Texas team out fishes Nantucket, Mass., to win Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament

A final day rally of five striped marlin releases by an Alvarado, Texas family, saw the Texas Women’s Anglers Tournament team beat Nantucket, Mass., and 64 other teams from around the world in the Rolex/International Game Fish Association Offshore Championship.

The fifth annual world championship, a four-day catch-and-release billfish event among 66 qualifying teams from 28 countries, ended on Thursday with final results posted and released at noon on Friday MST.

Two women, Robin and her 10-year old daughter Amalee Artecona, along with husband Edgar, son Ryan, all of Alvarado, and Monte Love of Port Aransas, ended the tournament with a score of 3500 points. Amalee was the youngest competitor in the tournament among 25 women in the event fishing on 18 of the teams. The two women had qualified to advance to the championship by winning the Texas Women’s Anglers tournament last year. They included the men to round out the team positions in Mexico.

1st place team-Texas Women’s Anglers Tournament- IGFA President Rob Kramer with AmaLee Artecona, Ryan Artecona, Robin Artecona, Edgar Artecona, Monte Love, Denis Comment, Director of the Caribbean and Central America Rolex

Ms. Artecona said the win was a premonition. “Amalee woke up and said she had a good feeling about our team for the day,” Robin stated. “And it indeed came true.”

The anglers used dead ballyhoo to catch four of the marlin and live bait for the fifth billfish. Love said they had a chance at two other marlins but missed their bites. Each of the 11 marlins released counted 300 points. Their lone sailfish was 100 points plus the team received 100 bonus points for having the most billfish releases in the event.

IGFA chief tournament judge Peter Wright said it took skill to fish with the dead bait. “That wasn’t luck with this win, they out fished the other contestants.” The Texans received engraved Rolex timepieces and trophies for the win.

Finishing second, also with a late round rally was the Tobago Gamefishing Tournament team. Team members Frothy DeSilva, Edgar Dapremont, Andrew Llanos and David Wong, all of Scarborough, Tobago, released four marlin to move then from seventh place. Their final score was 2737.7 points from nine marlin and a 37.7 lb. dorado caught by Llanos.
	2nd Place team-Tobago Gamefishing Tournament. “Frothy” DeSilva (IGFA Rep), Edgar Dapremont, Andrew Llanos, David Wong, Kevin Martin, Chief Operating Officer, Penn International

The Nantucket (Mass.) Anglers Club Billfish Tournament team, which held a 500-point lead going into the final day, caught only one striped marlin dropping them to third. The Nantucket team, made up of Cape Cod brothers Joe (of Barnstable), Roy (Milford) and Jim Santolucito (South Dennis), along with team captain Larry Kenney (West Yarmouth), had been consistent with at least two marlin each of the three previous days. They ended with a score of 2700 points from nine marlin releases.

3rd Place team-Nantucket Anglers Club Billfish Tournament-Roy Santolucito, Jim Santolucito, Joe Santolucito, Larry Kenney

The Massachusett’s team won the third place position over the Sunshine Coast Sailfish Shootout team of Queensland, Australia, based on last fish caught first. The Australians, made up of team members David Granville, Fred and Michelle Temminick, and Craig McCulloch, finished fourth releasing three striped marlin in the final round for 2700 total points.

Fifth place went to the Nova Scotia (Canada) International Tuna Tournament team with 2497.3. Team members were Edward BohneII and Bryan Cohen of Ft. Lauderdale with Geoff McGovern, Mobile, Ala., and Ken Brown of Delray, Fla.

Finishing sixth was the Sicily (Italy) Big Game Fishing Club team which released two marlin on the final day. Salvatore Ficara, Massimo Brogna, Pietro Bottino and Giovanni Barbagallo totaled 2432.9 points.

The team making the biggest push after two days of scoreless fishing was the winners of the Kona, Hawaii Firecracker Open. Sam and Jessica Allen, Vancouver, Wash., along with Jerry Hansen, Boulder City Nev., and Dick Landfield, Yorba Linda, Calif., released eight marlin for 2400 points to finish seventh.

The Trofeu Clube Nautico de Tavira, Portugal tournament team, which had the first day lead, finished eighth with 2175.5 points, releasing no fish the final day. The four team members were Jose Eduardo Gaioso Vaz, Maria Henriques, Alberto Gaioso and Manuel Vasconcelos, all of Espinho, Portugal.

Rounding out the top 10 were two previous winning championship teams invited back perpetually. In ninth with 2100 points was the 2003 Rolex/IGFA Championship team of Danny Fox and Bobby Rego, both of Hamilton, Bermuda, along with Buddy Sowers, Richmond, Va., and his son Casey Sowers, N. Palm Beach, Fla.

In tenth also with 2100 points, based on last first caught first was the 2002 Rolex/IGFA winners. They were Frank Schaaf, Port Orange, Fla., along with John Lloyd and James Laney of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., and Dwayne Halbrook of Dacula, Ga.

The four-day world championship competition attracted teams with many of the world’s best blue water anglers who won one of 98 IGFA qualifying events held in 33 countries on six continents worldwide during 2003

Teams represented the countries of Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Spain, Tobago, Tonga, the Turks and Caicos, the United States and Venezuela.

Nineteen teams of anglers represented the United States from more than 23 states.

The teams drew for different boats each day from the local guided Cabo fleet. They fished for three species of marlin (blue, black and striped) and swordfish for 300 points each along with sailfish and spearfish for 100-point values each. The catches were scored and released alive at the boat in accordance with the IGFA tournament rules.

The teams also received points (per pound) for tuna, wahoo and dorado up to two fish of each species per day above the minimum size limit of 25 lbs. Local charities received the donations of all fish weighed at the Cabo docks.

A total of 297 striped marlin were released, one blue marlin released and one sailfish. Weight fish included 15 dorado, one tuna and 10 wahoo. Eighteen other prizes were presented including ones to the three top anglers, the captains and top three places for the heaviest tuna, wahoo and dorado. The top men included Edgar Artecona with 1900 points on the Texas Women’s Tournament team for first, Jamie Diller, Avalon, N.J. second place with 1500 points on the While Marlin Open team and third to Ray Santolucito, with 1500 points on the Barta Blue Marlin Classic team.

Top 3 male anglers - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Edgar Artecona, Jamie Diller, and Ray Santolucito

The top women anglers were Ms. Maria Henriques with 930.3 on the Portugal team, Ms. Grace Canfield, Palm City, Fla., with 900 points on the New Smyrna Beach Billfish team and Ms. Gene Duval of Richmond, Va., with 600 points on the Int’l Women’s Fishing Association (IWFA) team.

The heaviest wahoo awards were presented to Geoff McGovern, Mobile, Ala., 97.3 lbs., Nova Scotia Int’l Tuna Tournament; Renee Cross, Belle Chasse, La., 72.2 lbs., Baton Rouge Big Game and Margie Adams, Winter Haven, Fla., 57.7 lbs., on the IWFA Billfish Tournament team.

Top 3 female anglers - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Gene Duval, Maria Henriques, and Grace Canfield		Heaviest wahoo - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Margie Adams, Renee Cross, Geoff McGovern, and IGFA tournament coordinator Lynda Wilson

Mr. Pat Kelley, Ft. Lauderdale, caught the only tuna at 68.9 points on the Isla Mujeres Ladies Billfish team.

The heaviest dorado caught were by Jason Langford, Perth, Western Australia representing the Blue Marlin Classic; Diana Locke, Raleigh, N.C. 47.4 lbs., Isla Mujeres Ladies Billfish Tournament and Jose Eduardo Galoso Vaz, 45 lbs., Trofeau Clube Natico de Tavira, Portugal.

Heaviest tuna - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Pat Kelley		Heaviest dorado - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Jason Langford, Diana Locke, and Jose Eduardo Galoso Vaz

The leading Cabo captains and their boats were the Angelina, with Edgar Chong at 3075.5 points total over the four days; second was The Pride with Antonio Romero with 2800 points and third on the Mucho Loco II, Jan Cesina with 2700 points. The tournament headquarters was the Hotel Finisterra.
	Top Captains - IGFA President Rob Kramer with Edgar Chong and Antonio Romero

Besides title sponsor Rolex other sponsors in the offshore championship include Aero México, Aftco, Blue Water Boats & Sportfishing Magazine, Bodo Muche Studio-Foundry, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Eagle Claw, Guy Harvey, Hatteras, Hook & Tackle Outfitters, Hotel Finisterra, IWS Scales, King Sailfish Mounts, McIlhenny Tabasco, Mexico Tourism Board, Mold Craft Products, Momoi’s Hi-Catch Fishing Line, Murray Products Fighting Chairs, Nautical Jewelry Originals, Pacifico/Corona Beverages and Penn Rods & Reels.

Local sponsors in Cabo San Lucas included Minerva’s Baja Tackle, Pisces Fleet Sportfishing, Cabo San Lucas Administracion Portuaria Integal, Solmar Suites, Servicios Maritimos de Cabo, TransCabo and Ultrajewels the official Rolex retailer in Cabo San Lucas.

The offshore championship was one of two world-class series fishing events that included the fourth annual Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship Tournament held earlier in May. In that tournament a record 42 anglers representing 50 qualifying tournaments on four continents competed in light-tackle and fly-fishing competition for bonefish, tarpon, permit, redfish and snook in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys.

The IGFA is a nonprofit, membership-supported, conservation and record-keeping organization founded in 1939 with members in over 120 countries. The association welcomes visitors to the 60,000 square foot IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Florida. For further information, contact Rolex/IGFA tournament coordinator Lynda Wilson at the International Game Fish Association, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004 Email: Lwilson@IGFA.org, phone (954) 927-2628 Fax (954) 924-4299. Or contact Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications, Inc. Scottsdale, AZ. 85267, Phone (480) 951-3654.

Top 20 Teams
Fifth Annual Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – May 16-21, 2004

Final / Team# / Tournament Representation / State/Country /Points