583 Striped Marlin Released in 2023 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament
October 19, 2023 – WINTER PARK, FL – The 25th-anniversary running of the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament showcased a historic striped marlin bite. Over three exhilarating days, the tournament record for billfish releases was shattered as 42 teams released a staggering total of 583 striped marlin, seven blue marlin, and three sailfish. This number nearly quadrupled the previous tournament release record of 150 in 2018.
The record-setting performance came as developing Hurricane Norma took aim at the Los Cabos region, despite permitting challenges that threatened to disrupt the scheduled kickoff of the tournament. However, thanks to an upwelling of local support in the weeks prior to kickoff, and to the resilience of the Los Cabos fishing teams, the tournament went off without a hitch and delivered an epic bite that served as a strong reminder of why the Los Cabos region remains one of the world’s premier billfish destinations.
The team fishing aboard The Daddy Rabbit, a 58-foot Viking from the Channel Islands, California, emerged victorious as the 2023 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament champions. Under the skilled leadership of owner-angler Dennis Hood and Capt. Angel Agundez Sandez, the formidable team—consisting of Adrian Covarrubias, Guillermo Gonzalez, Ezequiel Orias, and Ramon Sandez Agundez—exhibited exceptional angling prowess by releasing a remarkable total of 140 striped marlin. Their outstanding performance not only secured them the champion’s trophy and the top captain trophy, but it also earned them a substantial prize of $86,550. Additionally, their triumph came with the honor of an invitation to compete in the 2024 Offshore World Championship.
Second place went to the team fishing on Let’s Go, who released an impressive total of 130 striped marlin aboard their 42-foot Freeman. Colin Sutton, Patrick Morey, TJ Jaworsky, Troy Mathers, Capt. Alan Araiza Flores, and Capt. Alan Eduardo Araiza Castro worked the electric bite on their center-console in a steady rotation—hookup, leader, release, and the next angler is already hooked up ready for the next leader touch. Let’s Go took home the second-place trophy and a combined check for $74,430.
Home-ported in Cabo San Lucas, the team on Meshuga Fish secured third-place honors fishing aboard their 68-foot Viking. Led by Capt. Jeffrey Stolarz, the team of Steve Hilton, Scott Ward, Scott Curtis, CP Drewett, Ryan VanderKooy, Lawrence Joseph Aliseo III, and Hunter Barrett released 110 striped marlin and one blue marlin to take home the third-place trophy and a combined check for $57,120.
Gamefish kept the IGY marina weigh station busy with Bill Collector, Feeling Azul, The Magnetic, Cloud 9, Game On, Riverbottom Nightmare Band, Sauced Bosses, and Overtime all collecting payouts in the tuna, dolphin, and wahoo categories.
However, with no qualifying blue or black marlin weighed, six jackpot categories of the $754,945 purse went unclaimed and teams were refunded accordingly. Total payout this year was $290,550 for billfish-release and gamefish categories. Teams also raised more than $4,000 for the Solmar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that lends a helping hand to the members of the local Mexican community who need it most.
The awards dinner took place at the Playa Grande Resort’s beachfront terrace, where participants were treated to a full mariachi band and a four-course filet mignon and lobster dinner.
The 2023 edition of the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, owned by Los Cabos Tourism and operated by the publisher of Marlin magazine since its inception 25 years ago, proved to be a test of wills, but it was also a celebration of the enduring spirit of competitive sport fishing. The teams who competed this year kept pace with a hookup frequency previously unheard of, keeping the radio committee vigilant and the final results in question until each and every billfish release was verified by an exhausted video-review team.
This year’s running also represented a refresh of sorts, with tournament director Jen Dudas taking the reins and receiving strong local support from Charo Bulnes of Solmar Hotels and Resorts, tournament facilitator Clicerio Mercado, the Los Cabos Hotel Association, Los Cabos Tourism, and Darren Carey of IGY Marina.
With a renewal of the long-term agreement between Marlin and Los Cabos Tourism in place and permits already secured, planning is well underway for next year’s running of the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, scheduled for October 8-12, 2024. Be a part of what is sure to be the biggest fleet and payout to date by registering early at loscabostournaments.com.
About Bonnier
Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for offshore fishing, motorsports and hunting. Bonnier operates the world’s premier offshore fishing magazine, Marlin, and its series of big-game fishing tournaments and expeditions across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. In its Motorsports & Outdoor division, Bonnier operates a series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events, including the Sands Sports Super Show, Off-Road Expo and Open Season Sportsman’s Expo. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
- Published in Events
Wolverine Wins 2023 Bermuda Big Game Classic
Hamilton, Bermuda—July 18, 2023—The team fishing aboard Wolverine, led by Capt. Rocky Hardison and based in Morehead City, North Carolina, landed in first place during the 2023 Bermuda Big Game Classic. Anglers Gary Fletcher, Wes Nardoni, and Worth Farrington released six blue marlin and one white marlin during the three days of fishing to earn a cash purse of $105,525 and an invitation to compete in the 2024 Costa Offshore World Championship.
When asked how owner and angler Gary Fletcher got into big-game fishing, he reminisced about reading an article in Marlin Magazine in 1999, which enticed him and his son to book their first marlin fishing trip. Fast-forward 24 years later, after Fletcher built a custom boat and has fished all over the world; he and his team are proudly accepting first place in the second leg of the prestigious Bermuda Triple Crown.
Day One saw a total of 30 blues and eight whites for the 40-boat fleet. But the highlight of Day One was when the local Bermudian team UnWined weighed a 510-pound blue marlin on the Island Construction crane and IWS ScaleMaster. Capt. Chris Osborne radioed in angler Joseph Vieira’s hook-up at 12:07 p.m., and the team persisted for more than five hours to boat the fish at 5:36 in the afternoon. The anticipation at Barr’s Park was evident when the scale tipped past the 500-pound mark and landed on 510 pounds, prompting the entire UnWined team to jump and backflip into the water. Their blue marlin ended up earning them the daily blue marlin jackpot of $33,300.
On the second day of fishing, the teams released a total of 27 blues and seven whites. No blues were brought to scales on Day Two, which doubled the stakes on Day Three’s daily blue marlin jackpot by rolling over the unclaimed $33,000.
The third day of fishing produced 26 blue marlin and nine white marlin. All marlin were released except one, which turned out to be the most lucrative fish in the tournament’s history. Amigo’s Capt. Brad Schoenfeld called in a boated blue at 2:28 p.m. by angler David Denbow. The team from Port O’Conner, Texas—Wyatt Denbow, Kyle Drushel, Chad Starr, Jeff Welch, and Chris Williams—was rightfully ecstatic when their blue marlin weighed in at 573 pounds. Ultimately, this earned them three of the optional jackpot levels: Day Three Daily Blue Marlin, which had doubled from Day Two, the Largest Blue Marlin Level One jackpot, and the Largest Blue Marlin Level Two jackpot. Combined, Team Amigo won $310,800, the largest amount the Bermuda Big Game Classic has ever awarded for a single fish.
The Bermuda Big Game Classic is the second leg of the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship. Currently, Plane Simple is in first place with 6,600 points, with Builder’s Choice in second with 6,000 points and Wolverine moving into third with 4,700 points. The third and final leg of the Triple Crown series is the 2023 Seahorse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, which takes place July 20-24.
- Published in Events
Plane Simple Wins the 2023 Bermuda Billfish Blast
BERMUDA — July 10, 2023 — The 2023 Bermuda Billfish Blast was won by the team fishing aboard Plane Simple, a 77-foot Spencer based out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, led by Jim Jensen and Capt. Chris Weeks with mates Derek Scherz and Anibal Moya. The team’s eight blue marlin and three white marlin releases gave them a total of 4,300 points, good for first-place honors, $115,275 in prize money and an invitation to the 2024 Costa Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica.
A total of 37 boats and 218 anglers fished the 2023 Bermuda Billfish Blast, which offered a total cash purse of $506,850 plus an additional $360,000 as part of the Bermuda Triple Crown series. There were 139 billfish caught in the Blast, including 108 blue marlin and 31 white marlin over three days of fishing. All but four of the blues and all of the white marlin were released.
Plane Simple won first overall team, followed by Builder’s Choice in second, and Waste Knot in third place. Top Angler was earned by Jim Jensen on Plane Simple releasing six blues and two whites. The Top Junior Angler trophy went to Jack Ricks, releasing five blues on El Cazador, led by Capt. Paul Alderman and mate Scott Behrhorst. Laura Russell won Top Lady Angler honors aboard De-Bait-Able, captained by KJ Zeher, with three blues and two whites.
This year, the tournament added new optional jackpots including a Winner-Take-All Blue Marlin Jackpot and a new Daily Blue Marlin Jackpot, so teams are now allowed to boat one blue marlin per boat per day. As part of the Bermuda Triple Crown series, new series jackpots were also added, including the Bermuda Triple Crown Big Three Marlin Jackpot and the Heavy Hitter Winner-Take-All Largest Marlin of the series.
The tournament culminated with a beautiful gala awards banquet in the Harbourview Ballroom at the historic Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.
About the Marlin Group:
The Marlin Group is the world’s largest network of big-game fishing brands. The group publishes Marlin Magazine, the industry’s No. 1 source since 1981, and operates the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica, Los Cabos Billfishing Tournament, Scrub Island Invitational in the BVIs, and the Bermuda Triple Crown, making it the worldwide leader for international billfishing tournaments. Marlin Expeditions, formerly Marlin University, has led anglers on educational excursions to the globe’s top big-game fishing destinations for more than 20 years. The Marlin Group is an operating unit of Bonnier LLC, an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel.
- Published in Events
Marlin University Relaunches as Marlin Expeditions
January 12, 2023 — WINTER PARK, FL — Marlin University, which hosts a series of all-inclusive and fully curated immersive fishing trips around the world, has relaunched as Marlin Expeditions, kicking off a new era of experiences and exploration.
Since 2002, Marlin University has been taking anglers to some of the world’s top billfishing destinations. As the program heads into its 21st season, it’s announcing a new name, a new website, and an ever-expanding list of expeditions for 2023.
“We’re rebranding to showcase this franchise’s primary calling card: adventure,” said Sam White, editor-in-chief of Marlin magazine. “While we will retain the program’s concept of providing professional instruction aboard top boats in the finest destinations, our attendees tell us that what they value most is the opportunity to share adventures with like-minded anglers. Those experiences happen on the high seas and not in a classroom.”
The reboot of Marlin Expeditions is the first of several expansions of the Bonnier Expeditions franchise planned for this year.
“Given Bonnier’s portfolio, and its deep connections with passionate anglers, hunters, boaters, sailors and motorsports enthusiasts, we have come to recognize that there is a significant appetite for highly curated, peer-to-peer skill-development programs,” said David Ritchie, Bonnier CEO. “Our consumers have an insatiable desire to learn and to experience, and to do so within an environment of luxury and full-service. Those have always been Marlin University’s hallmarks, so we’re excited to use that platform as our base of a new suite of Expedition offerings.”
This year’s Marlin Expeditions calendar is filled with both past favorites and new adventures. New for 2023 are Cape Verde, where anglers will be fishing the waters off western Africa during peak Atlantic blue marlin season, and the Dominican Republic, fishing for white marlin out of Cap Cana, one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. Due to popular demand, Marlin Expeditions is offering two trips to Los Sueños Resort and Marina in Costa Rica to chase billfish aboard the famous Maverick “Fly” boats. The program is also returning to Guatemala’s Casa Vieja Lodge, including a Ladies Only trip, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to hunt for giant black marlin. More dates and locations will be added throughout 2023.
Marlin Expeditions is part of Bonnier LLC’s outdoor media and events portfolio, which includes Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Boating, Yachting, Offshore World Championship, Bermuda Triple Crown, Scrub Island Invitational, Los Cabos Billfish Tournament and SFTV.
For more information about Marlin Expeditions, visit marlinexpeditions.com, and follow @marlinexpeditions on Facebook and Instagram.
About Bonnier:
Bonnier LLC is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier publishes Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World, and Sailing World; produces award-winning SFTV television programming; and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas, and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia, and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
Reel Cast Wins the 24th Annual Los Cabos Billfish Tournament
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – The participants in this year’s Los Cabos Billfish Tournament enjoyed perfect weather and a great bite at the tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. The fleet of 53 teams caught and video-verified 138 billfish, including 91 striped marlin, 26 blue marlin, 19 sailfish and two black marlin. A total of $862,350 in cash was awarded. Team Reel Cast, a 48-foot Cabo with Capt. Zach Morrow, mate Hiram Ruelas and teammates Bill Pino, Doug Berg and Javier Ruelas earned 1,225 points from one weighed 500-pound blue marlin caught by Bill Pino, one blue marlin, five striped marlin and two sailfish—all released—to win the 2022 Los Cabos Billfish Tournament. The team’s blue marlin, caught on the second day, earned all levels of the Daily Marlin Jackpots and first place in the Largest Marlin Jackpots, a total of $354,000. They also took home an invitation to compete in the 2023 Costa Offshore World Championship.
Team El Suertudo, an 80-foot Weaver with Capt. Greg Distefano, mate Oswaldo Ortega and teammates Guy Yocom, Scotty Walker, Jeff Richardson, Bruce McDonald, Alan Ortega and Alfonso Ortega scored 1,000 points from two blue marlin and 16 striped marlin releases to place second in the tournament. El Suertudo picked up a Daily Release Jackpot and First Place Overall Release Points Jackpot, earning a total of $94,800. Team Salty K, fishing aboard a 78-foot Garlington and led by Capt. Keith Hilton, mate Ryan Thurner and teammates Harry Okuda, Bryan Zulka, Antonio Colorado and Ed Noonan scored 925 points from three blue marlin and one striped marlin release to place third in the tournament. Salty K added a second-place Overall Release Points Jackpot to win a total of $48,900.Team La Chingona, a 46-foot Viking with Capt. Antonio Bojorquez, mate Luis Gonzales and teammates Milinda Smith, Richard Bradbury Jr., Jeff Zimmerman, Kirk Russell, Sergio Aviles Cota and Marcos Aviles Cota started the tournament in a big way weighing a 349-black marlin caught by Cota to win the Day One Daily Marlin Jackpots and third-place Overall Marlin Jackpots, winning a nice check for $189,810. Team Stella June, a 46-foot Jarrett Bay with Capt. Evan Salvay, mate Darian Silva and teammates Ivan Van Ortwick, Jakob Gonterman, Jazz Moorhead, Hugo Pino and Paco Ruis landed a 389-pound black marlin on the second day, caught by Moorhead. The team earned second-place Overall Marlin Jackpots of $80,190.
The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament is just one of the big-game tournaments in the Bonnier portfolio, which also includes the Bermuda Triple Crown, Scrub Island Invitational and Costa Offshore World Championship.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier is the publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, produces the award-winning TV series SFTV, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
“Overproof” Wins 2022 Bermuda Billfish Blast with Final Day Heroics
July 08, 2022 – Hamilton, Bermuda – Team Overproof, a 50-foot Topaz based out of Bermuda led by Captain Peter Rans with mate Morgan Outerbridge, came from behind to win the 2022 Bermuda Billfish Blast. Overproof angler Jason Friedman released one blue marlin on the first day of fishing but the team scored a blank on the second day. The third and final day of competition started well with angler Martin Estis releasing a blue at 9:16am. Team Overproof was tight again at 9:35am with Estis back in the chair. After an hour-long battle, Captain Rans called in the boated fish that ultimately weighed 610 pounds to bring their score to 1,610 points, giving them first place team honors and winning them $38,587.50 and an invitation to the Costa Offshore World Championship. Captain Rans has weighed seven qualifying marlin over the many years he has fished the Bermuda tournaments but this is his first outright win of a BTC series event. Team Overproof leads the Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship with 1,610 points heading into the second leg of the series.
The 35-team field of 197 anglers caught 73 billfish including 44 blues, 26 whites and three spearfish over the three days of fishing. The tournament culminated with the traditional gala awards banquet in the Harbourview Ballroom at the historic Hamilton Princess Hotel. The tournament awarded $303,000 in purse plus prizes.
The Bermuda Billfish Blast is sponsored by many industry leading companies including: Bermuda Tourism Authority, Hamilton Princess, Bacardi, Costa, GPlink, CAT Marine, Gregory Poole CAT, Pantropic Power CAT, Foley CAT, Ring Power CAT, PW Marine, Miles Market, The Waterfront Residence, HAWKINS, Satcom Direct, Garmin, YETI, Lindgren-Pitman, Bodo Muche Studio, Butterfield & Vallis, Spar Yard Marine Solutions, Dassalt Aviation, Viking Yachts, Merritt Boat & Engine Works, Spencer Yachts, Willis Custom Yachts, Blue Water Desalination, Steve Goione Marine Artist, WEDCO, Royal Naval Dockyard, AFTCO, King Sailfish Mounts, Release Marine, Fishing Tease, Island Construction, IWS Scales, PENN, OluKai, AIRMAR, QUICK, Island Glass, Vanmark Jewelery, Coastal Carolina Cutting Boards, Rego-Sotheby’s International Realty, MEATER, City of Hamilton, RUBIS Energy Bermuda, Big T Lures, Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing and Out Your Front Door.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Bonnier is the publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, produces the award-winning TV series SFTV, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
Epic Final Day of Blue Marlin Fishing at the Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental
May 06, 2022 – WINTER PARK, FL – The Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental, held Sunday, April 24-Friday, April 29, brought 37 teams with 168 anglers from 18 different countries to Quepos, Costa Rica, all with hopes of winning the coveted championship rings. This year’s competition released 673 billfish including 606 sailfish, 65 blue marlin, one black marlin and one striped marlin for an average of 18.19 billfish per team.
The teams spend four days on the water fishing out of Marina Pez Vela aboard a different Costa Rica flagged charter boat each day including the world class Maverick Yachts game boats. The tournament anglers follow International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) angling and tackle rules targeting marlin, sailfish, tuna and dorado using video verification to earn points.
The competitors represent an international group of offshore teams that earned an invitation through OWC qualifying events. The competition has a demanding format that requires angling skill to convert the bites into catches.
Sitting in sixth place heading into the final day, the Kenyan team that qualified via the Watamu Fishing Festival would need all the luck to place in the tournament let alone win the competition. The team managed to release eight blue marlin, setting a daily record for the tournament, ultimately scoring a total of 8,300 points from 14 sailfish and 11 blue marlin releases to pull off the biggest come from behind win in the history of the tournament.
The tournament is also the subject of a three-part TV series that will showcase the many sides of this global event: the fishing competition, qualifying events, team profiles, behind-the-scenes action and more. The series will debut on Discovery on Labor Day Weekend.
The Costa Offshore World Championship presented by Continental is sponsored by Costa, Marina Pez Vela, Continental Tire, YETI, Guy Harvey, Parador Resort & Spa, Garmin, Maverick Yachts, Bodo Muche Studio, AFTCO, Flor de Caña, IGFA, King Sailfish Mounts, Pacifico Travel Services, Outdoor America, Imperial Beer, 2Costa Rica Real Estate, VanMark Jewelry Designers, Marlin, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Big-T Lures, Diesel Premier, Penn, Hilton’s Realtime Navigator, IWS ScaleMaster and Tropic Star Lodge.
About Bonnier: Bonnier is an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel. Bonnier has the nation’s leading portfolio of experiential events and iconic media brands in the marine category and an extensive series of nationwide motorsports and hunting events. Publisher of Salt Water Sportsman, Marlin, Sport Fishing, Boating, Yachting, Cruising World and Sailing World, Bonnier produces award-winning SFTV television programming, and hosts world-class fishing tournaments, sailing regattas and educational events across the US and in Mexico, Bermuda, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia and the Virgin Islands. Bonnier is owned by Sweden-based Bonnier AB, a globally operating conglomerate with more than 200 years in publishing.
New Original TV Series Documents the 2022 Offshore World Championship
April 14, 2022 — WINTER PARK, FL — The Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental will be the subject of a three-part TV series documenting the most globally diverse sport-fishing tournament in the world.
Mixing high-level competition with reality TV, the docu-series will showcase the tournament’s four days of fishing action in Quepos, Costa Rica, and present a 360-degree view of this global spectacle: the 90-plus qualifying events, target species, judges, fans and roughly 40 competing teams with anglers from 20 countries including the U.S., Brazil, Bermuda, Mexico, Croatia, Canada, Panama, Kenya and the Seychelles.
“For more than two decades, the Offshore World Championship has represented the ultimate achievement in big-game fishing. This new series will bring the global story of this tournament to life,” says Dan Jacobs, the event’s longtime tournament director.
The televised Offshore World Championship will reach an international audience of more than 3 million with primary and secondary airings on Discovery, Outdoor America, Bally Sports Sun and Outdoor America’s digital streaming and video-on-demand platforms. It will air in the third and fourth quarters of 2022.
The series is the latest project from the producers of SFTV, the award-winning fishing-travel-adventure series on Discovery that began its 21st season on April 2.
“Developing a national and regional broadcast component for the Offshore World Championship was the right move for the sport and will help grow the audience exponentially,” says John Acosta, Costa Del Mar Vice President of Marketing. “It’s a first-class event and we are proud to have an ownership position that reinforces our brand’s presence in competitive saltwater angling.”
The Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental is one of several international fishing tournaments produced by Bonnier, the outdoor adventure company with a portfolio that also includes Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, Marlin, Boating, Yachting and SFTV.
For more information on the Costa Offshore World Championship Presented by Continental, visit offshoreworldchampionship.com, and follow @offshoreworldchampionship on Facebook and Instagram. Click here for the TV series’ full creative brief.