For Immediate Release:
Contact Dan Jacobs,
407-405-0102; dan.jacobs@bonniercorp.com
Several Teams Close in on the IGFA Offshore
World Championship Title
Their score placed them in a
tie for the lead with the XLVI Torneio Annual de
Peixes de Bico ICRJ-Brazi team which also enjoyed
fantastic billfish action and scored 2,100 points of its own. The team of
Vicente Arruda, Gustavo Lima, Marco Antonio Oliveira Ribas, Chris Badsey and Jose
Espinoza made its move up the leader board scoring two releases on Day One,
four on Day Two and an additional billfish on Day Three to sit in a tie for
first place. The stage was set for a dramatic last day of fishing.
Four teams were tied with
1,800 points after Day Three, just one fish away from the leaders. The teams
representing Bisbees Black and Blue Marlin
Tournament, the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala, the 2008 IGFA Offshore
World Champions and the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament had each
caught five billfish to close the gap on the leaders. The bite had slowed down
a bit on Day Three making each release even more important. Any missed
opportunities or lost fish could really hurt a team's hopes of overtaking the
leaders on the fourth and final day of fishing.
Going into the last day of
fishing Hernando Gonzalez sat in first place in the angler division with six
releases worth 1,800 points. Fishing with the team from the World Championship
Billfish Release Tournament, Gonzalez caught two marlin on
Day One, two more on Day Two and an additional two on Day Three for the
top angler spot. Jose Espinoza of the XLVI Torneio
Annual de Peixes de Bico ICRJ-Brazil and Clint Quong
Sing of the International Marlin Madness Game Fish Tournament were tied with
five releases each worth 1,500 points.
The fleet released 41 marlin
and one sailfish on Day Three, bringing the three-day total to 143 billfish
overall. The game fish division also some saw action on Day Three with two
teams weighing in 32-pound dorado.
These game fish points will
definitely come in handy going into the final day's fishing with such a close
leader board.
The IGFA Offshore World
Championship represents the largest international field of competitors in the
world of offshore sport fishing. The 43 teams participating in the event
represent 19 countries around the globe including
With such a wide
international field of competitors, the Offshore World Championship has earned
the title of the "Olympics" of offshore fishing.
For the first time in the history of the IGFA Offshore World
Championship, the scoring is broadcast live online. Follow all of the action by
visiting www.igfaowc.com and clicking on
"real-time tournament updates." Each catch is posted online
immediately after the release so viewers can keep up to date on all the action.
Lynda L. Wilson
Assistant Tournament
Director
Bonnier Marine Group
P: 407-571-4517
F: 407-637-3531
C: 407-712-3373
Lynda.Wilson@bonniercorp.com