Game Fishing Tournaments

[DanBlueMarlin]

Hi

I was hoping some of you guys may be able to steer me in the direction of a game fishing tournament that would be open to the public?

Ideally one that allows single anglers to compete or "buddy" up with similar lone anglers.

I don't really want to fly to Austaralia, New Zealand etc

Mexico, America would be about the furthest from the UK I would want to go.

Cheers
Dan

[V8_rob]

I've just returned from Curacao in the Netherland Antilles and I believe that they have 4 Marlin tournaments a year. I think the next one starts tomorrow. If you're interested I can always send off an email and find out what the dates are for the remainder of this year.

[DanBlueMarlin]

No idea where that is! Is it easy to fly to? Yes I would be interested in finding out more. Thanks

[Captain Spike]

If you don't want to travel too far there are tournaments in Algarve, Portugal between August and October. You could hope to catch blue marlin, white marlin, spearfish, small tuna, dorado and maybe mako or hammerhead sharks. I'm not sure about dates yet but there should be tournaments at Tavira, Olhao, Albufeira, Portimao & Lagos. You could Google them and see if any dates have been fixed.

[V8_rob]

Curacao is off the coast of Venezuela. Return flights are around £500 via Amsterdam.

[PanamaJack]

Hi

I was hoping some of you guys may be able to steer me in the direction of a game fishing tournament that would be open to the public?

Ideally one that allows single anglers to compete or "buddy" up with similar lone anglers.

I don't really want to fly to Austaralia, New Zealand etc

Mexico, America would be about the furthest from the UK I would want to go.

Cheers
Dan

Dan
As you alluded to most tournaments are invitational, with invites going out to Clubs or National bodies.

There are a few which will put individuals together. I can think of tournaments like the 'Yanks v Brits Shark' (run from Long Island) or the so-called Marlin World Cup (Mauritius - out of season) plus some of those held in Kenya. But they are essentially commercial operations and issues such as matching anglers of different skill levels or objectives can get conveniently 'swept under the carpet' by the organisers.

In my experience a team will only work effectively if you've got a competent 'Team Captain' bringing all of those often disparate views together to everyone's satisfaction. And that has to happen 'up front' not whilst you're out on the water.

As a singleton though there would be a number of Flats tournaments, targeting species like Bonefish, Tarpon and Permit from the Florida Keys or Bahamas. But I'm not certain whether that would appeal.
Dave
PS Just one last thought the IGFA, in their bi-monthly newsletter, does publish lists of tournaments. I've never checked but they may well be listed on their web site - http://www.igfa.org.

[PanamaJack]

Just one further thought – the 4th July Marlin World Cup. But I really don't know whether this would fit in with your perception of a tournament?

It certainly doesn’t generate the camaraderie and friendly rivalry that you’d get with a major tournament like, for instance, the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT). And it’s all over in one day!

It happens with anglers competing globally from a whole range of different venues for the biggest Blue Marlin – starting in the South Pacific (our side of the Date Line), running through the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and finishing normally in Hawaii.

Although, by its very nature, it’s a ‘kill’ tournament - there’s a high minimum - and, given communication, if a big (winning) fish has been weighed in the Atlantic – as was the case last year – most would subsequently be released.

But as well as the ‘kill’ stigma it’s also a ‘big money’ tournament. From memory it’s a 5000$US entry fee with a single prize which last year was 600,000$US. What many of the skippers will do though is to provide the boat and crew for ‘free’ providing the angler pays the entry fee and splits the prize money 50/50. Certainly many of the boats from Madeira are prepared to operate on this basis.

So, not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but I didn’t want to be judgemental. In fact one of our former Club members – who’d earlier released three big ‘granders’ in one season from Madeira – won it with a 922 pounder and, on the basis of that, bought a boat appropriately named Freed’em.

[PanamaJack]

Dan
The other option you may wish to consider is perhaps the EFSA tournaments. Each year they run a game tournament - last year it was Kenya. And, as well as the selected national teams, individuals go as well. There should be details on their web site - http://efsa.org.uk.

Alternatively each year CIPS/FIPS organise a 'World Trolling Championship' between competing national teams. In the case of England individuals are selected by an NFSA Committee. Technically I don't think you have to be a member, but it probably helps.
Dave

[excel]

www.efsa.co.uk


i`ve fished some of their Wesh Tope festivals years ago, nice friendly crowd in the main.



www.kentcharterfishing.com

[PanamaJack]

Hi

I was hoping some of you guys may be able to steer me in the direction of a game fishing tournament that would be open to the public?

Ideally one that allows single anglers to compete or "buddy" up with similar lone anglers.

I don't really want to fly to Austaralia, New Zealand etc

Mexico, America would be about the furthest from the UK I would want to go.

Cheers
Dan

Dan
Since your original post there's been no feedback, so I'm unclear whether you've managed to find a tournament that fulfils your requirement.

If you haven't you may want to consider this one - http://www.fishingtournamentvallarta.com/ - that takes part mid July in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Reference to it was originally posted today by a chap called Stan, who Cascars has fished with, on this thread - http://www.worldseafishing.com/forum...ad.php?t=67852.

Rates for the three day tournament, boat charters and entrance fees, are 30,000 Pesos - a shade over £1400. But to stress that's for a team on a boat. Perhaps it's worth contact Stan to see if he could perhaps 'team' a couple of singletons together? And separately contacting Cascars by PM to get some feed back of Stan's operation.
Dave