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For immediate release
13th Bisbee East Cape Offshore
The thirteenth annual Bisbee Offshore tournament – July 23
to 27 – is in the books with near perfect weather and what was
described by Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee as a “killer week of
fishing.” The international field of 70 teams – one from Sidney,
Australia – was composed of 391 anglers aboard everything from small
outboard-powered pangas to 80-foot custom sportfishers, all hoping
to capture a piece of the $638,000 jackpot, the largest in the
history of the East Cape Offshore.
A twist for the 2013 event was the Titan, a 57-foot Beneteau
sailboat, entered across the board in all optional jackpots
challenging the fuel-powered with wind power – a first in the ECO's
history.
Qualifiers in the hunt were blue and black marlin weighing
at least 300 pounds or tuna and dorado exceeding the 40- and
30-pound minimum weights, respectively, or even successfully
released smaller billfish.
The first day belonged to the dorado as the tuna and
billfish division failed to qualify. There were 58 billfish released
that first day.
Three qualifying dorado were brought to the scale. Oso
Loco’s angler Jesus Corona’s 44.6-pounder received $24,225.
The “dailys” for tuna and billfish rolled over to the second
day, increasing the possible winnings to $49,300 for yellowfin tuna
and $277,950 for billfish.
On the second day, billfish numbers climbed to 73, but
dorado numbers remained static at five.
Yellowfin numbers increased to one, when La Hielera arrived
at the weigh-station mid-afternoon with a 192-pound beast landed by
Chucky Van Wormer, past winner and partner in Van Wormer Properties.
Taking nearly four hours to land on 50-pound-test line and
100-pound leader, the huge yellowfin had inhaled a live caballito
and earned Van Wormer top tuna honors, along with the first two
days’ jackpot money for the largest total payout of the event,
$63,150.
Five qualifying dorado also arrived the second day with Ray
Donovan aboard 19’s Toy receiving $24,225 for his dorado, the top
second day catch in the gamefish division weighing 46.6 pounds.
The final day was filled with tension. Not only had the
“dailys” in the billfish division climbed to $461,000 for a team
entered in all the optional cash categories, but the question
remained: would there be a second year without a qualifying
billfish.
The dorado division had produced 25 confirmed catches, 2-1/2
times the previous two-day total. Jerald Roberts, on Hot Rod, scored
the largest dorado, a big bull at 47.8 pounds. By taking the overall
dorado title and adding the last day’s jackpot, the team won
$38,925.
The confirmed yellowfin tuna total catch was 11. High Life
topped the daily tuna category with a 146-pound yellowfin caught by
angler Mike Reiner, earning $24,225.
At
4 p.m., the “lines out” deadline
passed and there still had not been a qualifying billfish brought to
the scale.
Then at
5:50, the Eclipse 91, a 29-foot
Phoenix in the Hotel Buena Vista Resort charter fleet, arrived with
a large tail clearly visible in the cockpit. As the fish was hoisted
for weighing, participants and bystanders anxiously watched as the
weight settled at 337 pounds on the IWS certified scale.
The team from Oregon, "The Hayseeds," gave their Captain,
Alejandro Cota, all the credit.
"He never stopped trying, for the entire three days,"
praised Team Captain Grant James. “The fish ate a live skipjack on a
Mustad circle hook and Rodney fought it for 1-1/2 hours on the Penn
outfit, with an International Reel mounted on a Tuna Stick provided
by Mark Davis with 80-pound Tuf-Line."
“I took my time and hoped I wouldn't lose it,” angler Rodney
Normand added. This 337-pound winning blue was his first and the
only qualifying marlin during the 3-day tournament! The group took
all Top Billfish Team Awards with Rodney’s catch receiving $44,100.
The awards banquet was held on the beach overlooking the Sea
of Cortez in front of the Buena Vista Beach Resort, the host hotel
for the 13th year.
In the David Wirth Release Division: Fishing for Business
scored 1,900 points by releasing nine striped marlin and one blue.
Crank It Up was second with three stripers, two blues, one sailfish
and the only black marlin released for the week. One and Only took
third-place release team with five striped marlin and three blue
marlin. All received beautiful prints from Wirth.
The Costa Top Junior Angler Team title was awarded
to13-year-old Spencer Dow, who released three striped marlin; his
15-year-old brother Riley released a striper and weighed in a
dorado. Fishing with their grandparents, each received Costa
polarized sunglasses.
“Our boat crews work equally hard for the casual once-a-year
fisherman on vacation or a big time bluewater tournament angler and
we proved it again just as in 2007 when Tres Hermanos won the
event," said Axel Valdez of the host Hotel Buena Visa Beach Resort.
"Each year our boats are booked way in advance, so if you would
like to fish with our winning teams, please contact us soon."
Valdez added, "We also appreciate our tournament sponsors
who outfit our fleet with state-of-the-art equipment allowing our
boats to be winners." Sponsors were –
• Jeff Pierce – Mustad Hooks USA
• Mark Davis – Host of Big Water Adventures
• Penn Reels and Rods
• Berkley Saltwater Line
• Tuf Braided Lines
• Pelagic Gear
With an eye to the 2014 event, Tournament Director Bisbee
proudly noted, “All-in-all we had a killer week of fishing. We just
didn’t weigh THE fish. However, there were a remarkable 214 billfish
released, 36 dorado boated and 12 big tuna! Now that our presenting
sponsor Cabo Riviera has expanded their marina, the word is out
about the East Cape Offshore. Don't be surprised if this event joins
the ranks of the select few million-dollar tournaments in the next
year or two.”
Winning Marlin Team
http://bajafly.com/eclispe.jpg
Winning Money team
http://bajafly.com/chuckyvanwormer.jpg
For immediate release
Graham Communication
Gary Graham
garyg@gcg-co.com
(760) 522-3710
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