The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup is the championship of sportfishing. The Cup is the world’s only quantifiable way to recognize the tournament success of professional sportfishermen. Comprised of 90-sanctioned events that span the world, there is nothing else like it. Winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. From the winners to the Cup’s origin, it is an interesting tale.
Photo courtesy CatchStat.com
April 19, 2021 Team Lunatico’s 63′ Titan Effie Mae is moving up in the ranks for both the Champion’s Cup and Captain of the Year with their first place win during this weekend’s White Marlin Roundup. The win awarded them a full 500 points putting them neck and neck with Uno Mas within the Champion’s Cup International Division points category. No teams have harvested a blue marlin- yet. For those teams interested in competing in the Champion’s Cup Winner Take All prize money, register soon before someone boats a big blue in your division.
Photo courtesy Quepos Billfish Cup
Quepos Billfish Cup
1st place: Hattadream
Captain: Johnny Martinez
2nd place: Bradass
Captain: Ronald Mejias
3rd place: Spit or Swallow
Captain: Oscar villalobos
Photo courtesy JJ Fish Week
Wild Hooker, 2,150 points
Lazy Marlin Hunt 2nd Place – 300 pts.
Firecracker Open 1st Place – 500 pts.
Kona Throw Down 1st Place – 500 pts.
Skins Marlin Derby 3rd Place – 100 pts.
Big Island Marlin Tournament 1st Place Release – 500 pts.
Hawaiian Marlin Tournament Series Overall Champions – 250 pts.
Photo courtesy Steve Momot
White Marlin Open, 1st Place Release – 500 pts.
MidAtlantic, Most Points Overall – 500 pts.
It never hurts to have a former champ in the driver’s seat and for the third time in five years, Capt. Russell Sinclair of Merritt Island, Florida, has earned a coveted Captain of the Year Cup. And with his 2020 showing, Sinclair is the first captain to win different divisions. With tournaments being forced to shutter across the globe, this was unlike any fishing season anyone had ever experienced. “So, we started last year in March and had some great fishing in the Abacos. We had two trips down there. And right before the closure, we moved the boat back to the U.S. and we sat there waiting during the whole quarantine thing to see what to do with our season. We wanted to go down to St. Thomas and fish the BVI and USVI, but we finally just pulled the plug on everything and went to the Northeast. We kinda weren’t supposed to be there,” Sinclair says.
Kicking off the tournaments for this week is the second leg of the “Quest for the Crest” Sailfish Series, with its three checkpoints from Government Cut in Miami to Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach and Lakeworth Inlet in West Palm. Leg two of the Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series starts February 24 and runs until the 27th. A day later The Masters Angling Tournament starts with fishing heading into March. Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for the Ring begins March 2 followed by the Quepos Billfish Cup, Leg 3 of the Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series, Marina Casa de Campo Open.
Teams with a first-place win so far in 2021 include:
Capt. Kevin Paul // Waterman // 500 Points
Capt. Matt Bierley // Miss Texas // 500 Points
Silver Sailfish Derby, 1st Place, 500 Pts.
Capt. Eddie Wheeler // Cabana // 500 Points
Photo courtesy Brian Leiser
MBGFC Memorial Day Tournament, 1st Place – 500 pts.
MBGFC Memorial Day Tournament, Heaviest Marlin – 613.8 lbs. – 500 pts.
Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, Heaviest Marlin – 660.4 lbs. – 500 pts.
Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic, 3rd Place – 100 pts.
MBGFC Invitational Labor Day Tournament, 1st Place – 500 pts.
We’ve got a short intermission before the next round of sanctioned tournaments kick off and the Champion’s Cup is gearing up for another couple of weeks of tough competition. Currently, 13 teams are fighting for the top prize among the Florida, Gulf Coast, East Coast, International and Hawaii Divisions. Check out the competition below, and if you feel like you’re up for a challenge, register now.*
Current Champion’s Cup Team Lineup:
Winning a coveted Captain of the Year Cup is worth far more than any amount of money you could attain for the victory and this longstanding tradition will still be presented independently of the Champion’s Cup. However, we thought it would be nice to reward the rest of the fleet with new opportunities to win some extra cash.
Click the links below for additional information on each division or click here to register for an event.
Upcoming Captain of the Year Sanctioned Tournaments:
*Teams should register one month prior to their next division tournament in order for InthBite to process all the boat’s information.
The 2021 InTheBite Champion’s Cup is underway and so we sat down with one of the participants to get a better idea of who’s fishing. Tony Huerta, owner of the 58′ Paul Mann Lo Que Sea answers nine of our serious, and not-so-serious questions. Register your boat now for a chance to win it all in the first-ever Champion’s Cup: https://www.reeltimeapps.com/live/tou…
