Tropidilla Productions announces the
scheduling of a new billfish tournament in early August to fill the void left by the
recent cancellation of the HIBT.
The August Moon Billfish Tournament is scheduled to run August 9 - 13, 1999. Base entry
fee will be $2,000.00 per team of four anglers. This entry will allow anglers to compete
for prizes and free entries into other Tropidilla events in the Tag and Release Division. The first fish taken becomes the minimum size limit for any billfish
taken after that. In other words, should the first billfish boated be a 500 pound marlin,
no marlin less than 500 pounds will be allowed to be taken after that all subsequent
catches shall be tagged and released.
Cash prizes will be competed for in optional entry categories.
Tournament Format as of July 22, 1999 from Jody Bright, Tropidilla
Productions:
The August Moon Billfish Tournament will feature a new
format developed with direct input from seasoned fishermen. A brief rule framework was
announced a couple of weeks back, but subsequent conferences have resulted in a fine
tuning of the original ideas.
The base entry fee for the August Moon Billfish Tournament will remain at $2,000.00 per
team of 4 anglers, a captain and a crewman. Each entry fee will be managed in the
following manner:
$1,000.00 per team will be returned to the purse and
awarded to the teams with the largest marlin of the tournament
$ 300.00 per entry will be returned to the purse and awarded to the teams with the most
tag and released points of the tournament
$ 200.00 per entry will be returned to the purse and awarded to the teams with the most
ahi points of the tournament
$ 50.00 per entry will be donated to the Hawaii Conservation Association
$ 50.00 per entry will be donated to the Hawaii Big Game Fishing Club
In addition, there will be Optional Entry Levels available for anglers interested in
competing in a separate division awarding the teams with the Highest Gross Point Scores
per Day. Entry fees in the optional divisions will begin at $100.00 per day and go up to
market level.
All divisions of the tournament will score catches at 1 point per pound for each marlin
weighed in – 300 pounds or better. Teams will also score 300 points per pound for
each marlin tagged and released. In addition, each ahi weighing 100 pounds or better will
score 1 point per pound.
Borrowing a format from tournaments outside of Hawaii fished in rougher waters than Kona,
the August Moon Billfish Tournament will be scheduled through a 5 day stretch, but anglers
are only required to fish 3 of the 5 days. Adding an interesting twist is that each team
has the option of picking which 3 days of the 5 that they will fish.
A five day fishing tournament can be difficult for many people to arrange for, so
tournament organizers have combined a few ideas from Hawaii and abroad to build an event
that allows flexibility of dates in order to allow a larger field of anglers to compete.
This is accomplished by letting the anglers fish when they can over a broader time frame.
For the lucky teams that wish to compete on all 5 days, then tournament organizers have a
format designed to handle management of the catches made during the added 2 days, as well
as their awards.
The tournament will produce social functions on Monday the 9th, Wednesday the 11th and
Friday the 13th of August, regardless of who is fishing which days, so while the anglers
can go when they want, the tournament will still follow a pre-stated schedule. The base
entry fee will cover all three nights of parties, food and beverage for the team as well
as entertainment and more.
The August Moon Billfish Tournament is open to all interested teams on and all sea worthy
boats. Experience is not needed, as Kona’s professional charter fleet can teach any
first timer. |