“Legend” Hangs on for All the “Skins” and $87,780.00
New Kona Marlin Tournament Series Record Certified at 974.5 Pounds

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - Early in the first morning of fishing, the charter boat called “Legend 2” strung up a monsterous 974.5 blue marlin. Polite and soft spoken, the skipper of the charter boat “Legend” Reuben Rubio and his Mate Arran Estencion   maintained poise for the 22 hours of fishing remaining in the tournament.  The fishing deteriorated over the next two days. Mike Vidal is the owner of “Legend 2” and the lucky angler who caught the huge marlin. They were but one of 17 teams competing in the 7th Annual Skins Marlin Derby held off of the Kona Coast. As the long days rolled on, he knew that even with a big fish on his scorecard, any number of the teams on the scoreboard could knock him out of the final two thirds of the purse with just one more catch.

During the first day of fishing, 17 boats caught or tagged and released a total of 5 marlin. Over the next two days, the field only managed to tag one marlin per day.   Vidal’s fish smashed the standing record of Kona Marlin Tournament Series which was 897 pounds. It had stood for the past ten years. There was a bounty on that record, and now Vidal and Company are first in line to win a pair of new Caterpillar diesel engines. The engines are a special prize reserved for the team catching the largest marlin besting the old record of the 5 event Kona Marlin Tournament Series. There is only one more event slated for the 1999 Series, so the team has just 3 more fishing days during the final tournament in September to stave of the competition.

At the end of the first day of  fishing, Team Legend 2 was assured of taking the day’s “Skin” and daily money, worth a total of $25,480.00.  A total purse of $87,780.00 was at stake in this tournament, and after it was all said and done, Vidal and crew walked off with every cent. Very few fishing holes in the world have fishing good enough to produce a tournament with a 500 pound minimum qualifying weight for a marlin. With a heavy emphasis on tag and release of small marlin, the Skins
Marlin Derby can also be won by total points in the event that the big marlin do not show up. This is why the slow fishing was so nerve wracking for all involved. Every call of “Hooked Up” on the radio could have made a $50,000.00 difference.

In the “Skins Marlin Derby” the total purse is split equally for each of the three fishing days. Similar in scoring to the legendary golf tournament, a “Skin” is won with a 500 pound plus marlin, or the money rolls forward and is added to that of the next day. All prize money not claimed by a “Skin” marlin will be won by the team with the most total points at the end of the tournament. In addition, there is prize money for the largest marlin of the tournament from optional entry levels.

Team Legend 2 maintained First Place in total points with 974.5. and claimed the remaining “Skins” worth $50,960.00.  In addition, they collected $12,600.00 for the largest marlin of the event. Trailing in Second place, but in an easy position to strike was Steve Schumacher with two tag and releases and 600 points. Schumacher fished on his 53’ Merritt “Kila Kila” with Capt. Randy Parker. In Third Place was tournament veteran Bill Holt who weighed a 407.5 pound marlin on the first day. Holt was fishing from the “Kona Concept” with skipper John Jordan.

Tied with 300 points each for one marlin tagged and released were Rick Oliva and Capt. Neil Isaac on board “Anxious”, Shigeharu Nakagawa of Japan, fishing on Capt. McGrew Rice’s “Ihu Nui” -  as well as lady angler Kay Kolt who tagged a marlin just under the minimum weight from Capt. Bomboy Llanes’ “Puka Kai”.   Al Sullivan tagged the final fish of the tournament for “Illusions” with Capt. Tim Hicks.  Rick Oliva gave the field a scare on the second day when he tagged on marlin from a double header, but it turned out to be a striped marlin and they did not count.

Vidal and company are not guaranteed the Cat engines at this stage of the game. In order for team “Legend” to win the new motors, their 974.5 pound marlin must remain as the largest marlin caught in any of the five events comprising the Kona Marlin Tournament Series. The final event of the Series is in September, when a limited number of boats will head down to a remote beach on the southwest corner of the Big Island and fish normally inaccessible waters for three days. This Series finale is known as the Okoe Bay Rendezvous marlin tournament.

Total purse for the 1999 Series to date is right at $350,000.00 and it is expected to top $400,000.00 before the Series is over. In addition, the Series is supporting research of juvenile marlin by scientist Andrew West by raising funds for the Hawaii Conservation Association. A new tournament, the August Moon Billfish Tournament has been added to the slate in 1999, but it will not be a Series qualifying event until the year 2000.

For more information contact Tropidilla Productions at 808-325-7300, fax 808-325-5039, cellular  808-895-6453 or the Hawaii Conservation Association at 808-331-119.