Grand Slam II Wins at 25th Annual Tobago Game Fishing Tournament
Excitement reached near fever pitch and crowds gathered en mass on the beach in front of Tobago’s Conrado Beach Hotel as the tip of a monster blue marlin giant bill poked out of a small pirogue making it’s way to the shoreside weigh station. With considerable effort, five strong men yanked the fish on to the sand and hoisted it up where the electronic scales read the weight as 437-pounds. This whopper, caught by angler Alan Fitzwilliam from aboard the Houdini during the second day of competition, proved the feat to beat for the rest of the anglers competing in the 25th Annual Tobago Game Fishing Tournament, held April 18 to 23.
Thirty-three boats from Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique and Barbados, along with 177 anglers hailing from throughout the Caribbean, U.S. mainland and Europe, competed in this silver anniversary event where both billfish and game fish counted towards cash prizes.
Ultimately, it was Grand Slam II that won the coveted “Best Boat” trophy as well as well as a $10,000 cash prize at the Award’s Ceremony held at the Crown Point Beach Hotel.
Trailing by only 100 points was second place finisher, Dream Weaver, which won $5,000 cash.
Barbie Doll Too and Houdini rounded out the top four boats with cash prizes of $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
Disappointingly, no angler could stake a claim to the $100,000 Honda
Outboard Engine that was offered to the angler who broke the current
tournament record of 644-pounds for the heaviest Blue Marlin. Houdini angler,
Alan Fitzwilliam, did come the closest with his 437-pound catch and walked away
with a consolation prize of $5000.
While fishing was the main attraction, many consider the highlight of the tournament to be the Lay Day festivities. The Trinidad & Tobago Game Fishing Association’s Cooking Fraternity, orchestrated by Dip Singh, prepared a feast that included favorite dishes such as Pepper Fish and Jerk Pork. The event also featured entertainment from comedian Learie Joseph, Soca Elvis and the Carib Girls.
RESULTS
BEST BOAT:
1. Grand Slam II, Capt. Kester Herbert, 2870.05 pts
2. Dream Weaver, Capt. Nicholas Telfer, 2769.95 pts
3. Barbie Doll Too, Capt. Gary Story, 2345.21 pts
4. Houdini, Capt. Alan Fitzwilliam, 2037.92 pts
BEST FOREIGN BOAT:
Limited Edition – Capt. Yves Pelisson, Martinique, 1891.6 pts
BEST ANGLER:
1. Andrew Llanos (Dream Weaver) 2243 pts
2. Serge Littee (Limited Edition) 1340 pts
3. Chris Morris (Barbie Doll Too) 1179 pts
BEST FOREIGN ANGLER:
Serge Littee (Limited Edition) 1340 pts
HEAVIEST IN EACH SPECIES:
Blue Marlin, 437 lbs, Alan Fitzwilliam, Houdini
Yellowfin Tuna, 119.5 lbs, Goran Quarfordt, Viking 4
Dolphin, 31.2 lbs, Neville Tobias, Galivan
Wahoo, 32.5 lbs, Michael DeFreitas, Standard Motors
BEST JUNIOR ANGLER:
1. Darion Herbert (Grand Slam II) - 458.5 pts
2. Michael DeFreitas (Pick II) - 30.5 pts
