Categorized | Featured, Fishing, Sports

HIBT 2011 Day 5: Port Vila Game Fishing Club of Vanuatu wins

Port Vila Game Fishing Club of Vanuatu (Photo courtesy of HIBT)

Special to Hawaii 24/7

“Stop fishing, stop fishing, stop fishing,” rang out at exactly 4:30 p.m. for the final time this week, and with those iconic words the 52nd Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament came to a close.

The fifth and final day of this prestigious tournament generated plenty of fishing action, keeping judges and scorekeepers alert as 28 teams battled for points.

“Every year, the Big Island of Hawaii extends such warmth and aloha to the anglers and their families. HIBT thanks this community for 52 years of aloha,” tournament founder Peter Fithian said. “All 28 teams putting points on the scoreboard really emphasized Kona’s internationally acclaimed reputation for great sportfishing. 2011 proved to be another fantastic year at HIBT.”

Port Vila Game Fishing Club of Vanuatu prevailed and took the HIBT Governor’s Trophy and first place. Although this HIBT rookie team did not score Friday, their lead going into Day 5 was strong enough to hold off several other teams high on the scoreboard.

Port Vila Game Fishing Club of Vanuatu finished this five-day Tournament with an even 2,000 points.

“We were following radio reports all day and keeping track of how other teams were doing,” a very happy team of anglers said. “We are thrilled to be in Kona and to compete at HIBT for the first time. We’ll be back next year. In fact, our wives are already making plans.”

New Zealand’s Bay of Islands Swordfish Club #2 claimed second place with 1,570 points. Though the team did not score Friday, they were awarded 100 bonus points for catching the largest Pacific blue marlin of the tournament.

A third team from the southern Pacific rounds the top three at the 52nd Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament.

Game Fishing Club of South Australia moved into third place with 1,219 points after angler and team captain Rolf Czabayski satellite tagged and released an estimated 150-pound Pacific blue marlin on 50-pound test line in just 15 minutes.

This satellite tag is now part of the Great Marlin Race, a collaboration between HIBT billfish anglers and Stanford University marine biologists to track the movement of marlin across the ocean.

Marlin Parker wins top captain

Marlin Parker, captain of the 54-foot Marlin Magic II, reeled in the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament’s coveted Henry Chee Award.

The Henry Chee Award was established in 1965 by the Tournament Board of Governors recognize the charter boat captain with the highest number of billfish points scored on his boat during the five days of tournament fishing.

Captain Chee was a pioneering captain and throughout his lifetime set an unprecedented number of game fish catch records that helped make his favorite fishing grounds, the Kona Coast, world famous.

This is Parker’s third Henry Chee Award.

Parker grew up fishing in the world-famous waters off the Kona coast. His father, Captain George Parker, is credited for his visionary commitment to building Kona’s sportfishing fame and was inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame in 2007.

Great fishing was Marlin Parker’s destiny. Parker grew up with the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament and has been one of its strongest supporters. He is a seven-time recipient of HIBT’s prestigious Richard Boone Award and now a three-time winner of the Henry Chee Award.

Next year’s 53rd Annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament is scheduled for Aug. 12-18, including five days of tournament fishing Aug. 13-17.

Anglers and teams are invited to apply early as full tournament participation is anticipated.

DAILY CATCH (FRIDAY)
10 Pacific blue marlin tagged & released
3 Shortbill spearfish tagged & released

HIBT CUMULATIVE WEEK TOTAL
54 Pacific blue marlin tagged & released
5 Pacific blue marlin weighed
1 Striped marlin tagged & released
18 Shortbill spearfish tagged & released
3 Ahi boated
81 TOTAL

TOP TEAM STANDINGS
1. Port Vila Game Fishing Club – 2,000
2. Bay of Islands Swordfish Club #2 – 1,570
3. Game Fishing Club of South Australia – 1,219

TOP CAPTAIN STANDINGS
Marlin Parker, Marlin Magic II – 1,920
Tim Hicks, Last Chance – 1,851
Rob Ellyn, Lightspeed – 1,600

— Find out more:
www.hibtfishing.com

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