May 5th & 6th Finds Matt Eastman, Rich Christianson, Mike Butler and special guest Mike, the designated angler of ESPN2’s “Who Wants to Go Fishing”. The group raised 15 sails in 2 days of fishing having 14 bites and 6 releases they also got on a school of spinner dolphins and released endless amounts of Yelowfin tuna. “We had tons of sailfish and then got into a fantastic tuna bite. We’d love to come back, not just for the fishing but because the people with the lodge where just so on top of things.” Right now Casa Vieja Lodge is scheduled to be episode 11 (final episode) and airs on Sunday, June 15th at 7:30am EST ESPN 2 and re-airing on Sunday, June 22 at the same time and place.
May 13th to 16th Finds Larry Dahlburg who in his 4 days of fishing for his “Hunt for Big Fish” on the Versus network, raised 91 sailfish, had 53 bites and 32 releases. He used everything from fly tackle to freshwater bass gear, a truly great angler. Endless amounts of Dorado aboard the Release.
May 5th & 13th 5/17-5/18 Finds Marian “Miss Finesse” Pennachio, Mike “Can’t get a Break” Pennachio & Red(wood) Butler aboard the Release fishing for 2 days. The group raised 18 sails, had 9 bites on the fly. Marian released 1 for 1 on fly and Red released 2 sails on spin tackle.
May 14th to 16th Finds the Intensity with Captain Mike Sheeder Raising 37 sails, 27 bites and 12 releases. As of this writing, Captain Mike finds himself back in Hawaii for the summer where he runs the famous glass bottom boat tour on the Big Island. If you’re on the island be sure to check out the King Kamehameha Lounge where Captain Mike has been known to Karaoke to his favorite Don Ho songs! See you in the fall Mike, Aloha!
May 16th to 18th Finds Thomas Ong, Chris Crites and James Carnahan aboard the Finest Kind with Captain Chris Sheeder. Capt Chris reports: “the boys had a great time but would rather not talk about their numbers.” Well Chris that will just have to be your little secret!
Until next time, I’ll leave you all with these words from my friend John Gierach – “If people don’t occasionally walk away from you shaking their heads, you’re doing something wrong.”
Captain Erik Lorentzen
Somewhere off the coast of Guatemala
Posted by release37 on May 23, 2008 at 09:47:01 AM
April 9 – Fishing Report
March 26-27 finds Ken John, Bob Jones and John Adamiak visiting from the “Sunshine State” of Florida, fishing aboard the “Spindrift”. The guys had a great bite going on their 2 day trip with sailfish balling bait and cutting on the surface for as far as one could see. The guys raised 158, had 120 bites and released 69 sails.
March 27-30 Finds Anthony Cuomo, Vito Portera, Dick Riley, Wayne Sorokowski, Howard Kalka and Richard Cuomo fishing aboard the “Finest Kind” with Capt. Chris Sheeder, the “Intensity” with Capt. Mike Sheeder, and “Yours Truly” aboard the Release” the Guys were fishing Conventional and Fly during their 4 day trip. The fish bit well on the baits, but were very finicky on the fly due to the fact that the fish were balling baits, which made them very hard to switch from the teasers to the fly. The guys released 110 sails regardless between the six of them in the 4 days Including a 400+ blue Marlin caught by the young Man in the crowd Mr. Dick Riley from San Diego, California while fishing with Capt. Chris on the Finest Kind.
April 3-6 finds Kendrick Mattox, Patrick Holder, George Macon, Moultrie Dotterer, Callum Prerry, and Cooper Fowler aboard the Release. In their four day trip the guys released 5 fish on the fly and 23 on the baits, the fishing was a little spottier but on the 6th of April due to a planetary alignment and other unforeseen factors the guys raised 63 fish in the last five hours of their 4 day trip, of which they released 2 for 7 on the fly, and in the last 1.5 hours released 12 from 27 bites. It was a sight to behold there were sailfish milling and cutting on large balls of bait accompanied by whales that were also in on the action. The fleet was fishing in very tight quarters and I was pointing out pods of sails while hooked up, to other boats that were trolling by. It was definitely “ON”.
April 7-9 finds Les Rosenthal from Gig Harbor, Washington, and Paul Nelson from Tacoma Washington Fly Fishing for their first time for sails aboard the Finest Kind with Capt. Chris Sheeder. The pair raised 52 sails in their 3 day trip with 18 bites and releasing 14. Not a bad start to their sailfishing on the Fly careers.
Here at the Casa Vieja Lodge we had the pleasure of having two of the Industries top Photographers Scott Kerrigan, and Tony Ludovico, filming and shooting above and below the water line during some Great fishing. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled for some great stuff that should be hitting your favorite fishing magazines soon, as well as blessing the walls of the Casa Vieja Lodge in the very near future.
“Forecast”
As our summer months approach the sailfishing will become spotty, like the occasional rain squall, with your incredible days still very much a possibility. With enough fishing days to identify your fishing conditions and locate the fish. This is when we go from Quantity to “Real Fish”. Our marlin fishing will peak during the summer months with boats raising 1 or more marlins a day. {I WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOME NUMBERS, LIKE CHRIS’ DAY WHEN HE CAUGHT 5.} Dorodos and tunas in the 10-40 class range will be abundant during these months along with huge schools of False Albacore (Bonita’s), and Frigate Mackerel, all of which are favorite forage species for the marlin. So don’t let a little rain scare you away, your fish of a lifetime is swimming less than 20 miles from our dock. Summer rates with big discounts start July 1st as well, so call the office at (866) 846-9121 today to book your trip.
Capt. E
Posted by release37 on April 05, 2008 at 09:38:40 AM
March Madness in Guatemala!
Captain Nicho Alvarenga leads the Casa Vieja fleet raising 856 billfish and releasing 385 in 25 days of fishing. That is just over 15 fish per day! While his regular boat, the Nany, is out being totally restored, Captain Nicho hasn’t missed a beat at the helm of the Spindrift. Captain Nicho has fished these waters all his life, with his brothers Chico and Carlos in the cockpit they make up one of Casa Vieja’s favorite crews. Everyone has a good time fishing with these guys. Of course it doesn’t hurt that they catch a lot of fish! Captain Nicho is here all summer and so are the fish – the only thing missing is you.
Captain Mike Sheeder on Guatemala’s famous Intensity released 304 billfish out of 708 raises. Capt. Mike and his crew have consistently been among the top boats at the dock. Capt. Mike has been nominated for Marlin Magazine’s Captain of The Year. Clients like his enthusiasm and professionalism and always have a good time aboard the Intensity. In just his second full season in Guatemala Captain Mike Sheeder has done it all, 70 sailfish in a day, 4 marlin in a day, hosting Jake Jordan’s Flyfishing School and releasing a sailfish caught on 2 lb. tippet – something that has only been done by two others in the world! Mike has a few openings left this season and his calendar for next year is filling up with repeat clients. So don’t wait too long to book your trip on the Intensity, you might miss out!
“FINALLY” is all Captain Chris Sheeder can say! After waiting since July for the Release to be repowered, he took delivery on February 20 of one of Florida’s top tournament boats, the Finest Kind. The 40′ 1982 Whiticar that many remember as the Bone Shaker is right at home in the calm fish filled waters of Guatemala. In his first full month at the helm, Capt Chris released 271 sails in 723 raises. With Capt. Chris holding just about every record there is for billfish on the Fly it’s no surprise that 45% of the days on Finest Kind are spent tossing feathers at lit up sailfish at the transom. With his many recent appearances on ESPN2, Fox Sports and the VS Network, it’s no wonder he is one of the most sought after captains in Guatemala.
Captain Jason Brice, The skipper of the Cañaso had a great March. With 232 releases out of 462 raises in just 18 days on the water that give him a 13 fish per day average for March. In his second year and first full season in Guatemala, Captain Jason has become a cornerstone of the Casa Vieja fleet. After taking over the new and improved Cañaso in November he has proven to be both a fish catcher and crowd pleaser with anglers from Sweden to Australia. After having fished many of the world’s exotic billfish destinations, Captain Jason will be testing his metal in the icy waters of the North Atlantic this summer. He is sure to have some great stories when he gets back next fall – not everyone get the chance to fish on a commercial swordfish boat off the cost of Greenland. Still some choice dates left to fish with Jason this season.
“FINALLY” is all the Casa Vieja team can say about Captain Erik Lorentzen. The long time Fins ‘N Feathers captain is back after 3+ years of chasing Redfish on Florida’s Gulf Coast the call of the deep blue proved more than he could bare. In late February Erik found his way back to Guatemala – although he must have taken a few wrong turns because Columbus found the New World in less time than it took Captain Erik to drive to Guatemala. If you’re wondering if he remembers how to fish, how do 211 releases out of 455 raises in just 22 day of fishing sound? Captain Erik will be running the newly repowered Release for the remainder of the season until the Pelagian is delivered from Florida. Erik has some days available still this spring. Next month he will be filming a show with IGFA Hall of Famer Mark Sosin. For over 20 years, Mark has been the producer and on-camera host of Mark Sosin’s Saltwater Journal which is broadcast to 50 states and several foreign countries on The Outdoor Channel. More than 3,000 of Mark’s articles have been published in major magazines and he has written 28 books on outdoor topics. As a leading educator, Mark Sosin teaches outdoor techniques through seminars and clinics, serves as a hands on consultant to national companies, and shares his expertise with government agencies and conservation groups. Mark will be hosting informal Q&A sessions in the evening at Casa Vieja, so come down and fish with the fleet and meet Mark and pick up some pointers from a living legend!
Give us a call, there’s still time for your trip of a lifetime! We have dates available for the next couple of months and don’t forget that last year’s summer Marlin run heated up in April. Summer rates with big discounts start July 1st as well, so call Merijo Attong at (866) 846-9121 today to book your trip.
Posted by release37 on April 03, 2008 at 08:04:19 AM
March 22 – 24 Uncommon Ventures’
Uncommon Ventures’
Guatemala Sailfish School
Fishing Report March 22,23 &24
Casa Vieja Lodge
Iztapa, Guatemala
The red hot Guatemala sailfish bite had slowed down going into the third week of March. My classmate from The Haverford School ’75, George Wood and his son Cary Wood, THS ’08 joined me for the only available dates coinciding with Cary’s spring break: Easter Weekend. We arrived at Casa Vieja Lodge to learn that the sea was rough and the sailfish had disappeared. On our first of three days of fishing, Captain Chris Sheeder took us to some blue water 14 miles off the coast, aboard the Finest Kind. We raised our first sailfish at 9 am and I demonstrated how to cast the fly, set the hook and fight to release a Pacific Sailfish with text book precision. Unfortunately, that was the last bite of the day. My students were stunned, but we all remained optimistic.
Easter Sunday, we set off to the west about 40 miles, to where sailfish had been reported the previous day. Cary stepped up for the first sailfish, and following instructions, executed the task to perfection. George deferred on his turn and Cary hooked and released his second sailfish, going two for two by 9 am. Then the bite slowed down. Around mid afternoon, Captain Chris yelled from the bridge: MARLIN…SUPER GRANDE! The cock pit sprang into a blur of action like a colony of fiddler crabs. Too big for the fly rod, we dropped him a pre-rigged mackerel. He took the bait, shy of the hook and leaped into the air, forty yards behind the boat. HE WAS BIG! And he was hungry. Another bait was dropped and Cary signaled he wanted to take the rod. The hook was set, and after a spectacular fight, Cary had caught and released a 450 lb blue marlin!
Not a bad day for a young man whose previous experience included cat fish, cod and carp in the 10 lb range.
Flushed with success, we celebrated amidst the uncommonly fine hospitality at the Casa Vieja Lodge.
As we boarded the Finest Kind for our third day of fishing, we all knew that whatever happened would be gravy. The sea was flat and the bite was hot. By 9:15 we had released 4 sailfish including a double header. Our numbers for one day were: 51 sailfish raised, with 21 bites and 11 released. A good outing, even by Guatemala standards.
Fishing with George and Cary was an absolute pleasure. We enjoyed lots of good laughs and we fished hard. Captain Chris Sheeder and his mates Ricardo and Antonio are outstanding. The most rewarding aspect of the trip for me was watching Cary’s instinctive mastery in the art of finessing a sailfish to the boat with a fly rod, coupled with his quiet confidence as he stepped up to the challenge of a 450 lb Blue Marlin.
Thanks for the memories, gentlemen!
More reports to follow.
Austin Hepburn
610.585.7583.
Posted by release37 on March 27, 2008 at 04:49:30 PM
Continuing the report: After cold weather fronts moved thru the area, causing rough water and several lumpy days, the fishing for sails suddenly improved. Tom Siska party fly fishing on the Release (24 Feb) raised one and released it. Yesterday, fly fishing on the Rum Line, they raised 42, had 15 bites and released 10. Definitely an improvement.
By comparison, the conventional anglers:
Hanslik party fishing on Intensity (20-21-22) raised 73, had 54 bites and released 28;
Sody party fishing on the Finest Kind (21-22-23) raised 39, had 35 bites and released 26;
Montauk Tackle (winners of the Barta auction) party fishing on Release (21-22-23) raised 33, had 31 bites and released 21;
Wolf party fishing on Twenty (22-23-24) raised 44, had 33 bites, released 24.
Azelis party fishing on Intensity (23-24-25) raised 70, had 61 bites and released 40;
Dr. Smith’s party from the Fla. Keys is fishing the next three days with fly tackle on
Spindrift and I will bring you that report next week.
After the very successful Stu Apte Fly & No Sancocho Tournaments, the fishing in Guatemala got even better.
* In late January, our good friend Dr. Ferreira and friend Mr. Carreiro from Portugal indulged themselves in Antigua’s many facets before arriving at the lodge. Capt. Nico on the Release (01 thru 03) says they had a great time, catching and releasing 39 sails.
* Bill Roversi & John Davenport making their way down from some chilly weather up north fished with Capt. Nicho on the Spindrift (02 thru 06) for five days, catching over a hundred sails. I guarantee they will be back next year!
* Fly anglers Stuart Hooley & Richard Varley from across the Big Pond, accomplished what no other had done before. Richard is a quadraplegic and a fly angler. Capt. Hamlin on the Finest Kind (03 thru 06) took good care of both anglers, but went to the extent of bringing a 3rd mate on board, just to hold Richard’s position on the boat, while he cast and fought his fish. That’s a first for us and for Richard. The only other angler we’ve had in recent years to fish from a wheelchair is Tred Barta. They ended their four day stay with 9 releases all on fly. Stuart says he coming back next year with five more wand wavers!
* Then the Keith Brice group arrived. Keith fished with his brother Capt. Jason and the group with Capts. Nico and Chico (04 thru 06). The group of twelve doctors and medical reps caught over a hundred sails and had rave reviews of the fishing, the staff and the lodge. They too will be back next year.
* Then came Dr. Hanson’s annual pilgrimage to our lodge. His party caught 29 sails in one day with Capt. Nico (11 thru 13). They had a great time, as always and are planning next year’s trip.
* Dave & Arlene Ribler stayed at our lodge while fishing aboard the old Circle Hook with Capt. Eddie (11 thru 15). Dave is one of my oldest customers, who started fishing with Safari Outfitters and PanAngling – both of whom I was associated with for many years. Dave is slowing down a bit – only 61 sails and a marlin this trip.
As the month progresses – the fishing is spectacular reminiscent of 2006-07. Every boat this past week has scored 40 raised sails, tagging and releasing about half.
The Sixth Annual No Sancocho Tournament was held in Guatemala last weekend. Host for the third time was/is Casa Vieja Lodge.
Tournament director Hill Dishman gives us the play by play:
“Day one started out with high expectations………some heads hurting for the Opening Ceremonies party at Casa Vieja the night before, and those expectations were met with a total of 213 sailfish released on Day One. The seas were calm, the water was blue, and the sailfish were snapping. All day long the radio was abuzz with releases being radioed in to the Committee Boat. It was a dogfight all day between Decisive, Rum Line, and Yo No Cuido but when the dust settled it was Rum Line taking the day with 32 releases, followed by Decisive with 31 releases, and Yo No Cuido (aboard Circle Hook) with 30 releases. The Circle Hookers aboard the Allure where able to spot the first whale of the tourney”.
“Day 2 the bite slowed down just a little for everyone. Teams were allowed to fish baits only, which awarded 10 points for a released sailfish until 12:00 noon. At that time, the fly became optional and a sail released on the fly was worth 20 points, with an additional 5 point bonus if the fish was billed and the fly successfully retrieved. It was as close as it could get for Day 2, however the Circle Hookers made a charge late in the day releasing 4 sails on the fly. When the lines out call came at 3:30 the Circle Hookers had held off Team Decisive and Team Rum Line to take the day with a total of 240 points, edging Decisive who had 230 points, and Rum Line who had 225 points. Chris “Kiwi” van Leeuwen took home the Top Captain slot, and Philipps took home the second place Captain. The overall lead saw Team Rum Line holding the top spot, but with a very, very slim 5 point lead over Team Decisive. Yo No Cuido was in 3rd, and Circle Hookers moved up one spot to 4th. Perhaps the biggest shock of the day was at the Gringo vs Guatemalan soccer game at the local school. We handed out clothes and toys to the local kids, and then had a heated soccer match that saw the Gringos tie the Guatemalans 2-2. The first time the Gringos have ever come close in this match”.
Day 3 to many it boiled down to a two team race for the top spot and a two team race for third place. The boats headed out a little further than the previous two days. Day 3 teams had the option of fishing the fly, the baits, or a combination of the two. The fishing started out hot and Decisive and Rum Line were constantly calling in releases. It was a see-saw battle between these boats all day. At the 1:30 pm update given by the Committee Boat, amazingly both teams were exactly tied with 805 points. With two hours left, it was anyone’s guess who would win the top prize. Rum Line quickly called in a release to take the lead, but Decisive answered right back with a double…..one released on the baits and one released on the fly. It was a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the tourney. Decisive went on to capture the 2010 No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout. They ended up with 370 points on Day 3, followed by Rum Line with 320 points. Their victory earned them first place on Day 3. Rum Line took home second place on Day 3. Canaso and Team Los Menirosos finished strong on Day 3 and took fifth place. Yo No Cuido and the Circle Hookers finished in a dead heat for third. Philipps was for top captain on Day 3, and Haole for second place captain on Day 3. For the tournament the ten teams released 525 sailfish on the baits, and 34 on the fly in the three day tourney. Decisive and Rum Line tied for the most releases on the baits with 73. Circle Hookers and Allure had the most releases on the fly with 9. At the award ceremony Sunday night at Casa Vieja….the cherished Rich Smith Memorial “No Sancocho” Game ball was awarded to my friend Antonio Valdez. What a deserving recipient. Also, each team had to contribute $20 per missed bite (sancocho) to the Sancocho Pot, and we were able to raise $5,800 for the Casa Vieja sponsored local school to help pay for books and supplies to these kids, who would otherwise be left without. Congratulations to Team Rum Line for their second place finish….Jim Turner, Rick Murphy, and Juan Cruz Anon, and also to Captain Chris Sheeder. Congratulations to Team Decisive…..Steve Cothron, Scott Lund, and Harvey Steinhagen and also to the Captain of the Decisive Brad Philipps….Champions of the 2010 No Sancocho Sailfish Shootout”.
Our thanks to Jim Turner, Antonio Valdez, Edgar Peralta, the captains, mates, drivers and staff at Casa Vieja Lodge.
Separate page for Stu Apte Fly Fishing Sailfish Tournament report
Pre-fishing days – 19 & 20 January:
* The Pelagian (37 ft Rybovich) with Capt. Chico Alvarenga and the Eshelman brothers (Tim & Pete – Roanoke, IN) on board. Chico and the Eshelman’s won last year and are hoping to repeat. Out of the frozen Indiana prairies comes the two brothers (Joseph Decuis Restaurant) on their jet right to the local airport in Pto. San Jose armed to the teeth to win again this year! Two days of pre-fishing yielded fair results 29-14-5 releases.
* The Intensity (37 ft Gamefisherman) with Capt. Mike Sheeder and the Team of Stu Apte & Dale DePriest (Aleknagnik Mission Lodge) hoping to win one, spent the two days working out the kinks with 25 raised, 12 bites and 3 releases. You guys have to do better than that.
Pre-fishing day, 20 January:
* The A-Fin-Ity (38 ft Billy Knowles Express )with Capt. Gilfredo Lopez and the team of Tim Wade (North Fork Anglers, Cody) and Kenny Gaskell (HD Supply, Gillette) on board in 1m seas. Out of the frozen Wyoming plains into the sunshine, high humidity and 10 kt breezes my intrepid friends ventured. Gilfredo says they got a real Guatemalan workout with 16 raised, 7 bites and 4 released sails!
* The Release (37 ft Merritt) with Capt. Nico Melendrez and the team of Drs. Jon Dee (Hollywood FL vet) and Steve Updegraff (St. Pete Lasix specialist) did better than the other boats with 18-10-7. I expect good numbers from them.
* The Allure (39 ft Bertram) with Capt. Chris “Kiwi” Van Leeuwen and the team of Drs. Scott Smith (Painless Dentist from MI) and Eugene Kolassa (Econ prof – MS) had a lot of free time on their hands as they couldn’t get the routine down pat. Plus the jitters when they had a blue free jumping! But that’s why they have pre-fishing days. Raised 7, released 2 sails
* The Finest Kind (40 ft Whiticar) with Capt. Ron Hamlin and the team of Wynn Cowan (Supply Chain Mgmt) and Dr. Jay Howington (Savannah Neuro) had 4 bites and 2 releases.
First Day Stu Apte Tournament Report
Today Casa Vieja Lodge kicked off the Fifth Annual Stu Apte Fly Fishing Sailfish Tournament. Seven teams from across the country competing for the coveted Golden Sailfish Award. The morning bite was on fire!!! Doubles, triples and quads of sailfish were covering up every game boat. The radio was ablaze with the captains chatter of what promised to be a typical Guatemalan fishing day. Unfortunately, releases were hard to come by as the pressure of the sailfish coming into the spread mounted. By mid morning the releases started coming in to tournament headquarters. Rum Line, Pelagían, Release and Finest Kind were all in a head to head battle for first place. When the spray finally settled it was the Release as the official days victor.
Official Tournament Standings – Day 1:
Release 440 – Drs. Updegraff & Dee each had two releases
Finest Kind 330 – Cowan with two releases and Howington with one release
Pelagian 220 – Tim Eshelman with one release, brother Pete scoreless
Rum Line 220 – Drs. Smith & Kolassa one release each
Intensity 110 – Stu Apte one release and partner DePriest scoreless
Afinity 110 – Gaskell one release and partner Wade scoreless
Circle Hook – Capt. Eddie raised 17 with 3 bites. Two broke off and the fly reel broke on the third, rendering the Swisstack’s scoreless – Que Lastima!
More fish were seen yesterday than in the previous tournaments held in Costa Rica!
2nd day tournament report:
The morning bite was strong with all the tournament gameboats reporting sails in the doubles and triples menacing all the fly anglers. The sails were eager to bite the teasers, but getting them take a fly proved more difficult. It required a slow and patient retrieve. The baitfish schools had arrived overnight and the sails were gorged. Seas were calm, not a cloud in sight, and the air temp was well in the high 80’s. The afternoon bite stayed pretty consistent throughout the day with plenty of doubles being sighted. All the tournament gameboats raised over 20 sails today!!!
The highlights of the day – the A-Fin-Ity team of Wade and Gaskell with 5 releases (by noon) in 2nd place with 650 points. And the Release team with Dee & Updegraff with a last minute double header which ended with 6 releases and 1150 points and the leader.
Tied with A-Fin-Ity team in third place with 650 points is the Rum Line team of Smith & Kolassa
Fourth place is the Intensity team of Apte & DePriest with 550 points;
Fifth place is the Finest Kind team of Cowan & Howington with 450 points;
Sixth place is the Pelagian team of the Eshelman brothers with 220 points;
Last place is the Circle Hook team of the Swisstacks with 110 points – yeah they scored one today – no longer virgins!
WOW!!! What an exciting tournament. When last I reported – Release was in the lead and guess what – they won!
Release lead the fleet and cruised to an easy victory. The team of Drs. Dee and Updegraff, who previously had not participated in this event added three more releases and won with 1430 points and received top team prize of: 2 14kt Gold Sailfish Pendants, 2 Sage 1390 – 4 Xi3 Fly Rods, 2 Shilton SL 7 reels and 2 King Release Plaques. Captain Nico Melendrez won a 60lb Boga Grip and a King Release Plaque.
The Rum Line team of Drs. Kolassa and Smith (also bluewater virgins) who previously had been in a tie for third added six more releases to end up in second place with 1310 points with Capt. Jason Brice. The anglers won: 2 Sage 1390 – 4 Xi3 Fly Rods, 2 Shilton SL 7 reels and 2 King Release Plaques.
Third Place team of Stu Apte & Dale DePriest (previously in fourth place) on the Intensity added five more fish to end in third place with 1100 points with Capt. Mike Sheeder won: 2 Shilton SL 7 reels and 2 King Release Plaques.
Top Lady Angler: Nancy Swisstack won a King Release Plaque
First Place Individual Angler: Dr. Smith with 880 points won a BT&T fly reel
Second Place Individual Angler: Dr. Updegraff with 770 points won a BT&T fly reel
Third Place Individual Angler: Dr. Dee with 660 points won an Avet reel
First Fish of Tournament: Dr. Updegraff – a 30lb Boga Grip
Last Fish of Tournament: Dr. Smith – a 30lb Boga Grip
Rounding out the remaining boats:
Fourth Place team of Wade and Gaskell on the A-Fin-Ity with Capt. Gilfredo Lopez added three more releases for a total of 980 points
Fifth Place team of Cowan & Howington on the Finest Kind with Capt. Ron Hamlin added three more releases for a total of 770 points;
Sixth Place team of the Eshelman brothers (who won the last two years) on the Pelagian with Capt. Chico Alvarenga added four more releases to tie with Finest Kind with 770 points;
Last Place team of the Swisstacks on the Circle Hook with Capt. Eddy Bairez added one more release for 220 point total.
More data to follow – like how many fish raised, etc.
Captain Hook Passes The Tourch
Captain Ron Hamlin has been an instrumental figure in the rise of the global sportsfishing industry over the last four decades. Over the course of his illustrios fishing career, Hamlin has tagged over 10,000 billfish with TBF tags, been among the first American boats to fish Venezuela, caught giant tuna in the Bahamas and grander marlin off of Australia and been among those to put Guatemala on the map as an international billfishing destination. Hamlin is a long time supporter and member of The Billfish Foundation and was central to popularizing circle hooks for catch and release billfishing.