The 15th annual Los Cabos Billfish Tournament got off to a great start on day one of fishing with perfect weather and big fish hitting the scales.
The bite came early for team Expedition, when angler Glenn Richardson from Louisiana hooked up at 9:57 a.m. Capt. Wilks Hammock from Pensacola, Florida, had just brought the boat from Costa Rica to Cabo for their first visit, and the team was now hooked up to the right fish on the first day. After almost three hours of fighting the fish, the call came at 12:53 p.m. that the blue marlin was boated, and Expedition would continue to fish.
While team Expedition was battling its blue, team Extraction hooked up at 11:24 a.m., with angler Tom Lansing of Phoenix, Arizona, in the chair and Capt. Ramon Hiram Montaño of Cabo San Lucas at the helm. After two hours, the blue marlin was on board at 1:20 p.m., with the team announcing they were coming to the scales.
Word got out this marlin was a nice one, and a crowd built at the scales. Spectators were not disappointed as Extraction backed into the IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas, revealing a fish reaching the salon door on the 55 Post sportfisher. Tournament Director Dan Jacobs called the official weight of team Extraction‘s blue marlin at 625 pounds, ensuing cheers and celebration for the team.
Team Expedition was up to bat next, with another very nice blue marlin in the cockpit of its beautiful 65 Viking. Expedition‘s fish weighed in at a respectable 516 pounds, putting the team in second place.
Team Extraction leads the tournament with 625 points and was entered in all categories, winning the Daily Jackpots worth over $51,000 and emerging as the front runner for the Winner-Take-All Jackpot worth $67,000.
Other teams securing prize money on day one were Daily Release Jackpot winner_Chupacabra_ with one blue marlin release winning $6,000, Wahoo Daily Jackpot winner_Miss Behavin_ with a 26.5-pound fish wining $4,400, and Tuna Daily Jackpot winner Reel Gold wining $4,400 with its 49.8 pound yellowfin.
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