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Where the Big Boys Play!
The IGFA World Offshore Championship is now considered the “Olympics “ off the
offshore world. 503 marlin and 14 sails were released during this years four day
event! 70 some teams participated from around the world. To put that in perspective,
The Hawaiian International Bill fish tournament, once boasted this same title. It was
typical for around 100 Bill fish to be released during any one year. With only 20 teams
participating.
The IGFA has in a few short years earned this designation. Some 80 teams are
slated to fish the tournament in 2011. Just a few of the countries they will be coming
from follows. Some I had no idea where they were until I looked them up! Kingdom of
Tonga, Australia, Malaysia, Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Angola, Jamaica, St Lucia,
Guatemala, Aruba, Honduras, Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand, Spain, Balearic Islands,
Portugal, Canary Islands,
There is truly going to be an international meeting of fishermen in Mexico next May!
I am truly humbled each day as I find out more and more about this event my team
and I have been invited to. This is truly the land of the “Big Boys”: It has been
suggested that my team needs to watch out for the Big Boys when we go to Cabo for
the IGFA Tournament! “They will eat you up,” were some of the following comments.
I don’t think these comments were directed at the right teams. Our team has beaten
the best of the best here in the Northwest. We beat teams with better and bigger
boats! We beat teams with more knowledge. We beat them soundly! We did not just
scratch by. We put forth the effort that many of the teams were unwilling to do. We
will be doing the same in Cabo.
Sure we have a big learning curve to get to where we need to be. Sight fishing for
marlin\ takes casting expertise that we do not need here most of the time. We will
learn it and excel at it. Most of the time, overhand granny knots are adequate for us
here. Not in Cabo! An overhand Granny could get your fish disqualified. You have
certain ways the knots need to be tied. Double leaders, leader length and so forth
mean nothing to us. We will learn though. And we will excel at it. We will concur it!
We have that knowledge available here in the Northwest. All my salty brothers,
whether it be ifish or bloody decks, can expect calls to share that knowledge with my
team and with others here. We can all learn something while this is going on. We can
all become better.
The IGFA tournament is set up to level the playing field. The rules and the boat draw
insure that. With the support from all of you, and the hard work of my team, we will
make you all proud to have us representing you. And you can be sure that when the
flare goes up, you will not see us sitting on the beach! Because you can not win if you
are not playing! And we want to win. We have the desire and drive to get there and
give it our best shot. Yes the “Big Boys” are coming to town and they are us!
The IGFA World Offshore Championship is now considered the “Olympics “ off the
offshore world. 503 marlin and 14 sails were released during this years four day
event! 70 some teams participated from around the world. To put that in perspective,
The Hawaiian International Bill fish tournament, once boasted this same title. It was
typical for around 100 Bill fish to be released during any one year. With only 20 teams
participating.
The IGFA has in a few short years earned this designation. Some 80 teams are
slated to fish the tournament in 2011. Just a few of the countries they will be coming
from follows. Some I had no idea where they were until I looked them up! Kingdom of
Tonga, Australia, Malaysia, Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Angola, Jamaica, St Lucia,
Guatemala, Aruba, Honduras, Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand, Spain, Balearic Islands,
Portugal, Canary Islands,
There is truly going to be an international meeting of fishermen in Mexico next May!
I am truly humbled each day as I find out more and more about this event my team
and I have been invited to. This is truly the land of the “Big Boys”: It has been
suggested that my team needs to watch out for the Big Boys when we go to Cabo for
the IGFA Tournament! “They will eat you up,” were some of the following comments.
I don’t think these comments were directed at the right teams. Our team has beaten
the best of the best here in the Northwest. We beat teams with better and bigger
boats! We beat teams with more knowledge. We beat them soundly! We did not just
scratch by. We put forth the effort that many of the teams were unwilling to do. We
will be doing the same in Cabo.
Sure we have a big learning curve to get to where we need to be. Sight fishing for
marlin\ takes casting expertise that we do not need here most of the time. We will
learn it and excel at it. Most of the time, overhand granny knots are adequate for us
here. Not in Cabo! An overhand Granny could get your fish disqualified. You have
certain ways the knots need to be tied. Double leaders, leader length and so forth
mean nothing to us. We will learn though. And we will excel at it. We will concur it!
We have that knowledge available here in the Northwest. All my salty brothers,
whether it be ifish or bloody decks, can expect calls to share that knowledge with my
team and with others here. We can all learn something while this is going on. We can
all become better.
The IGFA tournament is set up to level the playing field. The rules and the boat draw
insure that. With the support from all of you, and the hard work of my team, we will
make you all proud to have us representing you. And you can be sure that when the
flare goes up, you will not see us sitting on the beach! Because you can not win if you
are not playing! And we want to win. We have the desire and drive to get there and
give it our best shot. Yes the “Big Boys” are coming to town and they are us!
The Big Boys