Playa Carrillo is world famous for its wide sandy beach bordered by tall palm trees. This peaceful setting greeted the twelve boats that traveled to the Carrillo anchorage to fish in the Riviera Yachts Presidential Challenge. Not only is this area famous for the beach but also for the world class billfishing in the pristine waters off the Guanecaste coastline. Marlin and sailfish inhabit the deep waters near Carrillo and attract sport fishing enthusiast to the area all year. This resource would be put to a test over the three days of the tournament.
Anglers traveled by boat and plane to reach Villas Playa Samara, our host hotel for the event. This charming beachfront hotel offers small villas nestled among the tropical foliage. Monkeys, squirrels and colorful birds inhabit the area surrounding the villas. A large swimming pool and swim-up bar was the meeting place for the contestants and guests. Everyone gathered at the Villas to hear the official rules and partake in the first of many Bacardi Bash parties. Strolling mariachis entertained the group during the welcome party buffet.
The first morning of competition the anglers were sent off in calm seas and very warm weather. The fleet led by four Riviera fishing yachts left the Carrillo Anchorage promptly at 7am for the two hour run northwest to the fishing grounds. At 8:59am Ben White fishing aboard the Riviera flagship Gallo Pinto released a striped marlin. This started the action for this Riviera team whose anglers recorded a grand slam before 11am. Team Priority with the 2006 Eagle Claw Grand Champion Angler Jim Vaughn aboard recorded the second grand slam for the fleet later in the day.
The 2006 Lowrance Grand Champion Team, A-Fin-Ity, jumped to the Day One lead by releasing four striped marlin fishing aboard Permit III. A-Fin-Ity angler Henry Riggs-Miller was the leading angler on Day One by releasing two striped marlin. His teammate, Davis Clapp, and Manior Oporto Downs fishing aboard Spanish Fly also recorded two marlin releases. Team Maverick Sport Fishing anglers Richard Lebo and Larry Drivon joined with Manior to put enough points on the board to tie Gallo Pinto.
The amazing thing about the fishing on the first day was the number of striped marlin bites called in by the tournament boats. Costa Rica is not known for an active striped marlin fishery but our anglers proved that wrong. At the end of the day eleven striped marlin, two blue marlin and nine sailfish were radioed into official scorekeeper, Dan Kipnis. This is very unusual for the area but provided much excitement for the anglers. At 500 points per marlin the scores escalated quickly as each marlin was released.
The bite slowed on Day Two of the Riviera Yachts Presidential Challenge. Manior Oporto Downs released a sail at 8:58am. The action continued to be slow so the boats spread out in search of billfish but were unable to find the Mother Lode. The marlin bite continued with three more blues and three stripes added to our count.
Maverick Sport Fishing Team fishing on the Spanish Fly moved into first place by releasing a blue marlin and two sailfish. Dan Pimental of team A-Fin-Ity made his move and added a sailfish to his team score to maintain second place in the Contender Boats/ICT Team Division. Meanwhile, Team Gallo Pinto and angler Ben White kept the momentum up by adding another striped marlin to punch Ben to the top of the angler leader board with 1200 points in the Baptist Health International Angler Division. Right behind him was Manior Oporto Downs and Henry Riggs-Miller. Only one sailfish separated the top three places. The scene was set for a final day shootout between these highly skilled anglers.
The second day of fishing was long and hot. The fleet returned to the anchorage and were ferried to the beach by our fleet of pangas. It didn't take long for the anglers to congregate around the pool to enjoy the Baptist Health International Cocktail Party hosted by their representative, Ivis Guerra. Bacardi flowed and yarns were spun to cap a long, fruitful day.
The final day of the Riviera Yachts Presidential Challenge shaped up to be an exciting race to the wire. Fishing continued to be slow so every shot at a fish was crucial to the success of the teams. Anxiety was high as the anglers loaded into the pangas for the ride out to their boats. Blue marlin were the hot species which provided a chance for teams to climb up the leader board in a hurry. Five blues were released on the final day but the striped marlin appeared to have moved out of the area.
To further the challenge among the competition, all anglers are required to use Berkley Big Game twenty pound line which is provided by Berkley. In addition, as in all Presidential Challenge events, baits must be rigged with Eagle Claw non-offset circle hooks. Circle hooks are mandatory when fishing for billfish in Costa Rica.
Dan Pimental lead his team, A-Fin-Ity and teammates Davis Clapp and Henry Riggs-Miller, to the victory in the Contender Boats/ICT Team Division by releasing a blue marlin and a sailfish. Ben White and his Gallo Pinto team anglers Arturo Durman and Kleynor Ruiz, held on to finish in the second spot just two hundred points behind the champions. The Gallo Pinto Team shared boat time with another of the Riviera fleet, Mistress, to accumulate their team points. They managed to top Maverick Sport Fishing aboard the Spanish Fly on time.
The Baptist Health International Angler Division was won by Manior Oporto Downs. Manior turned in 1300 points to edge Ben White for top angler honors. Henry Riggs-Miller held his own and staked claim to the third place angler award. This was a very close race which went right down to the wire.
Captain Chepe Santana from Flamingo, Costa Rica, once again skippered his 31' Permit III to the win in the King Sailfish Mounts Boat Division. His team, A-Fin-Ity, turned in a total of 2700 points. This was the fourth time Santana has staked claim to the top boat spot in this tournament. Spanish Fly moved up to finish in second place with 2500 points with his Maverick Sport Fishing anglers. The third place award was presented to the crew of Gallo Pinto who had 1500 points.
Mr. Freddie Lizano represented the I.C.T. (Costa Rican Tourism Bureau) who hosted the Awards Banquet. The dinner was held outside around the pool where anglers watched a slide show under the stars presented by Saltwater Videos & Eric Dallen. Dr. Russell Nelson and Dan Kipnis conducted a live auction to benefit The Billfish Foundation. Together with the proceeds from the Riviera Yachts Presidential Challenge of Costa Rica, the auction generated over $20,000 for the TBF Costa Rica Conservation Fund. It was a perfect ending to a fish and funfilled weekend in Costa Rica.
FINAL RESULTS
CONTENDER BOATS -ICT TEAM DIVISION
1ST PLACE TEAM: A-FIN-ITY 2700 PTS
2ND PLACE TEAM: GALLO PINTO 2500 PTS
3RD PLACE TEAM: MAVERICK SPORT FISHING 2500 PTS
BAPTIST HEALTH ANGLER DIVISION
1ST PLACE ANGLER: MANIOR OPORTO DOWNS 1300 PTS
2ND PLACE ANGLER: BEN WHITE 1200 PTS
3RD PLACE ANGLER : HENRY RIGGS-MILLER 1000 PTS
KING SAILFISH MOUNTS BOAT DIVISION
TOP BOAT: PERMIT III 2700 PTS
2ND BOAT: SPANISH FLY 2500 PTS
3RD BOAT: GALLO PINTO 1500 PTS
