PAST TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS & CATCH RESULTS

2001 ­ DECEIVER   Year five, October 12th – 14th, 2001 was our slowest fishing year. 24 boats and 90 anglers released 237 billfish, 18 blue marlin, 181 white marlin and 43 sailfish. We had 6 “Grand Slams”. It really wasn’t that bad fishing, as this was a very good white marlin season, very few blue marlins however.

2000 ­ MAGIC TOUCH   Year four, October 18th – 20th, 2000 was a very difficult year. The December mudslides closed all the marinas in Caraballeda, so not many boats came down to fish in 2000. We used our event as a benefit tournament, rising over $8,000.00 to help many local people in the area. Only 13 boats with 42 anglers fished, with 215 billfish released. 27 blue marlin, 120 white marlin and 68 sailfish. We had only 6 “Grand Slams”. Not bad considering the numbers on just 13 boats that fished.

1999 ­ TEMPTRESS  Year three, October 12th – 14th, 1999, 26 boats and 89 anglers released 322 billfish, 90 blue marlin, 114 white marlin and 118 sailfish. We also tied our own World Record, releasing 33 “Grand Slams”. That fall, there was a tremendous amount of blue marlin around. They are usually abundant in the spring months, not the fall. The white marlin run is the norm for the fall.

1998 ­ SALITRE    The second year, October 16th – 18th, 1998, 28 boats and 91 anglers released 351 billfish, 41 blue marlin, 238 white marlin and 72 sailfish. We tallied 18 “Grand Slams”, too. No other tournament in the world released more marlin than we did in 1998.

1997 ­ ROOKIE    Our First Annual Venezuelan International “Grand Slam” Billfish Tournament, fished October 3rd – 5th, 1997 was indeed record setting 18 boats and 57 anglers released 247 total billfish, 63 blue marlin, 99 white marlin and 85 sailfish. There were two spearfish released as well, but did not count, as only blue & white marlin & sailfish are eligible species in our tournament.

We also released 33 “Grand Slams” (blue-white-sail) which is still a world record.

Another record set this year was a quadruple “Grand Slam” on one boat – in a single day, also a world record. It’s never been done in a tournament since.