PCCA of Guatemala brought to you by INGUAT is underway
The final leg of the 2010 Presidential Challenge tournament series, the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala, officially began last night with registration and angler meeting, followed by a welcome party hosted by INGUAT at the beautiful Casa Vieja Lodge, the host facility for this year's tournament. The fleet of 12 boats and 36 anglers departed the dock promptly at 7am. We are currently minutes away from the official call of 'lines in the water'.
Offshore, the recent fishing reports have been good, with plenty of Pacific sailfish and more than a few nice blue marlin being caught and released by the fleet in the days leading up to the tournament. Presidential anglers will use Berkley 20-pound test line and non-offset circle hooks, with the Eagle Claw 2004EL being the preferred hook, in their search for billfish over the next three days of fishing. Impartial observers will be aboard each boat to further ensure a level playing field.
As with all Presidential Challenge tournaments, the proceeds from the PCCA Guatemala will go to fund vitally important conservation projects throughout the Central American region through The Billfish Foundation, International Game Fish Association and others. During this year's event, TBF's Elliott Stark will be on hand for the TBF/OSPESCA Data Collection Tagging Program Workshop, to be held at Casa Vieja Lodge. In this new program, captains are asked to collect data on not only billfish but also gamefish they encounter during their fishing days on the water. This information is then compiled by region and nation in order to help formulate fisheries management plans. It's sure to be an informative presentation. For more information on The Billfish Foundation, please visit www.billfish.org.
Well folks the PCCA Tournament is starting off kinda slow, but building up.
I fished Joan Vernon the other day (16th)- we were 3 for 3 on sails, raised and lost 1 blue.
Then my old buddy Mike Topp pre-fished with me (17 & 18th). The first day we went 13 for 15 sails and lost a nice blue. The second day we went 17 for 23 on sails. We are using the Mustad 39951BLN – 6/0 Circle hooks.
We switch over to the Eagle Claw hooks for this tournament only. Otherwise it's Mustad on this boat!
My fly hooks are Mustad C92568PBLN 6/0 and Mustad 10841NPBLN 6/0 - you can see the hook setup in that FFSW article they did on me a while back.
Last edited by Capt. Ron Hamlin; 11-19-2010 at 11:45 AM.
Marina Pez Vela, Guatemala - The fourteenth annual Presidential Challenge of Guatemala is officially underway, with 12 angling teams hitting the billfish-rich waters off the Pacific shores of Guatemala in search of marlin and sailfish.
The weather dawned characteristically warm and sunny in typical Central American style under the watchful eyes of the volcanoes that shadow the coastline here. After a quick breakfast and a few cups of strong Guatemalan coffee, the teams were ready to hit the seas.
Taking an early lead is the Casa Vieja Lodge team, headed by lodge owner Jim Turner and fishing aboard the Rum Line with Capt. Chris Sheeder. With the home field advantage, Turner's team of Juan Anon and Herb Rosell released a total of 28 sailfish in today's action to top the Day One leaderboard with 2800 points. Rosell was also the Top Angler on Day One with 12 sailfish releases to his credit.
In second place, with one marlin and 18 sailfish was the Sea Angel team. Based out of home ports in both Texas and Costa Rica, this angling team has all the makings of a true championship contender. Team USA rounded out third place with 20 sails, fishing on the Makaira. A Presidential Challenge veteran, Team USA is also poised to make a charge up the leaderboard as the tournament progresses.
The evening's social schedule includes the legendary Tequila Party at Casa Vieja Lodge, where the margaritas and shooters will flow and the live mariachi band promises to entertain everyone.
DAY ONE RESULTS
157 Sailfish; 2 Blue Marlin
FIRST FISH: Steve Fanscy, 8:57 AM
1ST PLACE TEAM: Casa Vieja Lodge, 2800 points
2ND PLACE TEAM: Sea Angel, 2300 pts.
3RD PLACE TEAM: USA, 2000 pts.
1ST PLACE ANGLER: Herb Rosell, 1200 points
2ND PLACE ANGLER: Dell Dembosky, 1100 pts.
3RD PLACE ANGLER: Jim Turner, 1000 pts.
TOP BOAT: Rum Line, 2800 pts.
2ND BOAT: Sea Angel, 2300 pts.
Team Casa Vieja is in the lead with 61 sails. OBX/Decisive gained ground to move into 2nd-with 53 sails and 1 blue marlin. Sea Angel is 3rd with 49 sails!
Marina Pez Vela, Guatemala-Day Two of the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala began with a flurry of dockside antics. The Casa Vieja Lodge team, still celebrating their Day One lead, managed to procure a large mirrored disco ball, original 1970s vintage, which was promptly hung from the bridge as the appropriate dance music blared from the cockpit speakers. It was clear they intended to fish their own way, and in style, going into Day Two.
Meanwhile, the Intensity crew found themselves dealing with a different situation: a 20-pound pig had been stashed in their head compartment by unnamed pranksters. Unfortunately for the crew, bladder control wasn't one of the animal's strong points. Amid loud squeals of protesting pork and thumping disco music, the fleet departed the docks at 7AM.
The disco music must have set the mood, because Casa Vieja Lodge, fishing on the Rum Line with Capt. Chris Sheeder, held onto their Day One lead, adding another 33 sailfish releases to their total score for an outstanding two-day tally of 6100 points. This is Guatemalan billfishing at its finest!
Moving into second place with an incredible 38 sailfish releases is Team OBX/Decisive, with Capt. Brad Phillips at the helm. The team rebounded strongly and is now in position to make a serious run at the tournament leaders as well as the Costa Grand Champion Team series standings. Dell Dembosky moved into the Angler lead with 2400 points for the tournament, also moving him into contention for the Eagle Claw Grand Champion Angler Title along with several others.
Another team with a consistent second day showing is the Sea Angel, with Capt. BC Angel at the wheel. They let go another 26 sailfish to move into third with 4900 points. This fun-loving team also topped the 1,000 billfish release mark for 2010 today with an incredible 1,020 sailfish and marlin releases in just 160 days of fishing.
This afternoon is the Bacardi Bash cocktail party at Casa Vieja Lodge, with all participants cordially invited. Tomorrow is the third and final day of the tournament, with the awards to follow tomorrow evening starting at 8PM.
THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION
The Billfish Foundation, in conjunction with the Central American fisheries management group OSPESCA , is conducting a Tagging and Data Collection Workshop this evening at Casa Vieja Lodge. Information from this project will be shared among the Central American nations in order to formulate comprehensive fisheries management plans. Funds raised by the PCCA will be contributed to TBF to further their involvement in this project. For further information, please visit www.billfish.org.
DAY TWO RESULTS
256 Sailfish; 3 Blue Marlin; 1 Striped Marlin
1ST PLACE TEAM: Casa Vieja Lodge, 6100 points
2ND PLACE TEAM: OBX/Decisive, 5600 pts.
3RD PLACE TEAM: Sea Angel, 4900 pts.
TOP BOAT OVERALL: Rum Line, 6100 pts.
2ND BOAT OVERALL: Decisive, 5600 pts.
3RD BOAT OVERALL: Sea Angel, 4900 pts.
TOP ANGLER: Dell Dembosky, 2400 pts.
2ND ANGLER: Jim Turner, 2400 pts.
3RD ANGLER: Herb Rosell, 2300 pts.
TOP DAILY ANGLER DAY TWO: Mike Viveiros, 1500 pts.
TOP BOAT DAY 2: Decisive, 3800 pts.
Marina Pez Vela, Guatemala—Tournament sportfishing comes down to consistency, especially in an all-release event. A team may get lucky one day but the winners will find a way to slog through three full days on the water, making the most of the opportunities that are presented.
That was the case on the third and final day of the Presidential Challenge of Central America. With the first two days in the books, the stage was set for a record-breaking finish, both in terms of overall releases and the highest final score of an individual team in the fourteen year history of the Series.
And by the time the scores had been tallied, that’s exactly what happened. The previous score for most releases had been 553 sailfish back in 2003—this year the fleet released 676. The Top Boat high score was 67 in 2003; this year, it was 86 sailfish. Impressive to say the least for three days of offshore action!
Proving that home field advantage and experience does indeed have its merits, Jim Turner’s Casa Vieja Lodge team repeated as victors in the 2010 Presidential Challenge of Guatemala with 8600 points. Turner, Juan Anon and Herb Rosell made it look easy, and had a great time along the way. Rum Line’s Capt. Chris Sheeder took home Top Boat honors as well.
In second place, by less than nine minutes on time of release, was Team OBX/Decisive aboard Capt. Brad Phillips’ Decisive. They had tied going into the final hours of the event but would end up falling short by the closest of margins. Decisive was the Second Place Boat.
Taking third was the Sea Angel, splitting time between Los Suenos, Costa Rica and Texas, with anglers Austin Angel, Greg Voell and Arturo Moreno in the cockpit and Capt. BC Angel at the helm. They had 7500 points for the tournament and were also Third Place Boat.
This afternoon, the teams will be welcomed back to the tournament host, Casa Vieja Lodge, for cocktails before the awards presentation ceremony begins at 8PM.
For the PCCA Series, Mike Viveiros was the Eagle Claw Grand Champion Angler, with 4050 points. Mike fished well in Costa Rica, Aruba and here in Guatemala to win this prestigious award. The OBX/Decisive team was also named the Costa Grand Champion Team for the series with 10,550 points.
FINAL RESULTS
676 Sailfish*; 7 Blue Marlin; 1 Striped Marlin
(*Tournament Record)
1ST PLACE TEAM: Casa Vieja, 8600 points
2ND PLACE TEAM: OBX/Decisive, 8600 pts.
3RD PLACE TEAM: Sea Angel, 7500 pts.
TOP BOAT OVERALL: Rum Line, 8600 pts.
2ND BOAT OVERALL: Decisive, 8600 pts.
3RD BOAT OVERALL: Sea Angel, 7500 pts.
TOP ANGLER: Dell Dembosky, 3600 pts.
2ND ANGLER: Jim Turner, 3500 pts.
3RD ANGLER: Mike Viveiros, 3000 pts.
TOP DAILY ANGLER DAY THREE: Edwin Tajada, 1400 pts.
TOP BOAT DAY THREE: Decisive, 3000 pts.
EAGLE CLAW GRAND CHAMPION ANGLER: Mike Vivieros, 4050 pts.
SECOND PLACE: Austin Angel, 3100 pts.
THIRD PLACE: John Price, 3050 pts.
COSTA GRAND CHAMPION TEAM: OBX/Decisive, 10,550 pts.
SECOND PLACE: Hattaboy/Southern Pride, 10,450 pts.
THIRD PLACE: Sea Angel, 8900 pts.
Last edited by Capt. Ron Hamlin; 11-22-2010 at 02:15 PM.
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