Bermuda Billfish Blast

Mattanza edges out Paradise One in closest finish in Billfish Blast history

It was fitting that the 8th Annual Billfish Blast kicked off on July 4th because the scoreboard was lit up like a fireworks show with a finale that promised to get the crowd cheering. To really spark up the first day’s events, coinciding with the Billfish Blast was the World Cup Blue Marlin Championship and as lines went in the water at 8:30 AM on July 4th, the radio crackled with one hookup after another, starting with at the 8:49 AM mark when the crew of the Que Mas got throttled by a blue that took them on an 8 minute battle. A few white releases filled the gaps until 9:23 AM when the Rum Bum released the next blue. Explosive fishing continued all through the early afternoon as blue marlin releases were tallied up by the crews of the Waste Knot, El Cazador, Triple Play and a double header of blues for Bree. One of Bree’s fish was around 500-pounds and was caught after a 156-minute battle by angler Paula Ringhaver. Bree’s two blues and one white marlin release was enough to take the Daily Billfish Release Jackpots worth $31,800. At 12:36 PM Captain Allan Bean and the crew of the Paradise One electrified the fleet with a solid hook up and 83 minutes later, they boated a contender that put them in the lead across the globe and scored the first boated blue for the Bermuda Billfish Blast tournament. That impressive marlin weighed in at 556-pounds and was one of two boated fisn in the World Cup and Billfish Blast. Then came the call from Captain Peter Olander of the Queen of Hearts with a hook up at 1:38 PM that had everybody on the edge of their seat when a comment from a near by boat came across the vhf, “that sure was a big splash”. Queen of Hearts has a history of catching the big ones - including a previous World Cup winner in 2007. After a 93-minute battle, angler Glen Astwood finally brought the gladiator to boat side, securing their 768-pound blue that would take the daily marlin jackpots worth $89,100 in the Billfish Blast and win the World Cup for the second time in five years for Queen of Hearts! This is the seventh time for Bermuda to win the World Cup honors.

Day Two was Rum Bum’s day to shine as the past Bermuda Billfish Champions registered 1400 points on the board releasing two whites and two blues, with angler Luis Bacardi putting in some work and besting each fish between an impressive 3 to 6 minutes of fight time. This launched Rum Bum into the lead and secured the second day Billfish Release Jackpots for $31,800, Third place team worth $11,400 and top angler honors for Luis. Team Rum Bum also tagged each fish with Billfish Foundation tags. Total winnings for Rum Bum $43,200.

Day Three’s fishing promised to be one for the record books. In the closest standings race in the history of the Billfish Blast it truly came down to the wire on the final day of fishing to determine who was to take the title. Paradise One hooked into a blue marlin that was released at 3:01 PM, vaulting them to first place on the leader board at 1456 points, but Mattanza had a big run releasing three whites and a blue on the day with the final release coming at 4:24 PM, that earned them an extra 200 points and put Mattanza and captain Brooks Rans over the top for a score of 1500 points when the “lines out” call cracked the airwaves at 4:30 PM. Six minutes and 44 points separated the winners and second place! Team Mattanza with first time tournament anglers and drag racing family Elliot, Evan, Ed & Eric Thompson final day earned them the Daily Billfish Release Jackpots worth $31,800 and first Place Team and another $39,900 or a total of $71,700.

In all, 24 blue marlin and 40 white marlin were caught with two blues being weighed in, a remarkable 97% release ratio

The ladies were reelin’ em in as Top Female Angler awards were taken by Elaine Jones 700 points from a blue and a white on the Mama Who, second went to Paula Ringhaver on the Bree with 500 points and third was claimed by Jessica Street on the Margin Call with 200 points

Top Angler in the series was far and away Luis Bacardi with 1400 points on the Rum Bum, Glen Astwood took second place honors with 968 points on the Queen of Hearts and Mark Outerbridge on the Paradise One came in at third with a respectable 900 points.

The final standings for the Billfish Blast and Bermuda tournament Series going into the Big Game Classic stands at :

Steve Goione Top Junior Angler – Jessica Street on Margin Call

Ocean Blue Graphics Top Lady Angler - Elaine Jones 700-points on Mama Who Capt. Ronnie Burbage, Mate Blue Morgan, teammates Robbie Davies, and Joe Wegman

ARGO GROUP OPTIONAL DAILY RELEASE JACKPOTS
King Sailfish Day one Level One, Garmin Day one Level 2 Release Jackpots Winner Bree $31,800. two blues and a white. Randy Ringhaver, Paula Ringhaver, Capt. Kyle Laine, Justin Laine, Brent Huffman, Scott Miller and Ian Fletcher.

CAT Engines Winner Take All blue marlin Jackpots level one and two 768- blue caught by Glen Astwood, Captain Peter Olander, Walter Cross, Lovintz Cann, Kevin Walsh $89,100. World Cup Winner, Queen of Hearts.

PW Marina Third Place Team with 1400-points $11,400,
Day two level 1&2 Release Jackpots $31,800 total winnings or Rum Bum
$42, 300. Bacardi High Point Angler with 1400-points from two blues and two whites is Luis Bacardi. Luis tagged all of his fish for the TBF. Captain Baxter Still, Shawn Albury, Andre Pepin, Jennifer Bacardi, Tommy Demas

Miles Market Second Place Team with 1456 points from one weighed blue, 556, released blue and two whites $22,800 Paradise One. Captain Allan Bean, mate Delvin Bean anglers John Layfield, Keith Pearman, Comell Bean, Kenneth Ford, Keith Smith and Mark Outerbridge.

Bermuda Department of Tourism First Place Team with 1500-points from 5 whites and a blue marlin releases, Mattanza. On the last day they caught three whites and a blue with the last white coming with only 6-minutes left in the tournament in Travis’s spot. Captain Brooks Rans, Mate Taylor Walsh, first time tournament anglers and drag racing family Elliot, Evan, Ed & Eric Thompson..
First Place $39,900,
Day three levels 1&2 Release Jackpot $31,800,
Garmin Grand $1,000.
Vanmark Marlin Pendants.
Total Winnings $71,700.
Invitation to the Offshore World Championship

BERMUDA TAKES WORLD CUP TITLE BACK!

Queen of Hearts wins World Cup with 768-pound blue marlin

Adrenaline was running high among the crews of Bermudian boats along the docks of Hamilton for the World Cup day on July 4th. When the “lines in” call was made at 8:30 AM, there were still no qualifying blue marlin checked in from around the world at such hot spots as Australia, Ghana, and the Azores. That was about to change.

Almost immediately the Bermudian boats began radioing in “hooked up” calls all morning long as the crews of the Waste Knot, Bree, El Cazador and Triple Play all released blues. At 12:36 PM Captain Allan Bean and the crew of the Paradise One electrified the fleet with a solid hook up. After an 83-minute fight they boated a contender – a blue estimated at 550 pounds that put them in the lead across the globe and scored the first boated blue for the Bermuda Billfish Blast tournament. That impressive marlin weighed in at 556-pounds but would enjoy a short lived glory.

Captain Peter Olander of the Queen of Hearts called in with a hook up at 1:38 PM that had everybody on the edge of their seat. Queen of Hearts has a history of catching the big ones - including a previous World Cup winner in 2007. After a 93- minute battle, angler Glen Astwood finally brought the gladiator to boat side, securing their 768-pound blue to take the daily jackpot in the Billfish Blast and lead in the World Cup. Word had it that the bite was going on in Hawaii, but as the clock struck midnight, there was no chatter on the radio, only the shouts of joy from the Bermudian docks. The local boys Queen of Hearts with owner Walter Cross, Captain Peter Olander, anglers Lovintz Cann, Glenn Astood and Kevin Walsh claimed their stake as World Cup champions for the second time in five years. Queen of Hearts boasts the highest winning record for the Bermuda tournament series, earning over a million dollars in the last ten years.

This is the seventh time for Bermuda to win the World Cup honors, and the tiny little island in the Atlantic once again proved its heavyweight status as a blue marlin mecca.

Wound Up

2011 Bermuda Billfish Blast
Final Day Press Release

Wound Up WINS THE BLAST WITH 4 BLUE MARLIN RELEASES ON FINAL DAY INCLUDING ESTIMATED 600 AND 700 POUNDERS

The Bermuda Billfish Blast teams once again headed offshore on Day Three of the 7th Annual Bermuda Billfish Blast to enjoy another gorgeous day of calm deep blue water, and a chance for a portion of the record $300,500 cash purse.

Local Bermuda business man and avid blue water angler Jonathan Reiss sure called it right in his Bermuda fishing report when he stated "any of the 44 boats can still take this thing if they get hot on the final day". We have seen this before in Bermuda where one team has every bite stick, and sure enough that is exactly what happened. Capt. James Robinson and his team on Wound Up put on a show catching four quality blue marlin after having two slow days with just a few billfish close encounters and one wahoo in the box.

Sea'duce

On the final day it was the tournament leader Sea'duce that threatened to open up a gap when they hooked-up at 8:54 am, but things came unstuck after more than 20 minutes of battle. Nobody on the leader board felt threatened when Wound Up hooked-up at 9:31 am and then released a blue marlin at 9:40 am. Then Sea Toy released a blue marlin at 10:29 am, which put them into the tournament lead with 1,200 points. Wound Up then struck again with another blue marlin at 11:00 am. This second blue was estimated to be in the 600 lb class and it catapulted them into 3rd Place overall and established a firm grip on the Day Three Jackpots. But Capt. James Robinson and angler Michael Medeiros were not finished yet as they came tight again at 11:37 am on another decent blue. Another successful release at 11:48 am moved Wound Up from zero points to being the new tournament leader with 1500-pts.

Sea Toy

Weez in the Keys was the only other team to release a blue marlin in the morning. However, the white bite continued with morning white marlin releases for Mattanza, Que Mas, Mojo, Notorious, Cookie Monster, Double B, Reel Addiction, Off Piste and Reel Estate.

In the afternoon, there were blue marlin releases for Never Enough, Off Piste, Click Through and Queen of Hearts, two white marlin releases for Weez in the Keys and single white marlin releases for Mako, Margin Call" and Great Escape.

While the team on Wound Up searched for that fourth billfish that would surely secure total victory, a battle ensued to catch-up and/or secure 2nd or 3rd place. Shortly before 2:30 pm, both Rameseas and Sea'duce hooked-up. Rameseas released a blue marlin at 2:38 pm which gave them 1,200 points and moved the team into 3rd Place. This kicked Sea'duce into fourth, but not for long because they released their blue marlin at 2:57 pm, which moved them up to 1,500 points and into 2nd Place, behind Wound Up on time.

The outcome of the tournament was finally put to bed when Wound Up hooked up again at 3:27 pm. This was a really big blue marlin, but with the highly experienced Capt. James Robinson at the helm they secured the release within 20 minutes. At 3:46 pm they released their fourth blue marlin of the day and this fish looked to be in the 700 lb class! Wound Up was the 6th boat to enjoy the lead in this tournament, but with under an hour to go it was the first time in the tournament that any team had established a 500 point lead.

A very special feat was also achieved by team Mojo. As already noted, Michael Batista and team scored a white marlin release in the morning. They then released a spearfish at 1:40 pm, and were working on a rare slam. They did not have to wait long for their chance - less then 20 minutes after releasing the spearfish, angler Geoffrey Redmond, 2005 World Cup wining angler, was hooked-up to a blue marlin and after a thirty five-minute battle the release came at 2:33 pm. This is the first single day slam ever recorded by any team fishing in the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship. Interestingly team Never Enough also achieved a slam in this tournament, over the three days of fishing. Nicely done to both teams.

In the Junior Angler Division Jake Robinson on Callie Girl scored a blue marlin release on the first day to win the trophy and prizes. Congratulations to Jake, Captain Tom Ross and the Robinson family.

In the Lady Angler Division Alex Adolph on Mako scored two of their four white marlin releases to take the win and earn the trophy and prizes. Congratulations to Alex, Captain Allen DeSilva and the Gothier family.

The Day One Billfish Release Jackpots went to Fish On with owner angler Rob Kathary's blue marlin release on time. Fish On wins $36,416.66. Congratulations to Rob, Capt. Elliot Cline and mate Parker Stephan for catching the right one early in the day to secure the daily.

The Day Two Billfish Release Jackpots went to The Boomer and owner angler Bill Gardner. Teammates Jason Schladwelen and Sam Shadoin scored a white and a blue to win the day and earn $36,416.67. Congratulations to Bill, Capt. Scott Mantz and mates Troy Shedos and Jason Walcott.

Wound Up's final day heroics of four blue marlin releases earned them 2000-points, Fist Place team honors, Day Three Billfish Release Jackpots and First Place Marlin Jackpots totaling 135,341.67. Angler Michael Medeiros earned the Top Angler award and prizes as he caught all four Fish On the final day to win the coveted trophy and prizes. Wound Up now becomes the first ever repeat champion of the Bermuda Billfish Blast - Capt. James also won the 2009 Blast (as well as the 2009 World Cup). It's the second consecutive Triple Crown tournament that Wound Up has taken the glory in the final day. In the 2010 Sea Horse tournament, Wound Up won most of the cash awards with the largest fish caught in last years series, an 858 lb blue marlin on the final day. So, this is one RED HOT boat and captain. Congratulations to Capt. James Robinson, mate Brian Querry, anglers Michael Medeiros and the rest of the team aboard Wound Up.

Another red hot boat is Sea'duce. They won the 2010 Sea Horse and finished 2nd overall in this years Blast. If it hadn't been for Capt. Robinson they would have been the first boat to ever win back-to-back Triple Crown tournaments. Their three blue marlin releases earned them 1500 points, Second Place Team and Second Place Marlin Jackpot to win $58,035. Captain Eric Soderholm has certainly made his presence known during the past four Triple Crown series tournaments he has fished in Bermuda. Nicely done Eric and the team including mate Chris Weeks and anglers Bill Pullman, Alex Adler, Kirk Weisman and Vincent Cerrone.

Captain Bull Tulson, mate DJ DiJarntte and anglers Tommy Fowler, Robert Kitchens, Greg Steen on the Sea Toy earned 1200-point from two blues and a white release taking 3rd Place Team and Marlin Jackpot earning $34,290 in cash winnings. Sea Toy is another consistent team as they finished 2nd in the 2010 and 2007 Bermuda Big Game Classics and weighed the heaviest blue marlin in the 2007 Sea Horse.

Congratulations to all the winner and get ready for the 11th annual Bermuda Big Game Classic.

1) Wound Up - 4 blue marlin releases - 2,000 points and cash winnings of $135,342
2) Sea'duce - 3 blue marlin releases - 1,500 points and cash winnings of $58,035
3) Sea Toy - 2 blue marlin releases; 1 white release - 1,200 points and cash winnings of $34,290
4) Rameseas - 2 blue marlin releases; 1 white release - 1,200
5) Never Enough - 1 blue marlin release; 2 white releases; 1 spearfish release - 1,000
6) Off Piste - 1 blue marlin release; 2 white releases - 900
7) Weez in the Keys - 1 blue marlin release; 2 white releases
8) Double B - 4 white releases - 800
9) Mako - 4 white releases
10) Mojo - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release; 1 spearfish release - 800
11) Reel Lax - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release - 700
12) Boomer - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release - 700 points and cash winnings of $36,417
13) Uno Mas - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release - 700
14) Game On - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
15) Treasure Isle - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
16) Blank Check - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
17) Lights Out - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
18) Que Mas - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
19) Click Through - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
20) Queen of Hearts - 1 blue marlin release; 1 white release
21) Cookie Monster - 3 white releases - 600
22) Reel Addiction - 3 white releases
23) Great Escape - 3 white releases
24) Fish On - 1 blue marlin release - 500 points and cash winnings of $36,417
25) Callie Girl - 1 blue marlin release - 500
26) El Cazador - 1 blue marlin release
27) Overproof - 1 white release - 200
28) Over Budget - 1 white release
29) Georgie Girl - 1 white release
30) Mama Who - 1 white release
31) Touchdown - 1 white release
32) Mattanza - 1 white release
33) Notorious - 1 white release
34) Reel Estate - 1 white release
35) Margin Call - 1 white release

Thank you to our participants and valued sponsors Bermuda Department of Tourism, Bacardi, Fairmont Hamilton Princess, Caterpillar, Argo Group Ltd, Awlgrip, Fin-Nor, Geoffrey Smith, Island Construction, Island Glass, King Sailfish Mounts, Masters, Miles Market, PWMarine, Rubis Energy, Steve Goione, Vanmark Jewelry, Ocean Blue Graphics, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Marina Pez Vela, Shadow Caster and Mold Craft for their generous