Press Relase - World Billfish Challenge 2001 Report
By: Mike Nelson

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - The 2001 World Billfish Challenge tournaments in Kona are complete with a record number of marlin tagged and released.  The WBC moves on to the Island of Oahu at Ko Olina for the next tournaments, August 16 - 19, 2001.

The Kona tournaments kicked off with the three-day Light Tackle event, followed by the Billfish Foundation Hawaii Shootout, a TOTAL RELEASE EVENT and then the three-day Heavy Tackle 130 lbs class competition.

This year is HOT and the marlin showed up in big numbers including a 1,045 lb grander right in the middle of the World Billfish Challenge.  Unfortunately the HUNTRESS captained by Randy Parker was that day on a private charted not in the tournament but a grander is still a grander...Congratulations Randy and Crew!

High Lights:

WBC Light Tackle

This year's participants included 26 Anglers representing the eight states from the United States and Japan for $26,250.00 in prize money and $3,000 in product prizes and points toward a winning position for the world championships in December at the Paradise Village Resort and Marina in Mexico.

The WBC Light Tackle tournament features a minimum weight of 200 lbs for blue, black or striped marlin, three days of competition, with 20, 30 and 50 pound test line classes.   Bonus points are awarded for the lighter line classes in captured and release billfish.

50 Test Line = 1 point per pound captured, 150 points for release.
30 lb test line = 2 points per pound captured, 200 points for release.
20 lb test line = 3 points per pound captured, 250 points for release.

Tournament Catch Report Details

1 - Pacific Blue Marlin boated 263 lbs on 30 lb test line
17 - Pacific Blue Marlin Tagged and Released
7 - Striped Marlin Tagged and Released
1 - Ahi @108.5
5 - Spearfish Tagged or captured
1- non-qualifying Shark

Charter & Private boat with tags: 

6 - Five Star, 6 - Holiday, 4 - Ho O kele, 3 - Fiesta, 1 - Legends, 1 - Sea Strike, 1 - Kona Spirit

Prize money for places and additional entry:

1st Warvid Gang on Five Star - $13,860.00
2nd Kona Blue on Ho 'Okele - $5,040.00
3rd Naturally Pure - Holiday - $6,090*
Ahi Award - Bob Brack, California - PENN 80 SW reel and PENN Tuna Stick Rod.
Other product awards presented included PENN IGFA rods, ANDE fishing line and clothing from Bimini Bay for 4th, 5th, 6th places.
*Bonnie Kehoe Team Captain of Naturally Pure from California tagged and released 6 marlin in the three days on 30 lb. Test line.

Billfish Foundation Hawaii Shootout

The second tournament, The Billfish Foundation Hawaii Shootout, a TWO DAY total release tournament with 32 participating anglers with a maximum 130 lb. Test line. Winning teams are based on TOTAL TAGS on Blue or Black Marlin.

The tournament also featured an auction benefiting the Billfish Foundation with array of products, jewelry, original art by the World Billfish Challenge artist, and David Mellor and vacation trips to various locations around the world. 

All tournament teams received a complimentary Billfish Foundation Tag Stick and Tags along with a one-year membership in the TBF.

Prize money for places and additional entry:

1st Place - Compton's Auction on BOOMERANG - $ 7,21 8
2nd Place - Legends Sportfishing on Legends II - $ 5,508
3rd Place - Lonnie Larson on Foxy Lady - $ 720

Other Winners:

Ihu Nui Sportfishing on Ihu Nui - $ 1,350
DLUKE Fishing Team - $ 432

Heavy Tackle Tournament

Then on Monday, July 16 the World Billfish Challenge 2001 Heavy Tackle tournament began with 19 teams competing for more than $190,000 in prize money and product prizes.  The winning team, TEAM MEDUSA also received an invitation to the 2002 IGFA Rolex Championship to be held in May in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

An unbelievable three days of competition saw the lead change almost by the hour.  The marlin activity in Kona this year is the best we have seen in years was the general comment from captains and anglers alike.

Another first for big game fishing was presented during this year's WBC events....

Mike Nelson, WBC Tournament Producer said, "This year's starting formats were changed to promote safety at start fishing by eliminating a specific starting line shotgun start conflicts with other vessels and to further promote sportsmanship among participants.  We decided to change the start with the Light Tackle event first to see the team and captain reactions.  It was a hit, and we continued it through the week.  I am constantly queried about my ongoing trust in our participants, captains and crews.  I believe, we have the best the world has to offer in big game fishing, captains and crews here in Hawaii.   Many of our captains travel around the world participating in a variety of events.  Those events for whatever reason cannot eliminate the "cheating factors" which result in polygraphs, video and observers.  I believe in our invitational process will continue to prove beneficial in eliminated any team, angler, boat or crew from all future tournaments is found cheating in our events.  With that said, I remain committed to preserving and respecting the integrity of our participants and should the day come we can no longer maintain that position we will stop producing tournaments."

So how does the new start work?

All teams are allowed to leave their slips at 6:00 AM report to tournament control their departure and visually verify their leaving the Honokohau harbor by an observer.  NO LINES CAN BE IN WATER BEFORE 7:00 AM. At the call of start fishing, "lines in water" competition commences.  A penalty of a that day's qualifying fishing would have been levied if a team was found to be with lines in water before the call.  No infractions were recorded and anglers and boat captains all agreed the new starting format is what should become a standard.  All also agreed, the sportsman ethic demonstrated in Kona by anglers, captains and crew in the World Billfish Challenge is as widely exhibited around the world.

As the lead changed back and forth day one saw Team Medusa jump out to a lead followed on Tuesday by MO BETTA fishing on Intrepid and then came Wednesday.  Captain Steve Kaiser had a day long to be remembered.  The preceding night, team captain Tom Berry was overheard saying..

"just wait, you ain't seen nothing yet, watch out for tomorrow..."

No truer words could have been said.  From the sounding call of start fishing Team Medusa never looked back with tag after tag after tag.   The radio chatter confirmed Medusa's on a roll. Boomerang made a run for it but finally captain David Beaudet acknowledged Medusa was hitting a grand slam and all Compton's Auction team could do was watch out for third and fourth place teams.

By the end of the day Medusa had set a WBC record likely to hold up for quite sometime with seven Pacific blue marlin tags the last day to walk away with first place. 

Within the coming weeks watch for the wbchawaii website updates as photos of the week will be posted.

WBC HEAVY TACKLE 2001 Team Payouts & Prizes

1st Team Medusa - $ 84,096
2nd Compton's Auction - $ 32,580
3rd Celebrities - $ 18,465
4th Granders Billfish Team - $ 7,761
5th Pamela Crew - $ 4,104

Additional Payouts and Prizes went to:

Tara - $ 2,400
Ihu Nui - $ 2,140
Marlin Magic - $ 10,600
Intrepid - $ 12,485
6th - PENN 80 STW w/ Ande Line: Ihu Nui
7th - PENN 965 Bait casting Reel: Humdinger
8th - PENN 955 Bait casting Reel: Intrepid
9th - PENN 100# class rod: Tara
10th - PENN 50# class rod: Anxious
11th - ANDE 130#, IGFA GREEN, 3,000 yds.: Marlin Magic
12th - ANDE 130#, IGFA GREEN, 1050 yds.: Holiday
13th - ANDE 80#, BACK COUNTRY, 1,200 yds.: Do Jo
14th - ANDE 80#, GREEN, 1,360 yds.: Legend
15th - ANDE 50 # YELLOW, 3,000 yds.: Sea Strike

Special Awards:

PENN 130 Bent Butt, To the Boat Captain with most tagged PBM: Steve Kaiser on MEDUSA
PENN 80 Bent Butt, To the Boat Captain 2nd most tagged PBM: David Beaudet, BOOMERANG
AHI AWARD, Largest Ahi of tournament, 140 lbs, PENN TUNA STICK W/ 50 S reel: Warren Keinth
NEW THIS YEAR...NIKON PHOTO CONTEST - Winner receives a pair of Nikon Ocean Pro 7 x 50 compass binoculars.

All crew camera pictures used to verify tagged marlin were displayed every night following fishing leading up the first WBC NIKON photo contest.  Selected shots, which can be viewed on the wbchawaii website were judged by professional photographer Douglas Peebles at the awards banquet on Wednesday July 18th.   The winner, Richard Compton of Compton's Auction Team aboard BOOMERANG with captain David Beaudet

The World Billfish Challenge moves on to Oahu at Ko Olina Marina, August 16 - 20 with Oahu's first full IGFA tournament for Marlin and Ahi.  Entry fee is $2,000 for a team of four anglers, estimated prize money $56,000.00

Watch for a complete recap visit our websites at www.wbchawaii.com or the World Billfish Series site for all events at www.fishwbs.com

The World Billfish Challenge tournaments are associated with the WORLD BILLFISH SERIES, is sponsored by PENN FISHING TACKLE, HAWAII VISITORS AND CONVENTION BUREAU, ANDE FISHING LINE, KO OLINA RESORT AND MARINA, AT&T WIRELESS, BUDWEISER, EAGLE CLAW HOOKS, NIKON, SIMPLE GREEN, CORRISION BLOCK, CAPTAIN COOK COFFEE AND HARPER CAR AND TRUCK RENTALS.

Mike Nelson
Ocean Sports Productions, 808-254-3474
Email: info@wbchawaii.com