| Fintastic’s 2001 Total Tag & Release Billfish Tournament |
By Ed Kunze
11/19/2001 - Zihuatanejo, Gro., Mexico - Final Report
The final day of Fintastic’s Tag and Release Tournament came right down to the wire with a too close to call finish that left anglers impatiently waiting at the dock for the last boat to pull in and the exact time to be noted. Saturday evening’s awards banquet was held in the upstairs Crow’s Nest of Rick’s Bar in Zihuatanejo where they doled out the long awaited judgements with cash for the anglers and lots of tackle and gear prizes for the crews.
For the teams entering the jackpots, Jackpot awards came in at $900 US for daily top team and $450 US for daily top angler. Daily Jackpot cash prizes went to Team Shellback with 5 sailfish on Day One, anglers Ken Ellis and Roland Ramirez. Richard Spielman of Oxnard, CA on the Vamonos II would take top daily angler with 4 Sailfish. Team Marlin Azul was top team on Day Two with 8 sailfish, anglers Bud Keeney and Jim Mead, angler Richard Spielman would capture top daily angler for the second day. Day Three’s top team with five sailfish went to Team Shellback, anglers Ken Ellis and Roland Ramirez, with Ken taking top angler of the day. $600 US went to Team Marlin Azul as the overall high team in the tournament entered in the jackpots with 16 Sailfish tagged and released.
The winners
For the overall grand prizes it was a down to the wire, two minute drill. At 1205 the Shellback tagged a released fish number 15 basically putting the top 5 boats in a tie for first with the next fish to decide the winner. At the end of the day, 1st and 2nd place had an equal number of fish caught and released with an equal number of points. With both the Whisky II and the Marlin Azul checking in with 16 fish total tagged and released for 2400 points, the deciding factor had to be the earliest time of catch. With a mere 21 minutes deciding the outcome, The Vamonos II, anglers Richard Spielman and Cecelia Blawie with Captain Carlos Cale took home 3rd place overall with 15 Sailfish tagged. Second by 21 minutes was the Marlin Azul, anglers Bud Keeney and Jim Mead with Captain Javier Vargas with 16 Sailfish tagged and released. First Place overall, winning the invitation to the Rolex-IGFA Tournament of Champions 2002 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with a total of 16 sailfish tagged and released for 2400 points at 1354 PM was the Whisky II with anglers Mark Guagliardo, Dan Blattler, Matt Palmer and Tom Grant with Captain Jose Luis (Pepino) Servin. Whisky II won for the second year in a row. Capt. Lenny Alvarez with the help of angler Ken Ellis took home a Shimano TLD20 for the largest Dorado, weighing in at over 60 pounds.
In addition to the cash prizes for anglers, winning Captains received a wide assortment of quality reels, tackle and gear. The top Captain & crew received a Shimano TLD25 reel, a handmade leather fighting belt inscribed “Winner Fintastic’s 2001", a full compliment of Allure Lures, Mustad hooks, Nu-Mark Stand-up belt, and a full set of flags from SunDot Marine Flags.
A huge third year success, Fintastic’s Tag and Release tournament caught a total of 105 sailfish and 1 Blue Marlin in three days, tagging and releasing 96 and 2 released with tags missed, with only 8 reported fatalities during the entire tournament. The tournament fleet of 7 boats raised well over 150 fish to the baits. Great Captains and crews make great tournaments. Come fish with us November 7-9, 2002 in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Named one of the Top 100 Billfish Tournaments Worldwide by the Billfish Tournament Network, the 2002 Fintastic’s Tag & Release Tournament will have two new directors, Capt. Ed Kunze and Capt. Alfredo Vargas, both local Captains. For more information check: www.fintastic.com/zih-tour
December 2001
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