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Billfishing in The Bahamas
By : Wyatt Myers
For fishermen in the Caribbean, there are fish… and then there’s the blue marlin. “Unlike many other billfish, the blue marlin can grow to over 1,000 pounds,” says Al Behrendt, tournament director of the Bahamas Billfish Championship (BBC) for the past 28 years. “In fact, the current Bahamas record for blue marlin is 1,060.5 pounds, caught during the 1979 BBC tournament in Bimini by Miami native Sam Jennings.”
Perhaps that’s why every April through June for the past 30 years, anglers have journeyed to The Bahamas for a shot at breaking Sam Jennings’ record—or at least putting in a good fight against their own blue marlin.
Eleuthera and The Abacos
The Bahamas Billfish Championship has five unique venues: The islands of the Abacos host three of the five tournaments—Central Abaco Championship (April 21–24), Boat Harbour Championship (June 9–12) and Treasure Cay Championship (June 23–26). The island of Eleuthera hosts the other two tournaments—Cape Eleuthera Championship (May 5–8) and Harbour Island Championship (May 19–22).
Aside from being beautiful, Eleuthera and the islands of The Abacos are both prized billfishing spots. “The waters east of The Abacos have produced some of the largest blue marlin caught in The Bahamas—1,030 pounds, 920 pounds and 909 pounds,” says Behrendt. “While the island of Eleuthera has not produced any record blue marlin, the billfish activity has been fast and furious at both Cape Eleuthera and Harbour Island.”
For fishermen in the Caribbean, there are fish… and then there’s the blue marlin. “Unlike many other billfish, the blue marlin can grow to over 1,000 pounds,” says Al Behrendt, tournament director of the Bahamas Billfish Championship (BBC) for the past 28 years. “In fact, the current Bahamas record for blue marlin is 1,060.5 pounds, caught during the 1979 BBC tournament in Bimini by Miami native Sam Jennings.”
Perhaps that’s why every April through June for the past 30 years, anglers have journeyed to The Bahamas for a shot at breaking Sam Jennings’ record—or at least putting in a good fight against their own blue marlin.
Eleuthera and The Abacos
The Bahamas Billfish Championship has five unique venues: The islands of the Abacos host three of the five tournaments—Central Abaco Championship (April 21–24), Boat Harbour Championship (June 9–12) and Treasure Cay Championship (June 23–26). The island of Eleuthera hosts the other two tournaments—Cape Eleuthera Championship (May 5–8) and Harbour Island Championship (May 19–22).
Aside from being beautiful, Eleuthera and the islands of The Abacos are both prized billfishing spots. “The waters east of The Abacos have produced some of the largest blue marlin caught in The Bahamas—1,030 pounds, 920 pounds and 909 pounds,” says Behrendt. “While the island of Eleuthera has not produced any record blue marlin, the billfish activity has been fast and furious at both Cape Eleuthera and Harbour Island.”
Having five distinct venues lets the tournament organizers accommodate everyone who wants to participate—almost. “We currently have a cap of 50 teams (boats) at each tournament,” says Behrendt. “Resort and marina accommodations, such as slips and banquet facilities, play a big factor in limiting tournament size. The typical team has four anglers; however, there [are] also a captain and two mates aboard each boat competing.”
Up for the Challenge?
Even if you’re just a casual fisherman, Behrendt says you might want to consider the Bahamas Billfish Championship as a fun challenge to take on with your friends. “Top-rate sportfishing boats are available for charter for a single tournament or for the series, so it is not necessary to own your own boat,” he says. “Many of the participant teams are composed of friends that work well together as a fishing team.”
bahamasbillfish.com
How To Get There: American Eagle provides service to Eleuthera and to The Abacos.
Book your trip today! Visit www.aa.com, call American/American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or call your travel agent for more information.
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