THE YAMAHA CONTENDER MIAMI BILLFISH TOURNAMENT
GEARS UP TO HOST ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Tournament and Baywalk Festival to Benefit Marine Conservation

The 2012 Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament is gearing up to celebrate it's 30th Anniversary of giving and fishing! It will prove to be a fantastic fishing event, all while supporting Marine Conservation and education. The premiere Billfish and Funfish event of the year will be held March 22 – 24, 2012 at the beautiful Miami Beach Marina on South Beach in Florida.

The 2012 tournament will offer many new and exciting changes. Participants can now choose to fish in either the new 2-day event (3 days in the past) or the One Day Outboard Only Blast! Both events offer cash, trophies and prizes for Billfish and Funfish and include special divisions for lady, junior and PeeWee anglers. The tournament also has new prize structures with guaranteed cash prizes of over $100,000*. The weekend festivities begin with the Cannon Downrigger Kick-Off Party, Thursday, March 22. This is also the time for final registration and the captain’s meeting. Friday is the start of fishing for the 2-day tournament, culminating with a huge dock party and Baywalk Festival hosted by Costa and Sportsman's Adventures. Everyone is invited to attend the tournament’s daily Baywalk Festival, weigh-ins and dock parties, which are free and open to the public. The Festival features various local artists and craftsman, while our popular dock parties offer great food and drink specials, exhibitors, raffles, entertainment and giveaways at the weigh-station.

Saturday will be the second and final day of fishing for the 2-day event and the kick-off of the One Day Outboard Only Tournament. Once the fishing is done and the weigh-in has closed, it will be time to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Miami Billfish Tournament with a huge Awards Party taking place in the tournament’s 11,000 square foot, air-conditioned tent. The party begins with our huge Silent Auction, offering incredible opportunities to bid on and purchase exotic trips, fine jewelry, artwork, fishing tackle, consumer and marine electronics and more…all at great prices. During this time, our tournament awards ceremony will be held with a Yamaha Motors dinner. The finale for the tournament is its famous raffle drawing. This year’s drawing is for a 25’ Tournament Contender Boat complete with a 300hp Yamaha 4-Stroke Outboard Engine, a Bluewater Towers T-top and Leaning Post, and a Continental Trailer, valued at over $100,000.

Participation is easy: The 2-day fishing event for Billfish and Funfish offers a variety of added value categories and cash, trophies and prizes for a variety of categories, including over $10,000 in prize money for dolphin, tuna, wahoo and kingfish catches. The One Day Outboard Only Tournament for Billfish and Funfish, awards great prize money and trophies as well with an entry fee per boat of only $395 for four anglers. This includes access to all the parties and amenities throughout the weekend. This is a great alternative for anyone who wants to be a part of the prestigious Miami Billfish Tournament.

2012 YCMBT Pre-Event Release
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The Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament was founded 30 years ago with the goal to raise money for marine conservation, education and promote preservation awareness. In the last decade, over $670,000 has been donated to various organizations such as The Billfish Foundation, The Coastal Conservation Association, International Game Fish Association, various educational scholarships and the Florida Keys Marine Laboratory. The event is supported by sponsors and product donations nationwide interested in giving back to the marine industry. Principal sponsors this year include Yamaha Motor Corp., Contender Boats, Costa Sunglasses, Cannon Downriggers, Miami-Dade County and IKON/RICOH.

Media coverage for the 2012 tournament will be provided by WTVJ-NBC6, CBS4, WKIS-99.9FM KISS Country Radio, WQAM, The Weekly Fisherman, Cyberangler.com, InTheBite.com and fishwbs.com, along with the top print publications including Sportfishing Magazine, Big Game Fishing Journal, Billfishing Magazine, Gaff Magazine and Florida Sportfishing Magazine.

*Cash prizes include guaranteed $85,000 regardless of the number of registered boats, along with additional prize money from added value categories.

For additional information, visit www.miamibillfish.com or call 305-598-2525.