Most days, Capt. Alex Rogers can be found chartering his boat, the Protocol, off the shores of Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas where marlin are frequently seen, and caught, on these trips. Rogers’ dogs, Rigger and Makaira, featured in “Boat Dogs,” Oct/Nov. 2019, are also a common sight on the Protocol. Rogers chats with InTheBite about fishing in this area and why it’s a great place to visit, no matter what your fishing experience may be.
The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup, presented by Hatteras, 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.
Tranquilo crew COTY pic. Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor
InTheBite Magazine started in 2003. Since its conception, the magazine has focused on providing useful, entertaining content for professional sportfishing crews. Over the course of covering the sportfishing landscape in the magazine’s formative years, InTheBite’s publisher and founder, Dale Wills, began to notice that something was missing.
“We began realizing that each year as we covered the magazine that certain teams would get on winning streaks. There was no award for them at the time and we wanted to recognize guys for doing well, so we created the Captain of the Year,” Wills, the son of a captain, recalls. “There was nothing for crews that consistently placed in tournaments. The owners would get checks, but we wanted to do more. We wanted to recognize the crews and the success of our readership.”
The first ever InTheBite Captain of the Year was VJ Bell in 2003. It was Bell’s dominance that spurred the decision to act. “That year we watched VJ Bell cleaning everyone’s clock and we wanted to recognize him.”
In 2014, The Captain of the Year Cup took on its current multidivisional format. From 2003-2013, a single captain won the award based on voting by past winners. In 2014, to recognize the regional variations in the sportfishing landscape, the Captain of the Year Cup expanded to five divisions: East Coast Division, the Contender Florida Division, Gulf, Hawaii and the IGY Marinas International Division. Beyond the five divisions, InTheBite recognizes a winner of the World Wide Rankings, the captain who accrues the highest point total in the race each year. Each division is comprised of sanctioned tournaments, the results of which produce points for the COTY scoring.
Sanctioned events must meet a 12-boat minimum. Scoring is accumulated in the catch and release divisions of billfish tournaments: 500-points for first place, 300-points for second, 100-points for third place. For tournaments that include a heaviest marlin division, there is an additional 500-points awarded to the winning captain. The heaviest marlin points are in addition to and separate from the points awarded for the release divisions.
Ronnie Fields party.
In this way, a captain could theoretically win 1,000 points in the same tournament by weighing the heaviest marlin and winning the release division. And in tournaments that award top boat prizes through combined weighed fish and released fish, Captain of the Year points are awarded to the winner of the release division. An additional 250-points is awarded to captains who win series crowns in tournament circuits (Gulf Coast Triple Crown, the Los Sueños Triple Crown, etc.).
The point tallies follow the captain, rather than the boat. It is common for charter captains, especially in the Florida Division, to tally points on two or sometimes three boats in the course of the year. Not only do some captains score on multiple boats, some captains tally points in different divisions through the year. Multi divisional tallies were the key to the top two finishers in 2016’s World Wide Rankings—Captains Jon Duffie and Tommy Lynskey (each of whom scored in both the international and east coast divisions).
Winning an ITB Captain of the Year Award is a big deal. From the early days of the award, when a single winner was chosen to the point-based divisional system of today, to win requires skill, consistency and dedication (nobody will turn down a little luck, either). Winning a Captain of the Year award requires a sizeable investment in tournament fishing by boat owners, skill and proficiency of mates, and anglers who are consistently ready when the bite happens. While all of these things must be present, it is the captain whose decision making keeps winning boats on the fish.
“It was awesome. I think it’s a pretty cool idea. With all of the new categories and areas, it has changed quite a bit since I won it,” says Captain Travis Butters the 2008 Captain of the Year. “The award was a great idea for the industry. It gives everyone something to strive for aside from just winning tournaments.”
When describing his winning year of 2008, Butters recalls, “First we won something in Key West. Then we won the Custom Boat Shootout and won a couple in Bermuda, and the Triple Crown. It was just one of those years when everything went your way.” Captain Devin Potts is the 2016 Gulf Division Captain of the Year. Potts, who runs the Sea Mixer, a 66-foot Spencer, says “There are a lot of good, good fishermen here. Winning this is a huge career milestone for me. It has been a humbling experience.”
Captain Victor Julio Lopez runs the Tranquilo, a 57-foot Spencer. Lopez was the first Costa Rican born captain to win the award, winning the 2016 International Division. “The success of my efforts may be attributed to the blessing of God and the effort of our team and our anglers. My mate Daniel Arrieta has been here giving his best to keep us in this position. My wife Tania is by my side and has always been my good luck charm,” says Lopez describing his success. “It’s taken a great effort day to day to be in the position and it is a great honor to the first Costa Rican captain to be named Captain of the Year.”
Glenn Cameron party.
It is standard practice that Captains of the Year host a party along with the presentation of the award. Just as there have been many different personalities who have won, the parties in the past have ranged far and wide. Captain Wink Doerzbacher won the 2013 Captain of the Year and the Florida Division Award in 2014. He celebrated in style with a reception at the Sailfish Point Clubhouse in Stuart, Florida. Captain John Dudas’ 2009 celebration was a catered affair at the legendary Miami Beach Rod and Gun Club.
When Captain Ronnie Fields won it in 2010, the party was an epic affair hosted by Big Oh owner Gray Ingram at his home. The reception for Captain Victor Julio Lopez included a friends and family affair on the cockpit of the Tranquilo after day 1 of a Los Sueños tournament and a formal presentation at the tournament’s award ceremony. Captain Russell Sinclair’s reception was held at the Ocean Club Marina in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Some parties include pig roasts with guest chefs—like Captain Travis Butters (master of the pig roast), and some are a bit more low key. Compare this the bright lights and cocktail hours of some captains with the approach of back-to-back Hawaii Division Captain of the Year Kerwin Masunaga. Captain Kerwin prefers to live bait during tournaments and keep his head down. He lets his fishing do the talking for him. And all of the diversity of approach is part of what makes the Cup so interesting.
Glenn Cameron and mate.
The Cup consists of 90-sanctioned events. The largest division by number is the IGY International Division with 23-tournaments. The Hawaii Division consists of 11. Sanctioned events are billfish tournaments that contain a minimum of 12-boats. While the award is meant to recognize the achievement of captains, the setup of the structure benefits a wide variety of those with an interest in sportfishing. Tournaments are chief among them.
Randy Bright is the Tournament Director of the Houston Big Game Club’s Lone Star Shootout.
“We’ve been part of it since it started. I think it’s a great program. Captains love to compete and to compare themselves with other guys that they’re fishing with,” says the industry veteran. “It’s a great benefit to the professional tournament captains. Anything we can do to create a tie between tournament and tournament is a good thing. Captains really like the idea of being part of it. It also helps the tournament because it encourages captains to encourage their owners to fish multiple events.”
Pig Roast.
Amy Dukes is the Tournament Director for the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series and the five events that comprise the series—this year marks the 50 th anniversary of the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament— are pivotal to the East Coast Division race.
“It’s an honor to have captains that fish the South Carolina Governor’s Cup to be included in such a prestigious award,” says Duke. “The last couple of years we’ve had a great representation in the Captain of the Year standings. Captain Harvey Shiflet, the 2016 East Coast Captain of the Year, won two of our events last year. Before that, Captain Gary Richardson on the Reel Passion, turned success in the Governor’s Cup into a Captain of the Year Award in 2015. Captain Bobby Garmany on the Sportin’ Life placed well, too.”
Rob Moore party.
InTheBite.com is the source for current standings and the latest cup news. In the fourth year of its divisional format, the InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup, presented by Hatteras, is coming into its own. As the races heat up, the phone lines at the office ring with anticipation. “Who is winning?” “How am I doing?” “Do I need to fish any more events to keep my lead safe?” This is what makes tournament fishing fun and we’re honored to be able to recognize those who consistently produce.
By Captain Kevin Deerman
For a number of years now, many Texas boat buyers have avoided bringing their boats to their home state after purchasing them. What could prompt Texan boat owners to register their boats in other states? The answer: high boat sales tax rates here in our state.
In recent years, many other coastal states have reduced or eliminated their tax rates and found substantial increases in boat sales and registrations. These tax savings make it much more appealing for Texan boat buyers to purchase their boats out of state. Were the sales tax paid at purchase not bad enough, there is an additional factor at play in keeping boats out of Texas. In order to register a boat in Texas (something that is necessary if you plan to keep a boat in Texas waters for an extended period of time), you must pay sales tax in Texas – even if you have already paid tax on the purchase of a vessel out of state.
The TMC is committed to re-establishing Texas amongst the other leading coastal states in boat sales and generally promoting growth in the marine industry
What is the effect of this double taxation? Some sportfish vessel owners who would normally have kept the boat in Texas for most of the year, and traveled only a few months a year, now do the opposite. Rather some owners instead keep their boat in other states for most of the year, only returning to Texas to fish the tournaments. The effect of this displacement hurts the thousands of Texans who make their living in the marine service industries. This includes sportfishing crews, yacht brokers, mechanics, financial services, insurance agents, marinas, fuel docks, boatyards, marine supply stores and many others.
To address this and other concerns, a group of marine industry professionals in Texas have joined together to form the Texas Marine Industry Coalition (TMIC). The TMIC was created primarily to address this issue head on. The group also provides a voice for Texas marine businesses, employees, venders, customers, and all men and women that make their living in the marine industry. The TMIC is committed to re-establishing Texas amongst the other leading coastal states in boat sales and generally promoting growth in the marine industry.
The TMIC is now working with lobbyists to pass pro-sportfishing legislation in the next legislative session. Primary goals of this legislative agenda are bringing our tax rate down, establishing a boat sales tax cap similar to those in Florida and other coastal states and reducing restrictions on out of state boats to make it more attractive for them to bring their boats to Texas. The net result of this legislation would be marine industry job creation and spurring more economic activity for the benefit of coastal communities and the many businesses that benefit from bluewater sportfishing. Hopefully, with the support of the people in our industry, we can look forward to getting more boats back into Texas waters. For more information on the Texas Marine Industry Coalition visit the website at tmicoalition.org.
– That’s the report from Texas!
Photo courtesy Tim Rahn Photography
The 56th Annual Islamorada Sailfish Tournament kicked off at Whale Harbor hosting 80 anglers, plus friends and family with a grand buffet. Great Sailfish action started on Friday morning and continued over the next three days concluding on December 8th. Captain KC Spaulding of the Caribsea led anglers Kenny Spaulding, Sam Milazzo, Phillip Bryan and Lee Gahagen all from Islamorada, FL to the winner’s circle with a total of 19 sailfish releases. The team took home beautiful sailfish sculptures sponsored by Caribee Boat Sales and Yamaha Outboards. 141 Sailfish were released out of the 154 called in hook ups with nearly $55,000.00 going to the winners.
Anglers were greeted with great conditions on the first day of fishing and it did not take long for Caribsea to call in a hook up. Sam Milazzo would release the team’s first sailfish at 9:16. At the end of the day the Caribsea would be in the lead with 10 releases followed by the Kelly Dawn with 7 and the Contagious with 6.
Day two would start out early for Caribsea as captain KC called in a hook up at 8:38AM. 30 minutes later, angler Kenny Spaulding would release the sail. Meanwhile team Remix would capture a triple header of sails and the Contagious would release a fish. At the end of two days of fishing the Caribsea would hold on to the lead with 16 fish, followed by the Contagious with 13 and Remix with 9.
Photo courtesy Tim Rahn Photography
The final day of fishing saw a lot of action. Captain Brian Cone aboard his charter boat Contagious along with anglers Mark Mitchell and Kenneth Padgett both from Charleston, NC, Travis Bennett and Andy Cone from Tavernier, FL and tournament photographer Tim Rahn from Islamorada would put the pressure on the Caribsea. In the end the Caribsea would take home the top honors with their 19 releases. Caribsea angler Sam Milazzo would release 8 of those fish winning the Bill Hirni highpoint angler award as well as an amazing sailfish sculpture sponsored by Tackle Center of Islamorada, Contagious would take second spot with 16 releases and take home beautiful sailfish trophies also sponsored by Tackle Center of Islamorada. Angler Andy Cone would take second place in the junior division with one release.
Photo courtesy Tim Rahn Photography
Anglers Brian Devries, Kyle Diaz and Mike Marz all from Grand Rapids, MI along with mate/anglers Dan Flynn, Travis Butters and Brandon Hopper all from the Upper Keys would pick at sails each day beating both the Remix and Relentless on time with 12 fish. The Challenger was awarded beautiful third place trophies. They also won most tagged sailfish awards by tagging 10 of the 12 fish released
Junior angler Danny Maduro form Miami, FL fishing with Captain Ryan Cano would take home the Top Junior Angler award with 2 sailfish releases. Top Lady Angler, Debbie David of Miami, released a total of 6 sailfish on the Relentless with Captain Paul Ross. Both anglers took home amazing sailfish trophies sponsored by Mangrove Mike’s Café.
Photo courtesy Tim Rahn Photography
In true Islamorada style, the sailfish weren’t the only fish biting on this beautiful weekend. Angler Kenny Spaulding on the Caribsea would land a 29 pound African Pompano caught on a kite bait to win Whale Harbor’s sponsored Most Outstanding Catch award. The Largest Tuna was caught by Kirk Sentz of Tavernier, FL fishing aboard the Two Reel weighing in at 19.8 pounds. The largest Mackerel award went to angler Sam Chastain from Indianapolis, IN with a 7.4 pound kingfish. Kelly Dawn’s Patrick Nutt caught the largest dolphin weighing in at 11.6 pounds.
The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the first leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship. The Caribsea is currently in the lead with 19 fish. Second place in the Gold Cup is the Contagious with 16 releases and third is the Challenger with 12 releases. The next leg of the series is at the Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament January 25th thru the 26th and the champions will be crowned at the Islamorada Fishing Club’s Captain Cup Sailfish Tournament on January 30th 2020.
“Whale Harbor served up another great event,” stated tournament director Dianne Harbaugh. The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the primary fund raiser for the Islamorada Charter Boat Association. The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament will continue the fight to preserve and protect the fabulous fishing in the Florida Keys. More information on the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament can be found on the web site www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com
Enjoy an InTheBite exclusive look into the World Class Cotton Mesa Trophy Whitetail Ranch in Corsicana, Texas.
A family run business for the past 33 years, owners Robert and Stephen Gegenheimer, have produced some of the top whitetail and exotics in the State of Texas. The ranch includes an 8000 square foot lodge that features six bedrooms all with private baths, cable TV and internet.
“If you like hunting and being treated like family, then Cotton Mesa Ranch needs to be on your list. Robert, his son Stephen, and the entire ranch staff are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. They go above and beyond to make sure your experience at Cotton Mesa is one you’ll never forget.”— InTheBite Publisher Dale Wills.
The 46th White Marlin Open can be considered the most successful tournament yet for a number of reasons: 404 boats fishing for a World Record $6,186,870 in prize money is a good start. The red hot billfishing set a tournament record for the number of billfish caught and released. The prize money paid included two anglers that each won over $1,500,000, a blue marlin won $962,165, a tuna that took $935,915, a dolphin that won $74,900, and a shark that won $231,300.
As impressive as the payouts were, equally remarkable was the huge number of marlin caught & released. By definition nobody saw them at the scales, but the release flags flew all week. The tournament record was 1,358 whites caught in 2016 but the anglers toped that by over 100 fish. The final count was 1,459 whites caught with 1,429 released with the top release boat, “Big Deal” out of Brielle, NJ breaking a 39-year-old record for most billfish releases by boat. The previous record was 26 white taken by the “Escapade” in 1980. In addition to the white marlin, the boats took 47 blue marlin with 46 released, and 13 sailfish were released as were the 2 spearfish caught. The total number of all billfish caught in the 46th Open was a staggering 1,521.
In the money divisions, basically, the big fish in most categories on Thursday held their spots after the last day of fishing. Ocean City, Maryland native Tommy Hinkle weighed a 79.5-pound white marlin on Thursday while fishing aboard the “Fish Whistle out of Indian River DE. The fish took 1st place and netted Tommy $1,504,720. Hinkle had also won the top white marlin in 2008 making Tommy the first angler in tournament history to win the top white marlin twice! The “Backlash” out of VA Beach, VA kept their $1,502,450 for the 73.5-pound white caught on Monday by angler Michael Wagner from La Plata, MD. “Chasing Tails” with angler Nate Walker, both from VA Beach, VA caught their 74-pound white on Monday and earned $135,000 (they were entered in fewer added entry levels than Backlash).
The 465.5-pound blue marlin caught on Tuesday by Craig Dickerson from Pasadena, MD aboard the “Haulin N Ballin” out of Ocean City, MD was the only qualifier in that division and Dickerson won $962,165 for his blue.
The “Crisdel” out of Ocean City, MD weighed in a 201-pound bigeye caught by Russell Garufi from Bishopville, MD on Monday and stayed in first the whole week to kept $935,915. The
“Seakeeper” from Wilmington, DE weighed a 150.5-pound Allison tuna on Friday. The angler was Andrew Semprevivo from Mystic Island, NJ who took 2nd place and won $135,432 for his efforts. Ocean City native Ronnie Fields weighed a 145.5-pound tuna off the “Mjolnir” out of Bay Point, FL on Tuesday and held on to win $128,675.
The 277.5-pound mako shark caught Monday by Greg Robinson aboard the “Polarizer” out of OC, MD was the only shark weighed and held onto $231,300 won from the “Big Fish” pool.
The “Give It Away” out of Jupiter FL took over 1st place in the wahoo division with a monster 91-pound fish caught by Anne Aramandia from New Braufels, TX who won $24,475. Other winners in the wahoo division were the “The Natural,” who won $23,475, “Keepin It Reel” who won $20,475 and the “Nighthawk” out of Brielle, NJ with angler Jay Monteverdi, also from Brielle who won $20,475.
The big winner in the dolphin division was the “Miss-Tress” out of Brielle, NJ with Randy Drozd also from Brielle. The “Miss-Tress” was in the small boat dolphin division and the 38-pound dolphin weighed on Friday won $74,900. The 1st place 41-pounder taken off the “Playmate” out of OC, MD won $20,380 while the 2nd place dolphin was caught off the Stewart, FL boat
“Irene”. Angler Frank Sinito form Jupiter, FL won just $3,000 as the boat was not entered in extra added skill levels.
In the Small Boat Division, it was Tommy Hinkle with the top white which helped his winnings grow to $1,504,720. The heavy fish was taken by the “Reeldiculous” angler Graham Ward who caught a 121-pound yellowfin good for $108,000.
Top Release Anglers
White Marlin Open Grand Champion
Ed Russo from Carlstadt, NJ
Fishing on “Big Deal” out of Brielle, NJ
1,190 points, 17 white marlin released
2nd Place Angler
Robert Wedeking from Princeton, NJ
Fishing on “Override” out of Brielle, NJ
910 points, 13 white marlin released
3rd Place Angler
Victor Roof, Jr.
Fishing on “Game On” out of Charleston, SC
875 points, 10 white marlin and 1 blue marlin released
4th Place Angler
Nicholas Rodriguez from Dover, DE
Fishing on “Par Five” out of Dover, DE
735 points, 8 white marlin and 1 blue marlin released
5th Place Angler
Dante Rodriguez from Egg Harbor, NJ
Fishing on “MJs” out of Cape May, NJ
735 points, 8 white marlin and 1 blue marlin released
Top Release Boats
1st Place Boat
“Big Deal” out of Brielle, NJ
1,960 points, 27 white marlin released*
$84,150
2nd Place Boat
“Uno Mas” out of Ocean City, MD
1,785 points, 23 white marlin and 1 blue marlin released
$31,860
3rd Place Boat
“Tar Heel” out of Wanchese, NC
1,750 points, 25 white marlin released
$28,800
* Broke a 39-year-old Tournament Record for most release points by a boat. The previous record was 1,949 billfish pts. by the “Escapade “ in 1980 which consisted of 24 white marlin released and 2 boated. The “Big Deal” out of Brielle, NJ caught and released 27 white marlin to earn the WMO top release boat ever.
Delivered to South Florida, the FULL TIME is the latest offering from Paul Mann. When tested for it’s final performance numbers the boat (with tower attached and with 16 crew aboard) went 45 kt (52 MPH) WOT. Even at 1250 RPMs tests showed over 18 kt. She’s equipped with state-of-the-art 16-cylinder Tier 3 MTU Series 2000 M96 engines. These brawny built for long-distance power plants not only generate up to 2600 HP per engine, but also have a power-to-weight ratio that contributes to fuel efficiency.
FULL TIME’s fit and finish matches her performance numbers. This four-stateroom luxury sportfish yacht features three full heads plus a day head, galley and salon with custom teak joinery, including select areas of solid teak flooring. As you move throughout the spacious layout from the living quarters to the master suite and each stateroom, luxury and conveniences are abundant. The exterior teak package consists of a solid teak transom, drip molding, toe-rail, cockpit deck, back bulkhead, and mezzanine. In addition, the fly-bridge has all the richness of wraparound seating with teak caps, rod storage, (2) built-in custom freezers and the comforts of a/c, along with a custom teak Palm Beach-style helm pod.
Good luck to all the participants! Check back to InTheBite for updates or follow Reel Time Apps Live Leaderboard Here
Live radio feed at Pirates Cove BillFish Tournament
DAY 2 –
70 out of 71 boats laying today. Check back later for more..
DAY 1 Standings:
