InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

Team Aries 668 lbs Blue Marlin Wins Biloxi

June 13, 2017 By InTheBite Editor

Biloxi, Mississippi:
Aries is the first sign in zodiac astrology and is associated with energy and fire. Those traits also apply to Team Aries, which earned the top tournament award in the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic that concluded Sunday morning. Owner/captain Russell Craft, angler Jeff Friedman and family members Jason, Matthew and Darin Friedman brought the largest marlin to the scales—a 668.77-pound blue marlin—that topped the next challenger by less than 15 pounds. For its efforts, the team is taking $397,925 home to Perdido Key, Florida. In true Aries spirit, the team was the first boat entered for the 21st-annual event when it signed up last fall.

“We love fishing this tournament,” Jeff Friedman says. “Bobby [Tournament Director Bobby Carter] and his crew do a fantastic job, the Golden Nugget is a great venue and we always enjoy the camaraderie and sportsmanship that’s on display here.”

Aries’ blue was boated with the fish’s bill broken off. That will sometimes occur naturally or it could happen during the fight. After a lengthy and thorough review process, the tournament committee ruled that the bill had broken by slamming into the boat’s hull (76 Viking) and allowed the catch to stand. Hollis Legg is the Aries mate.

Mollie, a 68 G&S based in Destin, Florida and run by Capt. Jeff Shoults, took second-place honors but the most money. Thomas Cornelison and his teammates earned a payout of $403.005 for the second-largest blue (654.52 pounds), top release team (four blues) and optional entries. Mollie is a perennial contender on the highly competitive Gulf big-game circuit and nearly pulled off another win at this year’s Classic.

Born2Run is no stranger to the awards stage either and angler Dana Foster, Capt. Myles Colley and crew won the third place tournament award with a 563.92 blue. The 72 Viking based in Pensacola, Florida, also scored 1,800 points in the release division for a combined payout of $242,940. Reel Addiction, a 56 Viking from Pensacola Beach and run by Capt. Scooter Porto, took third-place billfish release honors (1,800 points based on time) and $70,380. Other boats winning optional billfish money included Wild Hooker and A Work of Art. Double J (553.43) and Breathe Easy (501.43) came in fourth and fifth, respectively, in the marlin weight division. The tournament established a new minimum length of 107 inches this year (LJFL) to promote billfish conservation.

The leaderboard was constantly changing throughout the tournament due to the hotly contested swordfish division. Every weighed sword easily shattered the existing Mississippi record of 75 pounds. By the time the scales closed Saturday night, Pay Dirt, a 37 Freeman based in Tallahassee, Florida, was the big winner. Angler Scott Cothran, Capt. Ryan Kelly and the veteran team boated a 242.54-pound broadbill to earn top tournament honors and a check for $51.075.

Their catch must now be verified by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, a process that should take a few weeks. If it is certified as expected, Pay Dirt will earn an additional payout of $325,000 plus a Petro Nissan Titan pick-up. Freeman Boatworks, Hilton’s Realtime Navigator, Killer Bee Bait, Poseidon Total Fishing Outfitters and Marsh Tacky Carbon were the special swordfish promotional sponsors, along with the MGCBC.

Shockwave, a 42 Freeman (Capt. Richard Draper), was the top swordfish release boat with 7 points or one point per fish for a $9,000 check. Metal Shark 42 was second with four releases ($6,300), followed by Ellie B, also with four fish. Other boats earning money for swordfish in the optional or release divisions include Titan Up ($29,280), Wild Bill ($12,870), Burst Factor ($10,125), Ellie B ($9,180), Peacekeeper ($8,100), Sea Cruiser Tails Up ($6,570), Cajun Odyssey ($7,850) and Change Order ($5,400).

The tuna division was a seesaw battle all Saturday night as the 120-boat fleet returned to the Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi. Fourteen-year-old Ryan Cooper on CE outlasted the top yellowfin, a rotund fish that tipped the scales at 201.06 pounds. That fish earned an $81,360 payout. Capt. George Crenshaw is the skipper of the 63 Hatteras based in Point Clear, Alabama. Another teenager, Drew Marshall, fishing aboard his family’s 105-foot Broward Trader’s Hill, whipped a tuna that scaled 185.29 pounds, worth $81,360. Capt. Billy Blount is the captain of Trader’s Hill, which home-ports in Bay Point, Florida. Still another junior angler, Dylan Doubleday, fishing aboard Makaira (53 Hatteras/Capt. BJ Teems), landed the third-biggest tuna of the tournament. That fish weighed 176.55 pounds, good for $17,490.

Owner Neal Foster and his Intense team, fishing aboard a 39 Contender, ran nearly 1,000 miles round-trip to scale the top two wahoo, 80.13 and 72.7 pounds. Foster, of Mobile, Alabama, and his crew won $112,200 for their marathon efforts. A Work of Art (93 Viking) captured third place wahoo honors with a 60.82-pounder wound in by Greg Cooper. Capt. Ron Woodruff, owner Art Favre and the team won $61,590 for that fish, billfish release and a 145.95-pound yellowfin optionals. Emily Landry (Bons Amis) also earned $3,960 for a 58.4 ‘hoo.

Angler Brian Leiser, Capt. Jeff Theiry and the Orange Beach, Alabama, team aboard Hot, Black and Sticky (60 Hatteras) won the most money per pound by sweeping the dolphin division. With no other fish meeting the 20-pound minimum, Leiser and Company took home an impressive $108,000 for their 42.97-pound bull.

“I’d like to thank everyone for making our 21st annual Classic such a huge success,” says Tournament Director Bobby Carter. “We set new records for the most boats with 120 teams, a new benchmark purse of than $2 million and an almost certain new Mississippi swordfish record of 242.54 pounds. The weather was great and we had some quality fish brought to the scales. I also like to thank our fantastic sponsors and our tournament crew for making this all happen. I look forward to seeing each of you back again next year, June 4-10, 2018, to kick off our 22nd year here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: General News, Tournament Results Tagged With: Captain of the Year, Mississippi Gulf Coast Tournament, Pay Dirt, Team Aries

    Recent News

    A Taste of Sportfishing: Blue Crab Claw Rolls

    By Holly Hearn of Game Girl Gourmet Blue water and blue crabs. These two things pair beautifully in the case of this blue crab claw roll. The rolls are light, sweet, savory and just a little bit spicy. This makes them the perfect lunchtime … [Read More...]

    The Masters Celebrate 60 Years in Style

    Costa Rica never disappoints; calm seas, a world class fleet and fast billfishing for 30 Master Anglers who gathered together at Los Suenos on January 24th for the annual boat draw. Veteran anglers welcomed five "freshmen" into the club and after … [Read More...]

    Pelagic’s Vaportek Fishing Shirt

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B32l2Wwscak Check out the video to see why Pelagic’s Vaportek is the lightest and most breathable fishing shirt. The Vaportek Fishing Shirt features full-length fine-mesh vented panels that allow for optimal airflow … [Read More...]

    Performance by Design

    By Christopher Swanhart The same reason water floats our boats also slows them down. Water is dense. Pushing a hull through the water, and maintaining planing speeds, requires an appreciable amount of power. The resistance profile of a hull is … [Read More...]

    Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

    It’s Not Over! The Viking Yacht Company and the marine industry’s grassroots campaign to stop the advancement of a proposed 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard continues into 2023. … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite current cover image

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2022, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    COTY / ITB Cup Logo

    News

    • Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      It’s Not Over! The Viking Yacht Company and the marine industry’s grassroots campaign to stop the advancement of a proposed 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard continues into 2023. And now, thanks to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), we have a tool at our disposal that makes it super easy to make your voice heard. In one click, send a pre-written letter... [Read More...]

    • Old Salt: Capt. Eddie Herbert

      Old Salt: Capt. Eddie Herbert

      By Carol M. Bareuther, RD The moon and stars shone brightly in the pre-dawn night as Capt. Eddie Herbert started the engines on the 80-foot Merritt Reel Tight. His destination, the Virgin Islands’ North Drop. Reel Tight owner Jim Lambert Sr. took his passion for fishing seriously. He wanted to be first off the dock so he could catch and... [Read More...]

    • Splash Report: Bayliss Boatworks' Overtime

      Splash Report: Bayliss Boatworks' Overtime

      Every boat built by Bayliss Boatworks is a truly custom project. In the case of Overtime, the newest 67’ 6’’ build to hit the water, the sportfisher is the weapon of choice for a Cabo-San-Lucas-based program. With the help of the experienced captain and owner team, Bayliss Boatworks designed a sportfishing yacht unique enough to meet the demands of conquering... [Read More...]

    • First Build: Jarrett Bay's Sensation

      First Build: Jarrett Bay's Sensation

      By Nichole Osinski "If you’d asked me when I was 16 years old if I was going to build a boat, I would have told you you’re crazy," says Jarrett Bay Founder and President Randy Ramsey when recalling his 30-plus year career in the boat building industry. But to understand how the company has risen to where it is today,... [Read More...]

    • InTheBite Christmas Gift Offers

      InTheBite Christmas Gift Offers

      In addition to the other products listed below, InTheBite is offering two amazing holiday gift deals: a free gift subscription and a hat, shirt and sticker bundle. Act now before the offer ends on December 24th at midnight! Christmas Special: Hat, Shirt & Sticker Bundle (While Supplies Last) Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the fisherman in your life?... [Read More...]

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2023 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.