A unique offshore fishing tournament was held here on August 8, 2009. Called the TYD Tournament, the event targeted Tuna, Yellowtail and Dorado (Dolphinfish) on saltwater fly-fishing tackle. Organized by BeyondTheBreakwater.com, the contest was held to raise awareness of offshore fly-fishing opportunities along the Southern California coast.
A low-key "for fun" event, contestants fished in teams of two - four members, one team per boat. Teams could use charter captains, or fish from their own boats, and were required to use IGFA-compliant fly-fishing tackle to catch tournament fish. Only three fish per contestant could be kept for score, with double points awarded if one of each target species was weighed in.
The event was nearly cancelled due to high winds and large swells that passed through the area just days prior to the contest. But conditions improved as tournament day drew near, and forecasts predicted fishable, if not ideal, weather for the 8th. The decision was made to proceed, and "lines-in" on Saturday morning found five teams 25 - 45 miles offshore in search of fish.
The passing weather front, however, wreaked havoc with the fishing. A number of fish were caught using conventional tackle while looking for biters, but only one fly-caught fish, a 6 lb 10 ounce Pacific yellowtail, made it to the scales for score.
That fish belonged to Steve Petit of Team Pacific 1. Petit caught the winning fish early in the day, on a small Lefty's Deceiver pattern fished under a kelp paddy near the 302 Bank. Petit reported seeing numerous dorado and yellowtail while paddy-hopping during the day, but all of the fish were skittish and would sink out or refuse to bite when approached. Other teams reported similar conditions.
The TYD Tournament was sponsored in part by Abel Reels, Oakley Sunglasses, Temple Fork Outfitters, Scientific AnglersTM, ARC Dehooker, The Fishermen's Spot, Bob Marriott's Fly-fishing Store, SoCal Fly Fishing Outfitters, and West Marine. Prizes included fishing equipment, sunglasses, and boating accessories.
The tournament Grand Prize was an Abel Super 11 reel in Dorado fish graphic finish. The reel was awarded by random drawing among all of the contestants, and was won by Mike Forrest of Burbank.
The organizer of event, BeyondTheBreakwater.com, hosted a similar contest in June. Called the 3Bs Tournament, it was a catch-and-release fly-fishing event focused coastal fishing for Bass, Bonito and Barracuda. More information about the 3Bs and TYD Tournaments, as well as articles and videos on Southern California coastal and offshore fly-fishing, can be found on the BeyondTheBreakwater website: http://www.btbff.com.
