InTheBite

Captain of the Year and Champion’s Cup Updates

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Photo courtesy Brian Leiser

September 21, 2021—It’s a Wrap! The sanctioned Hawaii tournaments have wrapped up with Capt. Shane O’Brien on Strong Persuader winning the most points with five tags at the It’s a Wrap Tournament. Capt. Tracy Epstein and the Last Chance team brought in a 565-pound blue winning them biggest marlin. This means O’Brien and the Wild Hooker team have won the Hawaii Champion’s Cup for Most Points and Largest Blue Marlin.

The previous weekend was a win with the MBGFC Invitational Labor Day Tournament when team Breathe Easy’s Craig Smith reeled in the largest blue marlin weighing in at 584.2 pounds. This earns the team points within the Champion’s Cup Overall Blue Division and Gulf Division Largest Blue further cementing their spot in first for the Gulf.

Our Captain of the Year also wrapped up in three categories: East Coast, Gulf and International. Capt. Patrick Ivie on the Breathe Easy took first in the FURUNO Gulf Division with 1500 pts. Over in the Release Ruler Hawaii Division, Capt. Shane O’Brien on Wild Hooker blew the other competition out of the water with 3500 points. Finally, for the AIRMAR East Coast Division, Capt. Miles Herring on Glazed won the first place spot with 1000 points. Congratulations to all three captains and their teams. Stay tuned later in the year when we announce the International and Florida COTY winners.

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The History of Krazy Salts

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Every company has a story but not every story has a legacy of boats that have become just as iconic as the company itself. For the Krazy Salts team, both the products and the boat, now an 80-foot Viking, have gained their share of popularity. David Anderson Sr. and David Anderson Jr. take us back to the company’s roots and the boats that started it all.

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Meet the Champion’s Cup Players: 80′ Viking Krazy Salts

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We stopped by the harbor to check in with the Krazy Salts team to talk a little bit about their boat, their upcoming fishing schedule and life on an 80-foot Viking. The Krazy Salts team is entered into the 2021 InTheBite Champion’s Cup within the following divisions:

• East Division – Largest Blue Marlin / Largest White Marlin

• Champion’s Cup Combined Divisions Overall Largest Blue Marlin

The Evolution of the Captain of the Year—The Championship of Sportfishing

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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.

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Third Week of February Arrives with New Round of Champion’s Cup Tournaments

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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.

Captain of the Year 

Teams with a first-place win so far in 2021 include:

Contender Florida Division

Capt. Kevin Paul // Waterman // 500 Points

  • Pelican Yacht Club, 1st Place, 500 Pts.

Capt. Matt Bierley // Miss Texas // 500 Points

Silver Sailfish Derby, 1st Place, 500 Pts.

Release Marine International Division

Capt. Eddie Wheeler // Cabana // 500 Points

  • Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament, 1st Place, 500 Pts.

Champion’s Cup Sponsor Highlight

Champion’s Cup, Captain of the Year Updates

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jumping sailfish

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:

  • BAR South
    60′ Spencer
  • Lo Que Sea
    58′ Paul Mann
  • FLORIDIAN
    60′ SPORTSMAN
  • LUNATICO (Effie May)
    63′ Titan
  • LUNATICO2
    42′ Invincible
  • FINS UP
    54′ Bertram
  • Fish Tank
    65′ Hatteras
  • Krazy Salts
    80′ Viking
  • Wild Hooker
    68′ Blackwell
  • Lucky Dog
    57′ Bayliss
  • Eight Eights
    72′ Viking
  • Uno Mas
    77′ Mark Willis
  • You Never Know!
    72′ F & S

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:

  • February 17 – February 21
    Sailfish Challenge, 2nd Leg of the “Quest for the Crest” Series
  • February 24 – February 27
    Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series, Leg 2
  • February 28 – March 4
    The Masters Angling Tournament
  • March 2 – March 6 
    Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for the Ring
  • March 12 – March 13
    Quepos Billfish Cup
  • March 17 – March 20
    Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series, Leg 3
  • March 18 – March 20
    Marina Casa de Campo Open

*Teams should register one month prior to their next division tournament in order for InthBite to process all the boat’s information.

Champion’s Cup Q&A with Lo Que Sea Owner Tony Huerta

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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…