2008 LOS CABOS BILLFISH TOURNAMENT- FINAL REPORT
An economical slump and two hurricanes threatening the area around Los Cabos didn't deter the 53 teams competing in the 2008 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament presented by the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau, held Oct. 14-18 in Cabo San Lucas. These anglers were rewarded with what ended up being perfect weather and sea conditions for the 10th-anniversary running of the tournament.
It was also a year that saw a few tournament records broken. During Saturday's awards banquet, tournament director Dan Jacobs bestowed upon the team from Karma, a 35' Cabo Flybridge, the largest check ever given to a LCBT team - $559,000 for their sweep of all the billfish categories with their tournament-record 415-pound black marlin.
The team - consisting of lucky angler Steve Spina, fishing with Capt. Gilberto Castrol and fellow anglers Boyd DeCoito, Shane Obrien and Kerwin Masunaga - also earned an invitation to the IGFA Offshore World Championship, which is being held May 10-15, 2009. Furthermore, Capt. Castrol also walked away with the Top Captain Award and a top-of-the-line Joseph Henry watch
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Other big winners honored included Summertime, a 43-Cabo Convertible, with a 56.9-pound dorado; Hang 'Em High, a 58 Miller, with a 44.5-pound wahoo; and Picante Express, with a 181.1-pound tuna. Each of these wins earned these teams $11,883.33. Get Over It, a 54 Bertram, also scored $40,500 in total winnings in the release categories, with 22 billfish releases over the course of the tournament.
Conservation was on everyone's mind on Saturday, and during the awards banquet, Dan Jacobs recognized the leading groups in attendance: The Billfish Foundation, La Fundacion para la Conservacion de los Picudos and the Los Cabos Hotel Association. All organizations are still fighting Shark Norma/Nom 029, which allows unacceptable bycatch of billfish in commercial operations. The Billfish Foundation also took the opportunity to present results from a recent economic impact study they sponsored that cites the annual $1.125 billion and 24,000 jobs the sport-fishing industry brings to Los Cabos. To see the complete study, visit www.billfish.org.
The Los Cabos Hotel Association, President Gonzalo Franyutti and Marlin magazine, Dan Jacobs also personally honored Luis Bulnes, owner of host resort Playa Grande, which is the co-founder of the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament and advocate of billfish conservation in Los Cabos. Bulnes is also president of Fundacion Picudos and has worked tirelessly to create conservation zones to protect sport fishing and the pelagic ecosystem.
Attendees at the awards banquet were treated to great food and drink provided by the Playa Grande Resort. There were many lucky anglers winning door prizes presented by the tournament's sponsors, including Sony Marine, Furuno, Carter Chevrolet, IGY, Carey Chen, Mackay Communications, Sea Recovery, Berkley, Melton Tackle, Transcabo, Corona, King Sailfish Mounts, Vanmark Jewelry, Ocean Waves, Marlin Masters, Pro Soft Pacific Trolling Gear, Cabo Chips, High Five Lures, Hiltons Real Time Navigator, Evade, Pelagic, Minerva's Baja Tackle, Tropical Enterprises, Northern Lights, Pisces Sport Fishing, Mustad, Mold Craft, Todd's Rigs & Lures, Tormenter, Marlin magazine and Sport Fishing magazine.
FINAL STANDINGS
HARD LUCK AWARD
Solmar 9 - Jorge Tejes
MACKAY COMMUNICATIONS EARLY REGISTRATION
Hot Pursuit: First marlin release. Wins Iridium handheld satellite communications system provided by Mackay Communications.
Mike Brown, Pete Boutiller, Ed Marshal, Pete Finocchiaro, John Palmieri, Michael Jones (Phoenix, AZ)
Summertime: Second marlin release. Wins Iridium handheld satellite communications system provided by Mackay Communications.
Paul Bender (Newport Beach, CA), Hernando Rodriguez (Cabo San Lucas), Chino Alucano (CSL), Martin Vigil (CSL), John Fujiwara (Las Vegas, NV), Marty Dufer (Huntington Beach, CA)
TROPICAL ENTERPRISES TUNA/WAHOO/DORADO JACKPOT
DORADO
Summertime: 56.9 pounds; $11,883.33
Paul Bender, angler Hernando Gonzalez
Total Winnings for Summertime: $18,883.33
WAHOO
Hang 'Em High: 44.5 pounds; $11, 883.33
Capt. Ramon Agundez, angler Emilio Villarreal; teammates Chip Wagner, Ty Bragg, Austin Connely, Mike Smith (Texas) and mate Dago Agundez (CSL)
TUNA
Picante Express: 181.1 pounds; $11,883.33
Capt. Antonio Romero, angler Alex Khalil; teammates Vincent Oliva, Jamie Gonzalez, Jamie Liez, Brent Coon, Ruben Palacios (CSL)
KING SAILFISH MOUNTS DAILY RELEASE JACKPOT
Day One with 16 releases and Day Two with three releases: Get Over It - $14,000
Day Three: Summertime with four releases - $7,000
BERKLEY MOST BILLFISH RELEASES
Get Over It with 22 releases - $26,500
Capt. Jobe Villavicencio (CSL), James Andrews (GA), Edgar Chong, Pedro Orozco (CSL)
TOTAL WINNINGS FOR GET OVER IT: $40,500
LOS CABOS TEAM DIVISIONS
FURUNO FIRST-PLACE TEAM - $66,250
SEA RECOVERY BIGGEST BLACK MARLIN - $26,500
CARTER CHEVROLET DAILY MARLIN JACKPOTS - $287,750
PLAYA GRANDE WINNER-TAKES-ALL JACKPOT - $99,000
MELTON INTERNATIONAL TACKLE BIGGEST BLUE MARLIN
$26,500 - rolls over to Black Marlin Prize
CABO CHIPS LARGEST STRIPED MARLIN
$13,250 - rolls over to Black Marlin Prize
SECOND- and THIRD-PLACE TEAM
$26,500 and $13,250 - rolls to First-Place Team
TOTAL WINNINGS FOR KARMA: $559,000
Capt. Gilberto Castrol (CSL), angler on the black marlin, Steve Spina (Malibu, CA), anglers Boyd DeCoito (Kona, HI), Shane Obrien (Kona, HI), Kerwin Masunaga (Honolulu, HI)
TOP CAPTAIN (Joseph Henry Watch) - Gilberto Castrol (CSL)
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DAILY UPDATES
Karma Sweeps Billfish Categories
An unusual situation faced the anglers competing Friday in the 2008 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament - going into the third and final day of fishing, no qualifying billfish had been weighed. A single last-minute fish could easily sweep many of the tournament categories for an all-in team, and that is exactly what happened. Team Karma brought a 415-pound black marlin to the scales early in the day, and the largest black ever to be weighed in tournament history also earned Karma the largest-ever cash payout to a single team - $559,250!
Team Karma's sweep included all four levels of the Carter Chevrolet Daily Marlin Jackpots, the Playa Grande Winner Take All Marlin Jackpot, all three places in the Los Cabos Team Division, and, since no blue or striped marlin were ever weighed, all three species categories in the Big Fish Division.
In the release categories, Summertime took the King Sailfish Mounts Daily Release Jackpot for Day Three worth $7,000 with four releases while Get Over It put three more on the board to barely edge out Summertime and take the Berkley Most Billfish Releases award with 21 billfish released - an honor worth $26,500.
Nothing much changed in the Tropical Enterprises Tuna, Wahoo, Dorado Jackpot Division standings on Friday, with the three leading fish going into the final day of fishing carrying over to secure tournament wins. Summertime's 56.9-pound dorado, Hang 'Em High's 44.5-pound wahoo and the 181.1-pound tuna brought in by Picante Express on Day Two all earned those teams $11,883 each.
The crews are now gearing up for the Awards Banquet at the Playa Grande Resort, which kicks off Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The 53 teams will be treated to great food and drink provided by the host resort and they will all have another chance to win some great door prizes from the tournament sponsors. Coverage of awards night and complete final results will be available at www.loscabosbillfishtournament.com
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament Day Two Recap
Once again, no qualifying billfish were brought to the scales on Day Two of fishing in the 10th Anniversary Los Cabos Billfish Tournament. This now makes the tournament a one-day shootout in the most of the billfish divisions - setting the stage for a very exciting day of fishing on Friday, the third and last day of the competition.
The Day Two action for teams fishing in the Tropical Enterprises Tuna, Wahoo, Dorado Jackpot Division was another story. Team Hang 'Em High finally put a wahoo on the board with a 44.5-pound fish, while Picante Express brought a massive tuna to the scales that weighed in at an impressive 181.1 pounds! Summertime's 56.9-pound dorado from Day One still stood in that category after Day Two. Each winning species in the Tuna, Wahoo, Dorado division is worth $11,883.
Team Get Over It is still leading the Berkley Most Billfish Releases category with 19 releases overall, and the team's three Day Two releases also landed a win in the King Sailfish Mounts Daily Billfish Release Jackpot worth $7,000.
The weather in Los Cabos is beautiful and the sea conditions are ideal for another day of fishing, and with all of the billfish daily jackpots rolling over for a second time into Day Three, one qualifying marlin hooked up before Friday's 4:30 p.m. lines-out could be very valuable indeed for one of our 53 teams. Complete tournament standings and results from the final day of fishing can be found at www.loscabosbillfishtournament.com.
Day One Sees Many Billfish Released
Day One of fishing in the 10th Anniversary Los Cabos Billfish Tournament saw the fleet of 53 boats photograph and release a total of 61 billfish - consisting of 54 striped marlin, four blues and three sails.
Team Get Over It is leading the Berkley Overall Billfish Release category with 16 striped marlin releases, which is worth $26,500. Get Over It also landed the Day One Billfish Release Jackpot worth $7,000. Team Summertime also had a good day of fishing, releasing 15 stripeys. 
Team Summertime is currently leading the Dorado Jackpot with a 56.9-pound mahi. If that fish stands, the team stands to win $11,883. Team Mucho Loco is leading the Tuna Jackpot with a 76.4-pound tuna. No team has weighed a qualifying wahoo yet. 
No qualifying marlin were brought to the scales on Day One, so all daily marlin jackpots will roll over to Day Two.
A qualifying marlin weighed today for an all-in team could be worth over $180,000. No qualifying marlin had been brought to the scales as of 3:00 p.m. Cabo time on Day Two, but the striped marlin bite has been hot, with many teams releasing fish.
Hot Pursuit and Summertime both won the Early Registration competition with a striped marlin release, earning them a handheld satellite communications from Mackay Communications.
Day One Complete Team Standings:
Get Over It - 16 releases - leading Berkley Overall Release Division - won Day One King Sailfish Mounts Daily Release Jackpot - $7,000
Summertime - 15 releases - leading Tropical Enterprises Dorado Jackpot - 56.9 pounds - $11,883
Mucho Loco - leading Tropical Enterprises Tuna Jackpot - 76.4 pounds - $11,883
La Brisa - 6 striped marlin releases
Valerie - 5 striped marlin releases
Tenacious - 2 striped marlin releases
Ninja - 2 striped marlin releases
Red Moon - 1 striped marlin release
Marlin Master - 1 striped marlin release
El Torito - 1 striped marlin release
Picante Express - 1 striped marlin release
The Blue Marlin - 1 sailfish release
Sea Jewel - 1 blue marlin release
El Lobo - 1 blue marlin release
Hot Pursuit - Early Registration Prize
Sun Dancer - 1 striped marlin release
Hang 'Em High - 1 sailfish release
Miss Behavin' - 1 blue marlin release
Bottom Line - 1 striped marlin release
Gueritta II - 1 striped marlin release
Solmar 9 - 1 blue marlin release
Bill Collector - 1 sailfish release
10th Anniversary Event Now Underway
Fishing is now underway in the 2008 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, sponsored by the Los Cabos Convention and Visitor's Bureau. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the IGFA-qualifying event, and 53 teams are now competing for over $680,000 in cash and prizes. 
The party started off with Tuesday's Kickoff Gala and Captains Meeting, where anglers registered and enjoyed food and drinks provided by host resort Playa Grande Resort and Spa. Tournament Director Dan Jacobs briefed the anglers on the rules at the Captains Meeting and a few lucky participants went home with great raffle prizes including Carey Chen prints, Ocean Waves sunglasses, Sea Recovery lights, lures from Hi-5, Pacific Trolling Gear, Todd's and Tormentor, Pelagic gloves and great Furuno electronics. 
Wednesday's 7:30 a.m. Bimini start saw clear skies and fair seas - great conditions for the fleet of anglers steaming past El Arco to compete in the tournament's first day of fishing. Fishing will continue on Thursday, October 16 and Friday, October 17 with a final lines-out at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Winners will be officially announced Saturday, October 18 at Playa Grande.
Keep checking back at www.loscabosbillfishtournament.com for daily updates from the 2008 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, and good luck to all of our anglers!
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