlin Cup 2006	600	900	1500	5	Spain – Lanzarote
Sunset Kingfisher	600	900	1500	5	Kenya -- Malindi
2nd Int'l Big Game Fishing Championship of Portimao	300	1200	1500	5	Portugal -- Algarve
43rd Annual Port Antonio Int'l Marlin Tournament	1200	0	1200	4	Jamaica
34th Annual Bluewater Tournament	600	600	1200	4	Bermuda
Big Game Cup Porto de Roma	600	600	1200	4	Italy -- Ostio
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Total Tag & Release	600	600	1200	4	Mexico -- Ixtapa
La Sfida - 6° Trofeo Massimo de Nardis	300	900	1200	4	Italy – San Benedetto
Perth Game Fishing Club Vodafone WA Open	300	900	1200	4	Western Australia - Rottnest
Tonga Int'l Billfish Tournament	300	900	1200	4	Kingdom of Tonga
44th Torneio Annual de Peixes de Bico Do ICRJ	300	900	1200	4	Brazil – Rio de Janeiro
Freeport Tuna Club Shark Shoot-Out	634.5	300	934.5	3	USA – New York
Tobago Game Fishing Tournament	0	900	900	3	Tobago
Desafio Mediterraneo Norte	900	0	900	3	Spain - Barcelona
Halifax Sportfishing Club Offshore Tournament	900	0	900	3	USA – Daytona, Florida
24 Horas de Pesca de Luanda	600	300	900	3	Angola -- Luanda
Montego Bay Yacht Club Annual Fishing Tournament	600	300	900	3	Jamaica
Int'l Roosterfish Tournament	600	300	900	3	Mexico – Baja Calif.
Jeff Alexander Memorial	600	300	900	3	USA – Biloxi, Mississippi
Presidential Caribbean Cup Venezuela	600	300	900	3	Venezuela, La Guaira
Sinbad Classic	600	300	900	3	Sultanate of Oman -- Muscat
TAA Ixtapa Sailfish Tournament	600	300	900	3	Mexico -- Ixtapa
Palm Beach Sailfish Classic	300	600	900	3	USA – Palm Beach, Fla
Rolex/IGFA Championship 2005/2006	300	600	900	3	USA
St. Lucia 16th Int'l Billfish Tournament	300	600	900	3	St. Lucia – Rodney Bay
47th Annual HIBT	600	0	600	2	USA – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
27th Blue Marlin Classic	0	600	600	2	Australia – East Fremantle
IWFA Annual Billfish Tournament	0	600	600	2	Costa Rica - Golfito
New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament	0	600	600	2	USA – New Orleans, La.
New Smyrna Beach Billfish Invitational	0	600	600	2	USA – New Smyrna Bch, Fla
Presidential Challenge Costa Rica	0	600	600	2	Costa Rica – Playa Carillo
Malindi Int'l Festival	600	0	600	2	Kenya -- Malindi
Texas Women Anglers Tournament	0	600	600	2	USA – Port Aransas, Texas
Angolan Billfish Tournament 2006	600	0	600	2	Angola - Luanda
Houston Big Game Fishing Club Offshore Tournament	300	300	600	2	USA – Galveston, Texas
Rolex/IGFA Championship 2004	300	300	600	2	USA
Torneo Tropic Star 2006	300	300	600	2	Panama -- Pinas Bay
33rd Seahorse Anglers Bermuda Billfish Tournament	0	600	600	2	Bermuda
Bahamas Rotary Tuna Classic	329.7	0	329.7	1	Bahamas -- Nassau
TAA Eastcape Billfish Tournament	300	0	300	1	Mexico –Los Barilles Baja Sur
4th Annual Salmon MastersTournament	0	300	300	1	Canada – British Columbia
Barbados Int'l Fishing Tournament	0	300	300	1	Barbados – St. Petersburg
Sunshine Coast Sailfish Shootout	300	0	300	1	Australia -- Mooloolaba
Rostre D'Or	300	0	300	1	Senegal -- Dakar
Sonny Johnson Memorial	300	0	300	1	USA – Gulfport, Mississippi
Nova Scotia Int'l Tuna Tournament	0	300	300	1	Canada -- Halifax
Trofeu Proquimica 2005-2006	0	300	300	1	Angola -- Luanda
Trofeo Fausto Pallottini	300	0	300	1	Italy – San Benedetto

Day 1 – 94 Marlin releases

Day 2 – 84 Marlin releases