June 2009
Tournament Results Newsletter
Published by
comefishLa.com, Inc.
The 5th annual Cajun
Canyons Billfish Classic is now in
the record books. A total of 48
sportfishing yachts, ranging in
length from 31’ to 80’, fished for a
total purse of $438,000.00 and
fished in ideal conditions of 1’-2’
seas combined with rising barometric
pressure---the fishing was ON……..
Tuesday, May 26, the
festivities started with our Dock
Party, hosted by the good people at
Venice Marina. Everyone enjoyed the
seafood boil and open bar featuring
Tommy Bahama Rum,
Jack Daniels,
Absolut Vodka,
Southern Comfort,
Tequila Herradura,
Dewars Scotch,
and
Beefeater Gin; yes, a good time
was had by all.
Wednesday, May 27,
was our Official Registration Day
along with our Captain’s Meeting and
Kick-Off Party-again sponsored by
our good friends at
LeBeouf Brothers
Towing and
Southern Recycling. We
can’t say enough by those
Acme
Oyster House people serving up
Rib-eye steaks and their
world-famous bread pudding, and of
course our traditional Oyster Bar
was also a hit.
Thursday, May 28,
was off to somewhat of a slow start
after our Kick-Off Party, but
everyone enjoyed our Hangover Clinic
featuring
TABASCO Bloody Mary Mix
and Absolut Vodka, along with some
strong coffee. Father Jerry of St.
Patrick’s Cathedral in Port Sulphur
continued a fine Louisiana tradition
with our “Blessing of the Fleet” at
both
Venice Marina and
Cypress Cove
Marina. Our fleet left the docks at
4:00 pm Thursday afternoon—let the
games begin.
Friday, May 29, with
fishing starting at 12:01 am, the
Swordfish bite was on, especially
for the Pass It On, a 50’
Viking
from Port O’Connor, Texas with owner
Mike Hopkins, releasing 4 Swordfish,
along with Never Better releasing 2,
Junkyard Dog, releasing 1, and the
Bushwhacker releasing 1. The Blue
Marlin bite started early with
numerous boats reporting hook-ups
and releases before 8:00 am. At 9:15
am, the C-Ya, a 69’ Blackwell
with owner/angler Joel Broussard,
fishing out of Grand Isle, La,
reported a 102” fish in the boat and
on their way to the dock, but 130
miles from the pass. Our first Blue
Marlin on the dock weighed in at
426.8 lbs. Shortly thereafter, the
Chasin Tail, a 61’ Garlington, again
fishing out of Grand Isle, with
angler Todd Waguespack, calling
to report a 110” fish in the boat
and heading to the scales, weighing
in at 566.2 lbs. Yes, the bite was
on, with Lady Lab, a brand new 64’
Viking reporting 2 Blue releases the
first day, along with Pass It On
continuing to be hot with 2 Blue
Marlin releases on Friday, with
numerous boats reporting single
releases.
Saturday, May 30,
the bite continued, with Pass It On
releasing 2 more Swordfish along
with numerous boats with single
Swordfish releases. Saturday
morning, Pass It On proved to be on
fire with 2 Blue Marlin releases
before 8:30 am. As the radio chatter
grew, more and more boats came to
fish the rip, which was only about
25 miles from the pass; obviously
holding fish! As we approached lines
out of the water, the Patriot, an
80’ Monterey, fishing out of Port Fourchon, La, reported a Blue Marlin
hook up at 3:30 pm, then calling
back to report a 114” Blue in the
boat and headed to the dock. Angler
Lee Bouziga was mighty proud of his
476.1 lb Blue Marlin, pushing them
into 2nd place. The Patriot had also
released their 2nd Blue Marlin of
the tournament on Saturday morning.
As boats started
coming to the dock, it was obvious
some nice fish had been caught by
all. Our Tuna division was won by
Angler Paul Ippolito, fishing on the
54’ Bertram, Nautical Nut, weighing
in nice 163.7 lb Yellowfin tuna,
followed by the Delta Cat, a 58’
Custom, with Pete Lockhart weighing
in a 132.8 lb. Yellowfin and Russell
Lockhart weighing in a 130.1 lb.
Yellowfin.
Our Dolphin division
saw some gorgeous fish for May, with
Brad Rocaforte, fishing on the 50’
Hatteras, Surprise weighing in a
59.2 lb Bull taking 1st Place,
followed by angler/owner Roger
Bagwell, fishing on his 60’ Viking,
MoJo, weighing in a 55.9 lb. Bull
for 2nd Place, with angler Kyle
Strander, fishing on the 46’
Bertram, Faux Pas taking 3rd Place
with a still nice 50.2 lb. dolphin.
Our Wahoo division
was won by angler Blane Wilson,
fishing on the 48’ Viking, Pipe
Dream, fishing out of Grand Isle, La
with a 55.3 lb. Wahoo, followed
closely by angler/owner Bob Harvey,
fishing on his 65’ Hatteras, Four
Reel, weighing in at 51.6 lbs, with
Robert Yarbrough, fishing on the 57’
G & S, Sophie Louise, weighing in at
48.6 lbs.
Saturday evening,
Acme Oyster House did it again,
serving up Red Beans and rice,
Shrimp grits, Natchitoches meat
pies, fried catfish, even more bread
pudding and of course their Oyster
Bar. Combine this with our open bar;
surely a good time was had by all.
 |
|
Pass It On
swept the Tag/Release
Division with 6
Swordfish releases and 4 Blue
Marlin releases - a new
tournament record. |
Needless to say,
team Pass It On, the 50’
Viking from
Port O’Connor, Texas swept the
Tag/Release division with 6
Swordfish releases and 4 Blue Marlin
releases for a total of 3600 points,
a new tournament record. Followed by
a tie for 2nd Place with the Lady
Lab, a 64’
Viking taking 2nd Place
on time, followed by the Patriot, an
80’ Monterey taking 3rd Place. Our
Tag/Release winners were all awarded
custom-inlayed
Release Marine teak
step boxes as prizes. Team Pass It
On also took home the C. R. Bob
Potter Memorial Trophy for Top
Billfish Boat, along with an
invitation to the
I.G.F.A. Offshore
World Championship.
Our Top Youth Angler
prizes went to 14 year old James
Fisackerly, fishing on the 55’
Hatteras, Never Better, weighing in
a 42.9 lb Yellowin tuna along with a
28.7 lb. Dolphin. James’ prize
package included a Sony Playstation
portable, numerous games, a
Maui Jim
Sunglasses gift certificate and a
custom trophy.
Our Top Female
Angler prize went to Sherry Polk,
fishing on yet another brand new 60’
Viking,
Share-E. Mrs. Polk weighed
in a two Yellowfin tuna at 50.0 lbs
and 40.9 lbs, along with a 25.0
Dolphin. Mrs. Polk was awarded a
custom trophy along with a
TABASCO
gift bag from our friends on Avery
Island, and a
Maui Jim Sunglasses
gift certificate.
Continuing our
tradition of “taking care of the
working Captains”, our winning
Captains were awarded gift bags with
Maui Jim Sunglasses gift
certificates, along with numerous
gifts from
comefishLa.com, including
Columbia fleece jackets, along with
a TABASCO gift bucket.
When all was said
and done, we ended up with 18 Blue
Marlin releases, 12 Swordfish
releases, and 2 White Marlin
releases, along with the 3 Blue
Marlin weighed in, giving us a 91%
release ratio. We have to take this
opportunity to thank ALL our
participants and especially our
loyal
sponsors, the Best of the
Best; please support them as they
truly offer the finest products and
services available. In closing, we
hope to see all of you again next
year the weekend after Memorial Day.
Come help us grow our tournament by
bringing a friend. THANKS!
See you next year,
Steve Thomas
Tournament Director
Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic
