Eastcape Billfish Tournament
You are officially invited to the 2010 TAA Eastcape Billfish Tournament! Attached you’ll find the entry form and the hotel/shirt order form. Entering the tournament is as easy as opening the attachments, completing the information online and returning both forms to me electronically. And then follow the instructions included on how to send me your entry fee and hotel down payment. I also accept paypal, let me know what’s easy for you.
Boat fees went up again this year – so we’ve given super special attention to ensuring we have the very best boats available along with the crews who want to win the tournament as badly as you do. So you’ll notice a slight increase to the tournament fees but, what the heck, it’s fishing season and you’ll spend more than that on new lures. Have you tried the new electric one that beeps at the same frequency as female marlins looking for a little action?
I’m really excited to have a full tournament this year – it promises to be a first class event. Please contact your TAA fishing buddies and make sure they received the invite and are planning to attend. Registration deadline is March 9th.
Tight Lines,
Keith
Tournament Boss
2009 Eastcape Billfish Tournament
The 2009 Eastcape Billfish Tournament kicked off on Monday, June 22. Twenty-two anglers made the trip down to Hotel Palmas de Cortez for the 22d annual event. The Hotel, the weather, and the boats were looking good and ready for action. There were plenty of billfish around. That was the good news. However, they were feeding on prodigious quantities of squid and that makes ‘em: 1) mean, and 2) finicky.
The Tournament began with the Anglers meeting and cocktail party in the Convention Center. Those of us who have been fishing the Tournament for several years will recall that the new Convention Center stands on the site of the old dining room and kitchen. Ah, the fond memories of breakfast, indoors at 119 degrees at 6:00 AM and ….but I digress.
We welcomed one new angler to the Eastcape this year, Jerry Zavalney from Anacortes, WA. Jerry was introduced to TAA by Darrell Ticehurst, and, as you will soon see, fared rather well in his first TAA tournament outing.
Our sponsors really came through for us in the face of some challenging economic conditions. Penn, our primary sponsor provided a significant discount for our rod and reel prizes. Gray’s Taxidermy once again provided our great trophies and award plaques. They also provided tee-shirts and caps for the captains and deck hands. Costa del Mar came though with their classic sun glasses and great angler’s backpacks. Black Bart Lures provided a terrific bag of rigged Marlin lures and MoldCraft and Zukers gave us a great discount on lures and teasers. Mr. T-Shirt produced our angler shirts and Stone & Youngberg, noted hotbed of fishing and Municipal bond information, provided the angler and boat crew tote bags. Rounding out the awards table were gift certificates from Offshore Angler.
Day one began with the boats, all deluxe cruisers, leaving the dock by 7:45, racing off into the rising sun. First off the dock and first with lines in was Mi Pistola with Keith Leimbach and Gary Morgan aboard. Keith tipped a striper at 7:11 for the first fish of the Tournament. By the end of the first day, Keith had two marlin, as did our (supposed) rookie, Jerry Zavalney. (See Jerry? I can spell your name correctly!) Darrell Ticehurst and Ray Jones each scored one striper, as did Will Evans, the notable Prize Table roadie.
The dorado bite was hot and the fish were big, providing lots of exciting 10-point tiebreaker opportunities. The tally on Day One was seven striped marlin and twelve dorado. Jerry Z got his second marlin before Keith, so he was our first day high point winner. Top boat on the first day was Marlintini. Mi Pistola was second and Margarita finished third.
Day Two began with an obnoxious swell and freshening wind from the south. Hurricane Andres had formed off Central America and by June 21st was headed north past Zihuatenejo and Manzanillo toward Baja. Although Andres turned west and rapidly diminished in strength, it made for one very tough fishing day. Day Two yielded but one striper to Dave Ogle at 9:05 AM and one sailfish to Jerry Yahiro at 11:03 AM…….but oh, those dorado kept on coming. All in all, 24 of the 10-pointers were landed on Day Two.
High point honors went to Dave Ogle for his sole striper. The boat finishers on Day Two were Billfighter in first, Maria II in second and Jack Daniels and El Loco in a tie for third.
Day Three began with an overcast sky, but calmer sea. Most of the boats headed north again to work the area south of Cerralvo Island. The fishing was about the same as on Day One. Neal McNamara caught two stripers and a dorado for 510 points and high daily honors. Jim Severson, last years outstanding Eastcape chairman, caught one striper, as did Dean Hafeman, Jim Gill, and yours truly. The dorado were hot again, providing eleven more 10-pointers on the final day.
The last fish of the Eastcape was tipped at 1:05 by your humble chronicler aboard Billfighter. The last day’s order of finish for the boats was Maria II, Mahitini and Billfighter.
We gathered for the captain and crew awards with German running the show in his typical entertaining style. We passed out the cash and thanked everyone for working hard under some challenging weather and sea conditions.
The Awards Party convened in the Convention Center with cocktails and hors d’ouervres from the hotel and another special offering of sashimi and poki from our own Jerry Yahiro. Thank you, Jerry, from all of us for another delicious contribution to the festivities!
We had a special guest at the party. Pat Snyder joined us for the awards ceremony. Pat and her husband Tom were founding members of the Tournament Anglers Association. Pat, who still holds a couple of IGFA roosterfish world records, was up from Punta Colorada to help celebrate the Van Wormer’s anniversary and Cha-Cha’s birthday. Everyone really enjoyed seeing Pat and reminiscing about Palmas and Punta adventures.
Someone once told me that in a tournament, you’re supposed to catch something every day. I guess I forgot that. One person who did not forget it, though, was Neal McNamara. With two marlin and four dorado over the three days, Neal won the Eastcape for the third time, joining John Jackson and Curtis Fitzgerald as three-time winners. Jerry Zavalney was second (by virtue of our “first-to-the-points” rule) with 510 points. Keith Leimbach, a former Eastcape champion and next year’s tournament chairman, was third with 510 points as well. Dave Ogle was fourth with 280, followed by Jim Severson, Dean Hafeman, and Jim Gill with 270.
Our 2010 IGFA Offshore Championship Eastcape team of McNamara, Zavalney, Leimbach and Ogle will represent our tournament and TAA with experience and enthusiasm. We wish them success. They will be formidable competition!
We want to thank the Hotel, their staff and all the boat crews for all their efforts in providing TAA with another great time! Special thanks to Chuy (now promoted to events planning) for help with our booking; Pedro (food & beverage manager) for our parties; and of course German for the most critical component of any successful tournament, the boats! While the 2009 release count was not what we have come to expect from the Sea of Cortez, the tournament certainly can be counted as a success! I think it was Bill Hoey who first told me “that’s why they call it FISHING and not CATCHING”!
I also want to thank this year’s co-chairman, Keith Leimbach, for his enthusiastic support and significant contribution to the tournament. I am looking forward to the 2010 Eastcape with Keith as our Chairman. I also want to thank Will Evans for his help with the Tournament both in the preparation and the execution. Despite the considerable technological skills possessed by your author, I doubt that anyone would have gotten anything other that a Xerox copy of Severson’s stuff with handwritten edits and mark-outs, were it not for Willie-boy.
So with that, we close the books on another Tournament Anglers Association Eastcape Billfish Tournament. I am looking forward to next year with great anticipation. Til then…
Tight lines and smooth seas….
Bill Evans
The 2009 Eastcape Billfish Tournament kicked off on Monday, June 22. Twenty-two anglers made the trip down to Hotel Palmas de Cortez for the 22d annual event. The Hotel, the weather, and the boats were looking good and ready for action. There were plenty of billfish around. That was the good news. However, they were feeding on prodigious quantities of squid and that makes ‘em: 1) mean, and 2) finicky.
The Tournament began with the Anglers meeting and cocktail party in the Convention Center. Those of us who have been fishing the Tournament for several years will recall that the new Convention Center stands on the site of the old dining room and kitchen. Ah, the fond memories of breakfast, indoors at 119 degrees at 6:00 AM and ….but I digress.
We welcomed one new angler to the Eastcape this year, Jerry Zavalney from Anacortes, WA. Jerry was introduced to TAA by Darrell Ticehurst, and, as you will soon see, fared rather well in his first TAA tournament outing.
Our sponsors really came through for us in the face of some challenging economic conditions. Penn, our primary sponsor provided a significant discount for our rod and reel prizes. Gray’s Taxidermy once again provided our great trophies and award plaques. They also provided tee-shirts and caps for the captains and deck hands. Costa del Mar came though with their classic sun glasses and great angler’s backpacks. Black Bart Lures provided a terrific bag of rigged Marlin lures and MoldCraft and Zukers gave us a great discount on lures and teasers. Mr. T-Shirt produced our angler shirts and Stone & Youngberg, noted hotbed of fishing and Municipal bond information, provided the angler and boat crew tote bags. Rounding out the awards table were gift certificates from Offshore Angler.
Day one began with the boats, all deluxe cruisers, leaving the dock by 7:45, racing off into the rising sun. First off the dock and first with lines in was Mi Pistola with Keith Leimbach and Gary Morgan aboard. Keith tipped a striper at 7:11 for the first fish of the Tournament. By the end of the first day, Keith had two marlin, as did our (supposed) rookie, Jerry Zavalney. (See Jerry? I can spell your name correctly!) Darrell Ticehurst and Ray Jones each scored one striper, as did Will Evans, the notable Prize Table roadie.
The dorado bite was hot and the fish were big, providing lots of exciting 10-point tiebreaker opportunities. The tally on Day One was seven striped marlin and twelve dorado. Jerry Z got his second marlin before Keith, so he was our first day high point winner. Top boat on the first day was Marlintini. Mi Pistola was second and Margarita finished third.
Day Two began with an obnoxious swell and freshening wind from the south. Hurricane Andres had formed off Central America and by June 21st was headed north past Zihuatenejo and Manzanillo toward Baja. Although Andres turned west and rapidly diminished in strength, it made for one very tough fishing day. Day Two yielded but one striper to Dave Ogle at 9:05 AM and one sailfish to Jerry Yahiro at 11:03 AM…….but oh, those dorado kept on coming. All in all, 24 of the 10-pointers were landed on Day Two.
High point honors went to Dave Ogle for his sole striper. The boat finishers on Day Two were Billfighter in first, Maria II in second and Jack Daniels and El Loco in a tie for third.
Day Three began with an overcast sky, but calmer sea. Most of the boats headed north again to work the area south of Cerralvo Island. The fishing was about the same as on Day One. Neal McNamara caught two stripers and a dorado for 510 points and high daily honors. Jim Severson, last years outstanding Eastcape chairman, caught one striper, as did Dean Hafeman, Jim Gill, and yours truly. The dorado were hot again, providing eleven more 10-pointers on the final day.
The last fish of the Eastcape was tipped at 1:05 by your humble chronicler aboard Billfighter. The last day’s order of finish for the boats was Maria II, Mahitini and Billfighter.
We gathered for the captain and crew awards with German running the show in his typical entertaining style. We passed out the cash and thanked everyone for working hard under some challenging weather and sea conditions.
The Awards Party convened in the Convention Center with cocktails and hors d’ouervres from the hotel and another special offering of sashimi and poki from our own Jerry Yahiro. Thank you, Jerry, from all of us for another delicious contribution to the festivities!
We had a special guest at the party. Pat Snyder joined us for the awards ceremony. Pat and her husband Tom were founding members of the Tournament Anglers Association. Pat, who still holds a couple of IGFA roosterfish world records, was up from Punta Colorada to help celebrate the Van Wormer’s anniversary and Cha-Cha’s birthday. Everyone really enjoyed seeing Pat and reminiscing about Palmas and Punta adventures.
Someone once told me that in a tournament, you’re supposed to catch something every day. I guess I forgot that. One person who did not forget it, though, was Neal McNamara. With two marlin and four dorado over the three days, Neal won the Eastcape for the third time, joining John Jackson and Curtis Fitzgerald as three-time winners. Jerry Zavalney was second (by virtue of our “first-to-the-points” rule) with 510 points. Keith Leimbach, a former Eastcape champion and next year’s tournament chairman, was third with 510 points as well. Dave Ogle was fourth with 280, followed by Jim Severson, Dean Hafeman, and Jim Gill with 270.
Our 2010 IGFA Offshore Championship Eastcape team of McNamara, Zavalney, Leimbach and Ogle will represent our tournament and TAA with experience and enthusiasm. We wish them success. They will be formidable competition!
We want to thank the Hotel, their staff and all the boat crews for all their efforts in providing TAA with another great time! Special thanks to Chuy (now promoted to events planning) for help with our booking; Pedro (food & beverage manager) for our parties; and of course German for the most critical component of any successful tournament, the boats! While the 2009 release count was not what we have come to expect from the Sea of Cortez, the tournament certainly can be counted as a success! I think it was Bill Hoey who first told me “that’s why they call it FISHING and not CATCHING”!
I also want to thank this year’s co-chairman, Keith Leimbach, for his enthusiastic support and significant contribution to the tournament. I am looking forward to the 2010 Eastcape with Keith as our Chairman. I also want to thank Will Evans for his help with the Tournament both in the preparation and the execution. Despite the considerable technological skills possessed by your author, I doubt that anyone would have gotten anything other that a Xerox copy of Severson’s stuff with handwritten edits and mark-outs, were it not for Willie-boy.
So with that, we close the books on another Tournament Anglers Association Eastcape Billfish Tournament. I am looking forward to next year with great anticipation. Til then…
Tight lines and smooth seas….
Bill Evans
Eastcape 2008 top 4. Brian Hill 1st Champion Division, Paul Steigerwald 1st Challenger Division-Overall Champion, Rick Bothmer 3rd Challenger Division, Greg Ogle 2nd Challenger Division. This team will represent TAA in the 2009 Offshore Championship
The 21st Eastcape Billfish Tournament was again held at Hotel Palmas de Cortez, Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The tournament dates were June 5-9, and 26 Tournament Association anglers participated in the three day competition. This year’s billfish count was similar to the fish count of our 2007 tournament, with 27 marlin and 1 sail fish caught and released. In addition, 24 Dorado were boated and served up in the hotel restaurant for all of our anglers to enjoy. Again this year, there seemed to be a lot of bait (mostly squid) available, so the billfish count was lower than has been our experience in past years. Our anglers reported seeing fish, but getting the “bite” was somewhat difficult. Two days prior to the tournament, strong winds came up and affected our catch the first day. However, the seas calmed down and the second and third day’s catch was much improved.
On day one, Rich Bothmer, Greg Ogle, Paul Steigerwald, and Joan Vernon all caught one Marlin each, and earned each of them the maximum points. However, Rick surged out in front with an additional Dorado, and claimed top angler for the day.
Day two, eleven Marlin were caught, and Greg Ogle easily went ahead with 500 points for two Marlin caught in the minimum time. However, due to the time of the releases, Brian Hill also caught two Marlin and claimed the second daily prize.
On day three, the fish count went up went up again with eleven Marlin and one Sailfish caught. Paul Steigerwald claimed the daily prize with two Marlin and one Dorado caught, for a total point count of 510.
This made Paul the TOP angler of the tournament with 770 point (three Marlin and two Dorado), followed closely by Greg Ogle with 760 points (three Marlin and one Dorado), revealing how important it is to “bag” that additional game fish!
For the THIRD year in a row, the Challenge Division out fished the Champions, and received Iland Lure as prizes.
The Eastcape Billfish IGFA Offshore World Championship Tournament Team will be represented by Paul Steigerwald, Captain, Greg Ogle, Brian Hill and Rick Bothmer, with Darrell Ticehurst, 1st alternate, Danny Brooks, 2nd alternate, and Bill Evans, 3rd alternate.
We want to recognize our three new TAA anglers who signed up for the tournament this year. They are: Harry Kersten, Greg Ogle and Jack Richardson (who took Dale Miles’ place at the last minute). We welcome them into our TAA family!!!
Last-but-not-least, we want to sincerely thank our sponsors for providing us with another GREAT tournament. This year, we were especially blessed with a new sponsor, Grey Taxidermy. They provided trophies for all of our winning individual and team anglers. We thank them so much for their generosity! Also, again this year, we thank Penn Fishing Tackle, Costa del Mar, Iland lures and Bass Pro Shops for their sponsorship! Without all of these sponsors, our Eastcape Billfish Tournament would not be the high quality fishing tournament that it is. Please visit us at our website: "http://www.fishtaa.com
Jim Severson turns over the helm of this tournament to Bill Evans for our 2009 tournament. Please extend your help to him and let’s make next year’s tournament even BETTER. The dates for next year’s tournament are June 22 through 26, with fishing dates the 23rd through the 25th.
Overall Champion – Paul Steigerwald – 770 points
Champion Division
1st Place – Brian Hill – 510 points
2nd Place – Joan Vernon – 460 points
3rd Place – Mike McElroy – 270 points
Challenge Division
1st Place – Paul Steigerwald – 770 points
2nd Place – Greg Ogle – 760
3rd Place – Rick Bothmer – 510 points
Team Event
1st Place Team – Paul Steigerwald and John Zehnder – 995 points
2nd Place Team – Joan Vernon and Bill Evans – 930 points
3rd Place Team – Greg Ogle and Keith Leimbach – 770 points
On day one, Rich Bothmer, Greg Ogle, Paul Steigerwald, and Joan Vernon all caught one Marlin each, and earned each of them the maximum points. However, Rick surged out in front with an additional Dorado, and claimed top angler for the day.
Day two, eleven Marlin were caught, and Greg Ogle easily went ahead with 500 points for two Marlin caught in the minimum time. However, due to the time of the releases, Brian Hill also caught two Marlin and claimed the second daily prize.
On day three, the fish count went up went up again with eleven Marlin and one Sailfish caught. Paul Steigerwald claimed the daily prize with two Marlin and one Dorado caught, for a total point count of 510.
This made Paul the TOP angler of the tournament with 770 point (three Marlin and two Dorado), followed closely by Greg Ogle with 760 points (three Marlin and one Dorado), revealing how important it is to “bag” that additional game fish!
For the THIRD year in a row, the Challenge Division out fished the Champions, and received Iland Lure as prizes.
The Eastcape Billfish IGFA Offshore World Championship Tournament Team will be represented by Paul Steigerwald, Captain, Greg Ogle, Brian Hill and Rick Bothmer, with Darrell Ticehurst, 1st alternate, Danny Brooks, 2nd alternate, and Bill Evans, 3rd alternate.
We want to recognize our three new TAA anglers who signed up for the tournament this year. They are: Harry Kersten, Greg Ogle and Jack Richardson (who took Dale Miles’ place at the last minute). We welcome them into our TAA family!!!
Last-but-not-least, we want to sincerely thank our sponsors for providing us with another GREAT tournament. This year, we were especially blessed with a new sponsor, Grey Taxidermy. They provided trophies for all of our winning individual and team anglers. We thank them so much for their generosity! Also, again this year, we thank Penn Fishing Tackle, Costa del Mar, Iland lures and Bass Pro Shops for their sponsorship! Without all of these sponsors, our Eastcape Billfish Tournament would not be the high quality fishing tournament that it is. Please visit us at our website: "http://www.fishtaa.com
Jim Severson turns over the helm of this tournament to Bill Evans for our 2009 tournament. Please extend your help to him and let’s make next year’s tournament even BETTER. The dates for next year’s tournament are June 22 through 26, with fishing dates the 23rd through the 25th.
Overall Champion – Paul Steigerwald – 770 points
Champion Division
1st Place – Brian Hill – 510 points
2nd Place – Joan Vernon – 460 points
3rd Place – Mike McElroy – 270 points
Challenge Division
1st Place – Paul Steigerwald – 770 points
2nd Place – Greg Ogle – 760
3rd Place – Rick Bothmer – 510 points
Team Event
1st Place Team – Paul Steigerwald and John Zehnder – 995 points
2nd Place Team – Joan Vernon and Bill Evans – 930 points
3rd Place Team – Greg Ogle and Keith Leimbach – 770 points
Contact Jim Severson
@ jmspms@aol.com for all 2008 tournament information
Anglers participating in the 2007 Tournament
The anglers in the IGFA team photo are (l to R) Smokey Molle, Richard Schwager, Keith Leimbach, Bill Evans.
Richard Schwager is the Captain of the 2008 IGFA Offshore team
Richard Schwager is the Captain of the 2008 IGFA Offshore team
The 20th Anniversary Eastcape Billfish Tournament was held at Hotel Palmas de Cortez, Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico June 14-18, 2007. Thirty members of Tournament Anglers Association (“TAA”) caught and released 27 striped marlin in three days of competition. In addition, 10 Dorado and 1 Yellowfin Tuna were boated and enjoyed in the hotel restaurant by the entire group. While the fish count was down from 2006 (56), 2005 (62) and 2004 (69), there were plenty of marlin to be seen tailing on the surface. The boat captains noted that the water was quite dirty and cold and that the fish seemed gorged with squid. Moreover, the wind came up strong every mid morning and very few fish were hooked after noon.
On day 1, Smokey Molle charged to the front with two releases followed closely by Bruce Main. Considering Smokey’s long winning track record, many feared that they would be fighting now for second place. All told, only 8 marlin were released.
The production on day 2 improved slightly to 9 marlin, led by Bill Evans with two stripers. Smokey remained in the lead with 10 more dorado points. The final day resulted in 10 marlin releases and a new Champion, Richard Schwager, of Stockton, California. Richard released two marlin, which when added to his release on day 2, made him the only three billfish angler in the tournament.
It must be reported that yet another member of the Molle family, grandson Chris, was the high point angler on the last day of the tournament. The good news for the other TAA anglers is that Chris is headed for medical school and will not be a regular threat, at least for a while.
For the second year in a row, the members of the Challenge Division out fished the Champions and each received an Iland lure donated by L & S Bait Company of Florida.
Dale Miles put on another fabulous show with great trophies, shirts, shorts, lures, sunglasses and other useful items. Jim Severson and Neal McNamara assisted him. Jim Severson, assisted by Bill Evans, will manage the 2008 Eastcape. The dates for the 2008 Eastcape are June 5 -9, 2008.
The Eastcape anglers thank our generous sponsors, Penn Fishing Tackle, Costa Del Mar, Hook & Tackle, Iland Lures, Aloha Lures, Marlin Magic Lures, Joe Yee Lures, Hi-5 Lures, Camelot Sportfishing, , West Marine, Cutco Knives, Mister T-Shirt, Melton Tackle, Ande Monofilament and JAK Wind-On Leaders.
The Eastcape Team for the 2008 IGFA Offshore World Championship Tournament will be Richard Schwager, Captain, Smokey Molle, Keith Leimbach, and Bill Evans. The first alternate is Darrell Ticehurst and the second is Bruce Main.
Overall Champion Richard Schwager
Champion Division
1st Smokey Molle 510
2nd Keith Leimbach 510
3rd Andy Jacobi 500
4th Dale Miles 260
Challenge Division
1st Richard Schwager 725
2nd Bill Evans 510
3rd Darrell Ticehurst 510
4th Bruce Main 500
Teams
1st Richard Schwager/Steve Lynch 975
2nd Bruce Main/Neal McNamara 750
3rd Chris Molle/Rick Bothmer 750
High Boats
Day 1 Jack Daniels, Julissa, Tio Tico
Day 2 Tio Pepe, Kahlua, Margarita
Day 3 Whiskey, Tio Tico, La Migra
On day 1, Smokey Molle charged to the front with two releases followed closely by Bruce Main. Considering Smokey’s long winning track record, many feared that they would be fighting now for second place. All told, only 8 marlin were released.
The production on day 2 improved slightly to 9 marlin, led by Bill Evans with two stripers. Smokey remained in the lead with 10 more dorado points. The final day resulted in 10 marlin releases and a new Champion, Richard Schwager, of Stockton, California. Richard released two marlin, which when added to his release on day 2, made him the only three billfish angler in the tournament.
It must be reported that yet another member of the Molle family, grandson Chris, was the high point angler on the last day of the tournament. The good news for the other TAA anglers is that Chris is headed for medical school and will not be a regular threat, at least for a while.
For the second year in a row, the members of the Challenge Division out fished the Champions and each received an Iland lure donated by L & S Bait Company of Florida.
Dale Miles put on another fabulous show with great trophies, shirts, shorts, lures, sunglasses and other useful items. Jim Severson and Neal McNamara assisted him. Jim Severson, assisted by Bill Evans, will manage the 2008 Eastcape. The dates for the 2008 Eastcape are June 5 -9, 2008.
The Eastcape anglers thank our generous sponsors, Penn Fishing Tackle, Costa Del Mar, Hook & Tackle, Iland Lures, Aloha Lures, Marlin Magic Lures, Joe Yee Lures, Hi-5 Lures, Camelot Sportfishing, , West Marine, Cutco Knives, Mister T-Shirt, Melton Tackle, Ande Monofilament and JAK Wind-On Leaders.
The Eastcape Team for the 2008 IGFA Offshore World Championship Tournament will be Richard Schwager, Captain, Smokey Molle, Keith Leimbach, and Bill Evans. The first alternate is Darrell Ticehurst and the second is Bruce Main.
Overall Champion Richard Schwager
Champion Division
1st Smokey Molle 510
2nd Keith Leimbach 510
3rd Andy Jacobi 500
4th Dale Miles 260
Challenge Division
1st Richard Schwager 725
2nd Bill Evans 510
3rd Darrell Ticehurst 510
4th Bruce Main 500
Teams
1st Richard Schwager/Steve Lynch 975
2nd Bruce Main/Neal McNamara 750
3rd Chris Molle/Rick Bothmer 750
High Boats
Day 1 Jack Daniels, Julissa, Tio Tico
Day 2 Tio Pepe, Kahlua, Margarita
Day 3 Whiskey, Tio Tico, La Migra
2006 Results
Ponichtera Runs Away At Eastcape
The 19th Eastcape Billfish Tournament was all over after day one because Ken Ponichtera of The Dalles, Oregon led from wire to wire and bested the second place angler, Dale Miles, by 750 points, or three billfish releases.
A total of 56 billfish were released in three days of fishing by 33 TAA anglers. Records show that this was the 6th most productive event in all the years since the tournament started in 1983. Of the 56 billfish, Rick Bothmer released a nice Pacific Blue. The other fish were 54 Striped Marlin and one Sailfish. In addition, the group caught 5 dorado and a single wahoo.
Most of the fish were hooked either in the Punta Pescadero region or just a few miles offshore from La Ribiera. It is very interesting to note that almost exactly half of the billfish were hooked on lures and the other half hooked on dead ballyhoo. Circle hooks were mandatory when using bait. This year, live bait was not available at all for reasons that were never explained.
Ken was high point for day 1 followed by new TAA member Mark Rogers, who released two marlin. The second day proved to be the best with 23 billfish released. Ed Day led the field followed closely by Rick Bothmer. On the last day, Richard Kersten quietly released two stripers to take the daily prize, followed by Richard Schwager.
High boat for the tournament was a new one, Billfighter, with 8 releases or 2000 points, followed by Cutty Sark and Julissa. Daily high went to Billfighter twice and then to Cutty Sark on day 3.
The 2006 Eastcape was chaired by Neal McNamara and co-chaired by Dale Mile. In 2007, Dale will chair the tournament, and the co-chair will be Jim Severson.
The 2007 dates are June 14 to June 18 and we have booked rooms and boats for 40 anglers in anticipation of a good turnout for the 20th Anniversary. Mark your calendars now!
The official results follow:
Overall Champion Ken Ponichtera 1500
Champions Division
1st Dale Miles 750
2nd Smokey Molle 510
3rd Neal McNamara 500
4th Andy Jacobi 500
Challenge Division
1st Ken Ponichtera 1500
2nd Dave Ogle 750
3rd Richard Kersten 750
4th Mark Rogers 750
Teams
1st Ponichtera/Ramsey 1750
2nd Ogle Hafeman 1250
3rd Bothmer/McNamara 1225
In a new competition this year, the Challenge Division outgunned the Champions by a significant margin and each of the 19 challengers received a new offshore lure courtesy of Island Lure Company.
We wish to thank all of our other sponsors for their very generous contributions: Penn Reel Company, Hook & Tackle, and Costa Del Mar.
The 19th Eastcape Billfish Tournament was all over after day one because Ken Ponichtera of The Dalles, Oregon led from wire to wire and bested the second place angler, Dale Miles, by 750 points, or three billfish releases.
A total of 56 billfish were released in three days of fishing by 33 TAA anglers. Records show that this was the 6th most productive event in all the years since the tournament started in 1983. Of the 56 billfish, Rick Bothmer released a nice Pacific Blue. The other fish were 54 Striped Marlin and one Sailfish. In addition, the group caught 5 dorado and a single wahoo.
Most of the fish were hooked either in the Punta Pescadero region or just a few miles offshore from La Ribiera. It is very interesting to note that almost exactly half of the billfish were hooked on lures and the other half hooked on dead ballyhoo. Circle hooks were mandatory when using bait. This year, live bait was not available at all for reasons that were never explained.
Ken was high point for day 1 followed by new TAA member Mark Rogers, who released two marlin. The second day proved to be the best with 23 billfish released. Ed Day led the field followed closely by Rick Bothmer. On the last day, Richard Kersten quietly released two stripers to take the daily prize, followed by Richard Schwager.
High boat for the tournament was a new one, Billfighter, with 8 releases or 2000 points, followed by Cutty Sark and Julissa. Daily high went to Billfighter twice and then to Cutty Sark on day 3.
The 2006 Eastcape was chaired by Neal McNamara and co-chaired by Dale Mile. In 2007, Dale will chair the tournament, and the co-chair will be Jim Severson.
The 2007 dates are June 14 to June 18 and we have booked rooms and boats for 40 anglers in anticipation of a good turnout for the 20th Anniversary. Mark your calendars now!
The official results follow:
Overall Champion Ken Ponichtera 1500
Champions Division
1st Dale Miles 750
2nd Smokey Molle 510
3rd Neal McNamara 500
4th Andy Jacobi 500
Challenge Division
1st Ken Ponichtera 1500
2nd Dave Ogle 750
3rd Richard Kersten 750
4th Mark Rogers 750
Teams
1st Ponichtera/Ramsey 1750
2nd Ogle Hafeman 1250
3rd Bothmer/McNamara 1225
In a new competition this year, the Challenge Division outgunned the Champions by a significant margin and each of the 19 challengers received a new offshore lure courtesy of Island Lure Company.
We wish to thank all of our other sponsors for their very generous contributions: Penn Reel Company, Hook & Tackle, and Costa Del Mar.