It was just before sunrise when Capt. Alberto Sanchez, mate
Kevin Moran and two fellow anglers, Melinda Moran and Patty Johnson, headed out
from St. Croix’s south shore aboard La Mensagera,
a 25-foot center console. They worked their way west, staying about 8 miles
offshore. “We were trolling with high speed lures, but didn’t catch
anything until we came to a few birds and caught one to two dolphin,
including a big bull, at about 7-7:30 a.m.,” says Kevin Moran.
As La Mensagera
worked east, the scene repeated itself twice more as the team of anglers saw
birds, ran into dolphin schools and hooked a fish or two before reeling in the
bull. “The last bull was the one Patty caught,” Moran says.
“My wife, Melinda had the gaff in her hand, but handed it to me when she
saw the size of the fish.”
Back at
the Christiansted boardwalk weigh station, the bull dolphin weighed in at 47
pounds and earned Johnson the Biggest Dolphin award.
Meanwhile, the catch of five dolphin weighing a
total of 168 pounds earned La Mensagera the First Place Best Boat Award.
In other
prizes, Joseph Dorazio aboard Capt. Mike Fennesey’s Sunflower
caught the Second Largest Dolphin, a 42.2-pounder. Eric Hering,
fishing from Capt. Erik Rasmussen’s Miss
Becky, landed a 35.6-pound dolphin for Third Largest Dolphin.
Sunflower, with 5 fish weighing a total
of 136.8 pounds, earned the Second Place Best Boat award, while Mocko Jumbie, with
5 fish weighing a collective 125.8 pounds, landed Third Place Best Boat.
In
special prizes, Antonio Gomez won the youngest angler prize for his 29.6-pound
dolphin catch.
For more
information about Golden Hook Fishing Club tournaments, call 340-778-5738.
