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St. Thomas, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - JULY 3, 1998 - Eighteen boats and
57 anglers from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
gathered under cloudy skies for the first of three days of Off-Shore
Division fishing in the 35th annual July Open Tournament hosted by the
St. Thomas-based Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club (VIGFC). Usually contested
on larger boats who venture onto the waters of the British Virgin Island's
North Drop, Off-Shore Division anglers vie for the "Big Five"
-- blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, wahoo and tuna.
Saturday morning marks the start of the two-day competition among six
St. Thomas-based In-Shore Division boats -- Rampage, Lady Marie,
Catch'n Keep, Grady White, Patty's Permission and Fingertite - competing
for a new YAMAHA 40 HP engine grand prize sponsored by Offshore Marine
Services, Inc., distributor for YAMAHA Outboard Motors. Winners in this
division are recognized for catching the most weight of any specie -
except billfish, sharks and barracuda under 30 inches. Prizes are awarded
for Best Boat, Best Captain, Most Fish, Most Variety, Largest
Fish, Largest Kingfish, Largest Barracuda, Largest Wahoo, Largest Tuna,
Largest Dolphin, Youngest Angler, and more. On-Shore Division junior
angles ages 15 and under may register for free on Saturday from
Noon until 2:00 PM at the VIGFC clubhouse above the Frigate East Restaurant
in Red Hook. Sponsored by Vitel Cellular, the On-Shore Division allows
land-based fishing to begin anytime on Sunday, with participants weighing-in
their catch between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM dockside at Sapphire Beach
Resort & Marina, followed by a cook-out and awards ceremony.
Dedicated to the late Henry "Hoppy" Hampton, the Virgin
Islands' longest running sports fishing tournament is sponsored this
year by Chivas Regal, with Miller Lite Beer and Cruzan Rum, distributed
by Premier Wines & Spirits, Ltd. of St. Thomas. All tournament social
events and weigh-ins are being held dockside at Sapphire Beach Resort
& Marina.
Fishing aboard Juan Donastevez, Jr.'s Sea Dream, Puerto Rico's Umberto
Martinez is defending the Give'm Line Trophy won with a 632 pound marlin
in 1997. The Give'm Line Trophy -- for the July Open Tournament angler
who catches the largest blue marlin or tallies the most releases --
was conceived by Dr. Lyman Spire, owner of Abigail III, as an annual
tribute to Captain Johnny Harms, who is credited with pioneering sport
fishing in the Virgin Islands in 1963. Any registered angler who reels
in a "Grander" (a 1,000-plus pound blue marlin) can
win $20,000. Unique among Caribbean tournaments in that it includes
three divisions -- Off-Shore, In-Shore and On-Shore - the VIGFC pioneered
the conservation of local game fish resources by banning the use of
double hooks in its Off-Shore Division. For its efforts in promoting
tag-and-release conservation tactics, the club was recognized last March
by The Billfish Foundation (TBF) as the winner of the TBF's inaugural
Club Conservation Challenge, scoring highest with 207 tags among 16
clubs worldwide that reported tagging a total of 367 billfish.
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