Marlin Tournament in El Salvador - Nov 1-3

ROBBY · 11-14-2007, 06:18 PM

Hello Guys, new to the forum, wanted to share some of the great blue marlin fishing El Salvador has to offer throught this tournament report

XIII INTERNATIONAL MARLIN TOURNAMENT
GEVESA – BAHIA DEL SOL
November 1-3 2007
EL SALVADOR
Our XIII Annual International Marlin Tournament was our biggest event up-to date, 46 Registered boats were competing for a Brand New Ford Truck and an assortment of Rolex Watches, Top of the Line Fishing Gear and many other prizes and trophies. This year we had some big names fishing the tournament, including Capt Bart Miller (BLACK BART LURES), Johan Zietsman from GHANA, and Margie Adams from Florida. Also, anglers from all over Central America, showed up and were ready for battle.

This year the minimum weight to boat a marlin was 500 pounds, up from 300 pounds last year, so it was really designed to be mostly a tag & release tournament which is a major and very positive step for our fishery. Only two fish were brought to the scale this year and were DQ as they were under 500 pounds

Ø 1st Place: DON JUAN – 3 Tagged and Released Blues
Ø 2nd Place: SANDY-ita - 2 Tagged and Released Blues
Ø 3rd Place: TERESITA - 2 Tagged and Released Blues
Ø 4th Place: WHITE MARLIN - 2 Tagged and Released Blues

2nd – 4th place was awarded based on time of release.

OUR TEAM (WHITE MARLIN 31' Bertram)

· Andre Borne: Angler (from Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
· Robby Sanchez: Angler (El Salvador)
· JC Sanchez: Angler (El Salvador)
· John Waitz: Angler (from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.)
· Pedro Campos: Captain (El Salvador)
· Amadeo Martinez: 1st Mate (El Salvador)

Thursday, NOV 1: TOURNAMENT PRE-FISHING
Our two anglers out of Baton Rouge arrived on Wednesday 31st, so we could all get in one day of pre-fishing on Thursday, Nov 1st. That morning JC and I left San Salvador at 4AM, at 6AM we were heading out the marina, our expectations were high, last year’s tournament we placed 3rd and were ready to imporove on that.

Andre & Robby Discuss the Game Plan for Next Day

FRIDAY, NOV 2 ~ Day #1
AMADEO and JC prep our weapons.

Our spread for this tournament was

Ø Short Corner: COGGINS PLUNGER Blue Over Pink (3rd wave)
Ø Long Corner: LEGEND LURES, IDUNA Pink Over Gold (4th wave)
Ø Short Rigger: MOLDCRAFT WIDE RANGE PurpleBlackSilver (5th wave)
Ø Long Rigger: BLACK BART 1656 BLUE OVER PINK (6th wave)
Ø Shotgun: BLACK BART SUPER PRO JET Light Blue Over Pink (7th wave)

Boats begin to leave Bahia del Sol Marina:

WHITE MARLIN was Number 10 on the list , so we headed out the inlet at 5:45AM and arrived to our fishing grounds (45 NM) at 8AM. As JC was getting ready to clip our SHOTGUN tag line to the center rigger a fish took the lure and went south: FISH ON ~ for a split second we thought it could be a small blue but a few seconds later a really beautiful sailfish jumped in the back of the boat ~ nice way to start the tournament we though to ourselves:

however, sailfish was not our querry !!

We had several nice mahis that kept us buisy……..

And then she came up........

At 11:30AM we had designated angler change, Robby’s turn was up so he went to his ready position and didn’t have to wait more that five minutes when the shotgun took a big hit, the TIAGRA 50 was screaming and we saw a nice BLUE jumping in the back of the boat – fish on !! After about 60 seconds she spit the hooks.........

It was a slow two and half hours after that, the sun was brutal and there were 3-4 boats who had already reported releases, one boat reported a landed marlin, we felt the pressure was on !! At 2:30PM we spotted a huge log and trolled past it a couple of times, nothing came up but when we came around for a final pass a group of 7-8 birds started diving some 50 yards from the log, our captain was on the trail and right before we got to the birds – BAM – the shotgun again, I was sitting down in the fight chair looking at the spread and didn’t really see the fish come up, all I saw was a swirl in the water and music to my ears…ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, I moved the drag to strike, grabbed the rod and starpped myself to our stand-up harness – FISH ON !!

Robby set the drag to strike and got strapped in to the standup harness

She peeled some line...............

But we werent ready to let go another marlin, she was tagged and released - estimated weight 350-380 pound blue.....

Andre and JC congratulate Robby, a celebration party develops

It was 3:30PM and we were 45 NM from the marina, we had to be there by 5:30PM or our fish would not give us any points, so we flew back in, and got there at 5:27PM ~ close call……of course we had a little celebration on the way, we were on the scoreboard and tied for 2nd place, only one other boat (DON JUAN) had two releases so we were in the game !!

Saturday, NOV 2nd : TOURNAMENT DAY 2

The day looked like it would be another beautiful day out in the ocean as we passed the inlet at 5:45AM, before we arrived to the fishing grounds we wanted to fish at three boats had already reported marlin on the line, we turned down the VHF Radio to concentrate on we wanted to do……at about 9AM a blue marlin popped out of nowhere and took a shot at our left corner, she missed it and went for the right corner, this time she took it………

JC was our designated angler, he quickly took the rod and went to strike, the fish started to peel line off the reel… ………I heard our captain reporting the strike in to Bahia del Sol……everybody scrambled to reel in the other lines and to strap JC to the stand-up harness……but…….before he could reel the 3rd or 4th time the line went slack…………..the fish was off………

....not again…..it was 9:30AM….so we still had time……the area looked good, lots of birds…..lots of bait in the water…..about an hour later another blue came up on the left corner, she was following the lure but would’nt strike, JC took the rod and dropped the lure back and then gave a couple of cranks…….it worked immediately as the marlin took a shot at the lure ……FISH ON ……this was a nice one, about 500 pounds…….

she jumped and shook her head violently but JC had hooked her well………..

Leader comes up & John wires the fish, we had the release.....Good Job JC !

Good job JOHN.....

JC claims his prize......

It was only 11AM, we were in a good area and had four more hours to go, one more marlin was all we needed to take the # 1 spot, but as fishing goes our 3rd blue marlin never showed up, at about 3PM we were trolling past the DON JUAN when she hooked up with their 3rd marlin clenching the title and the new truck for them. Back at the marina we learned that based on time of release our boat – WHITE MARLIN – took the #4 spot. We came really close again (last year we were #3), had a few moments of aaggghhhhhhhhh……….but after all its all about the fishing and the good, bad, pretty and ugly that comes with it……and like my good friend JOHN said as we pulled up the outriggers before heading in ” …….it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all……” TEAM WHITE MARLIN

Is this fun or what....

Possum · 11-14-2007, 09:53 PM

Nice report and great pix. Thanks for posting it up, loved it !!

CaptDom · 11-15-2007, 05:56 AM

Congrats on another close call. Really enjoyed your writing, and pictures. made me feel like I was there.

ARCTEKJim · 11-15-2007, 06:42 AM

great writing n great pics......and welcome robby.....................jim

Andy · 11-15-2007, 07:02 AM

Great post nice job on the pictures

74Formula233 · 11-15-2007, 07:15 AM

Sweet pics and report!!!!

11-14-2007, 09:53 PM	#2
Possum User Gallery Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: CT / Summer in RI Posts: 2,742	Nice report and great pix. Thanks for posting it up, loved it !! __________________ ________________________ NBS Sportfishing Affiliates

11-15-2007, 07:15 AM	#6
74Formula233 User Gallery Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Exeter, Rhode Island Posts: 3,321	Sweet pics and report!!!! __________________

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11-14-2007, 06:18 PM	#1
ROBBY NBS Member User Gallery Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: El Salvador Posts: 3	Marlin Tournament in El Salvador - Nov 1-3 Hello Guys, new to the forum, wanted to share some of the great blue marlin fishing El Salvador has to offer throught this tournament report XIII INTERNATIONAL MARLIN TOURNAMENT GEVESA – BAHIA DEL SOL November 1-3 2007 EL SALVADOR Our XIII Annual International Marlin Tournament was our biggest event up-to date, 46 Registered boats were competing for a Brand New Ford Truck and an assortment of Rolex Watches, Top of the Line Fishing Gear and many other prizes and trophies. This year we had some big names fishing the tournament, including Capt Bart Miller (BLACK BART LURES), Johan Zietsman from GHANA, and Margie Adams from Florida. Also, anglers from all over Central America, showed up and were ready for battle. This year the minimum weight to boat a marlin was 500 pounds, up from 300 pounds last year, so it was really designed to be mostly a tag & release tournament which is a major and very positive step for our fishery. Only two fish were brought to the scale this year and were DQ as they were under 500 pounds Ø 1st Place: DON JUAN – 3 Tagged and Released Blues Ø 2nd Place: SANDY-ita - 2 Tagged and Released Blues Ø 3rd Place: TERESITA - 2 Tagged and Released Blues Ø 4th Place: WHITE MARLIN - 2 Tagged and Released Blues 2nd – 4th place was awarded based on time of release. OUR TEAM (WHITE MARLIN 31' Bertram) · Andre Borne: Angler (from Baton Rouge, Louisiana) · Robby Sanchez: Angler (El Salvador) · JC Sanchez: Angler (El Salvador) · John Waitz: Angler (from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.) · Pedro Campos: Captain (El Salvador) · Amadeo Martinez: 1st Mate (El Salvador) Thursday, NOV 1: TOURNAMENT PRE-FISHING Our two anglers out of Baton Rouge arrived on Wednesday 31st, so we could all get in one day of pre-fishing on Thursday, Nov 1st. That morning JC and I left San Salvador at 4AM, at 6AM we were heading out the marina, our expectations were high, last year’s tournament we placed 3rd and were ready to imporove on that. Andre & Robby Discuss the Game Plan for Next Day FRIDAY, NOV 2 ~ Day #1 AMADEO and JC prep our weapons. Our spread for this tournament was Ø Short Corner: COGGINS PLUNGER Blue Over Pink (3rd wave) Ø Long Corner: LEGEND LURES, IDUNA Pink Over Gold (4th wave) Ø Short Rigger: MOLDCRAFT WIDE RANGE PurpleBlackSilver (5th wave) Ø Long Rigger: BLACK BART 1656 BLUE OVER PINK (6th wave) Ø Shotgun: BLACK BART SUPER PRO JET Light Blue Over Pink (7th wave) Boats begin to leave Bahia del Sol Marina: WHITE MARLIN was Number 10 on the list , so we headed out the inlet at 5:45AM and arrived to our fishing grounds (45 NM) at 8AM. As JC was getting ready to clip our SHOTGUN tag line to the center rigger a fish took the lure and went south: FISH ON ~ for a split second we thought it could be a small blue but a few seconds later a really beautiful sailfish jumped in the back of the boat ~ nice way to start the tournament we though to ourselves: however, sailfish was not our querry !! We had several nice mahis that kept us buisy…….. And then she came up........ At 11:30AM we had designated angler change, Robby’s turn was up so he went to his ready position and didn’t have to wait more that five minutes when the shotgun took a big hit, the TIAGRA 50 was screaming and we saw a nice BLUE jumping in the back of the boat – fish on !! After about 60 seconds she spit the hooks......... It was a slow two and half hours after that, the sun was brutal and there were 3-4 boats who had already reported releases, one boat reported a landed marlin, we felt the pressure was on !! At 2:30PM we spotted a huge log and trolled past it a couple of times, nothing came up but when we came around for a final pass a group of 7-8 birds started diving some 50 yards from the log, our captain was on the trail and right before we got to the birds – BAM – the shotgun again, I was sitting down in the fight chair looking at the spread and didn’t really see the fish come up, all I saw was a swirl in the water and music to my ears…ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, I moved the drag to strike, grabbed the rod and starpped myself to our stand-up harness – FISH ON !! Robby set the drag to strike and got strapped in to the standup harness She peeled some line............... But we werent ready to let go another marlin, she was tagged and released - estimated weight 350-380 pound blue..... Andre and JC congratulate Robby, a celebration party develops It was 3:30PM and we were 45 NM from the marina, we had to be there by 5:30PM or our fish would not give us any points, so we flew back in, and got there at 5:27PM ~ close call……of course we had a little celebration on the way, we were on the scoreboard and tied for 2nd place, only one other boat (DON JUAN) had two releases so we were in the game !! Saturday, NOV 2nd : TOURNAMENT DAY 2 The day looked like it would be another beautiful day out in the ocean as we passed the inlet at 5:45AM, before we arrived to the fishing grounds we wanted to fish at three boats had already reported marlin on the line, we turned down the VHF Radio to concentrate on we wanted to do……at about 9AM a blue marlin popped out of nowhere and took a shot at our left corner, she missed it and went for the right corner, this time she took it……… JC was our designated angler, he quickly took the rod and went to strike, the fish started to peel line off the reel… ………I heard our captain reporting the strike in to Bahia del Sol……everybody scrambled to reel in the other lines and to strap JC to the stand-up harness……but…….before he could reel the 3rd or 4th time the line went slack…………..the fish was off……… ....not again…..it was 9:30AM….so we still had time……the area looked good, lots of birds…..lots of bait in the water…..about an hour later another blue came up on the left corner, she was following the lure but would’nt strike, JC took the rod and dropped the lure back and then gave a couple of cranks…….it worked immediately as the marlin took a shot at the lure ……FISH ON ……this was a nice one, about 500 pounds……. she jumped and shook her head violently but JC had hooked her well……….. Leader comes up & John wires the fish, we had the release.....Good Job JC ! Good job JOHN..... JC claims his prize...... It was only 11AM, we were in a good area and had four more hours to go, one more marlin was all we needed to take the # 1 spot, but as fishing goes our 3rd blue marlin never showed up, at about 3PM we were trolling past the DON JUAN when she hooked up with their 3rd marlin clenching the title and the new truck for them. Back at the marina we learned that based on time of release our boat – WHITE MARLIN – took the #4 spot. We came really close again (last year we were #3), had a few moments of aaggghhhhhhhhh……….but after all its all about the fishing and the good, bad, pretty and ugly that comes with it……and like my good friend JOHN said as we pulled up the outriggers before heading in ” …….it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all……” TEAM WHITE MARLIN Is this fun or what....

11-15-2007, 05:56 AM	#3
CaptDom User Gallery Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Blue Planet Posts: 963	Great report Congrats on another close call. Really enjoyed your writing, and pictures. made me feel like I was there. __________________ CAPT. DOM PETRARCA COASTAL CHARTERS SPORTFISHING NEWPORT, RI (401)-862-0358 www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

11-15-2007, 06:42 AM	#4
ARCTEKJim User Gallery Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: VOODOO GRILLE MYSTIC Posts: 2,805	great writing n great pics......and welcome robby.....................jim __________________ custom built t tops/towers/hardtops etc www.arctekmarine.com CLINTON, CT

11-15-2007, 07:02 AM	#5
Andy User Gallery Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 866	Great post nice job on the pictures