STORIED SEAS
8/28/2007 10:13:50 AM by Yoshi Sanz
The 24th Annual Treasure Cay Billfish Tournament in Abaco, Bahamas proved to be a more formidable tourney than anyone expected. But it was the world-class tales participants told afterward that really set it apart from the competition.
Photos Courtesy of Treasure Cay Billfish Tournament
Unlike other tournaments, this one starts at the end with the tale of “The One That Got Away.” Describing his blue marlin as a “leviathan,” Don Combs, owner of Shark Bait, from St. Augustine, Florida, said on the last day of competition that angler A.J. McGuinness fought a fish estimated at well over 1,000 lbs. for more than six hours before the 600-lb. leader snapped off the black-and-green C&H Deep Runner lure. A veteran angler, Combs says it was “the fish of a lifetime.” Too bad it got away.
After the results were tallied, Juel Marie took top honors at the 24th Annual Treasure Cay Billfish Tournament in Abaco, Bahamas, held at Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina. Amid this world-class billfish competition were a series of social events, calm seas for the four days of competition and 32 boats that yielded 31 blue marlin and 10 white marlin.
Releasing five blue marlin and also winning Top Release Team, Juel Marie, a 54-foot Hatteras out of Knoxville, Tennessee, owned by Dugan McLaughlin, earned first place with 3,000 points. McLaughlin was also Top Angler and Top Release Angler. A 61-foot Spencer named Ohana owned by Ed Burr of Jacksonville, Florida, secured second with two blue marlin releases, a 575-lb. blue marlin and a white marlin release for a total of 1,975 points. Onboard Ohana was Austin Burr, who won Top Junior Angler with two blue and one white marlin. Mark Schwartz’s team on Masque, a 65-foot Viking from Juno Beach, scored a third place finish with 1,685 points.
Lisa Flack of Kilowett nailed Top Lady Angler with the release of a white and a blue marlin. It’s Time took first place dolphin, with angler Nicole Ribeiro weighing a 38.2-lb. fish.Schwartz took top tuna with a 46.7-lb. fish.
A qualifier for IGFA’s International Tournament of Champions, the modified release tournament is renowned for its great food, camaraderie and family events as well as raising funds for the Treasure Cay Primary School and Treasure Cay Fire Department. Major sponsors of this year’s competition included Continental Connection operated by Gulfstream International Airlines and Treasure Cay Hotel Resort & Marina, which offers 78 harborside hotel rooms, a 150-slip marina, a 3.5-mile powdery white sand beach, an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a swimming pool, Spinnaker Restaurant, Tipsy Seagull Bar and reception center. For information and reservations, go to TreasureCay.com.