Four days into the five-day 50th anniversary Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) and a mere 24 points separate Malibu Marlin Club from second place Kona Game Fishing Club-Bellhope of Japan.
"Anything's possible tomorrow," said HIBT founder Peter Fithian. "With more than 77 fish caught over the last four days, there is a whole lot of movement within the scoreboard."
Veteran team Old South Marlin Club #4 put serious points on the scoreboard by tagging three Pacific blue marlin today, estimated at 150, 200 and 275 pounds. Fishing light 50-pound test tackle, anglers Lance Cleveland, Christian Amico and Glenn Garritano posted the first one-day team triple tag of the tournament this week.
Thursday's Weigh-Ins at Kailua Pier
In addition to a tagged and released Pacific blue marlin estimated at 275 pounds, Kona Game Fishing Club-Bellhope from Japan, fishing aboard Marlin Magic, also weighed in with a 332-pound Pacific blue marlin. Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Team 2, fishing aboard Pacific Blue, weighed in a 430-pound Pacific blue marlin. Fremantle Sailing Club A Team from Australia, fishing aboard Anxious, weighed in a 490-pound Pacific blue marlin. And Game Fishing Club of South Australia, fishing aboard Maggie Joe, weighed in a 331-pound Pacific blue marlin.
Thirty-nine of the 41 teams competing have posted points on the official HIBT scoreboard. Teams are pinpointing strategies as they contemplate plans for Friday's final day of fishing. With 77 fish caught through four days of tournament fishing, all HIBT anglers know the fish are out there.
As of today, three HIBT teams have entered the Great Marlin Race, deploying satellite tags on Pacific blue marlin and tracking their progress for 180 days. Barbara Block, Ph. D. and her graduate students/technicians from Stanford University assist participating teams and crews in deploying the satellite tags. The team whose Pacific blue marlin travels the farthest over 180 days will receive a free entry in the 2010 Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. A true win-win for HIBT fishing and scientific research.
Team Salty Reels In Fish Story of the Day
And they say cats have nine lives? At 10:30 this morning, Team Salty from Japan prepared to routinely tag and release an estimated 180-pound Pacific blue marlin. Imagine their surprise when they discovered the fish already sported a barnacle-clad tag. The crew aboard the Hookele, captained by Guy Terwilliger, was able to retrieve the older tag and attach the new HIBT tag without harming the fish. The captain will forward the tag to NOAA for further monitoring and research.
The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament welcomes teams to its 50th golden anniversary along side the State of Hawaii as it celebrates 50 years of statehood! Once again, the world meets here in Kona as enthusiastic anglers gather from around the world to fish these famous waters including Australia, Bermuda, British Isles, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Tahiti and representing teams from around the US including California, Florida, Hawaii and North Carolina.
The Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament is underwritten by the generosity of the County of Hawaii and sponsored in part by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Hawaii, Oceanic Time Warner, KWXX Radio and numerous corporate and community donors.
For more information on the golden anniversary of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, log onto www.hibtfishing.com
