Up Front
Capt. Dave Scott Heads Cayman'sTop Fishing Event
Capt. Dave Scott
It's still wahoo season, but the CaymanIslands Angling Club (CIAC) is busy planning the Fourth AnnualCayman Islands International Fishing Tournament (CIIFT) set for28 April -6 May, 2001.
This year, Captain Dave Scott will chair Cayman's top fishingtournament, taking over from Mr.
Horace DuQuesnay. CIAC expressed its gratitude to Mr. DuQuesnay,CIIFT's first Chairman, for his dedication and hard work organizingand launching the tournament in 1998 and for serving as both tournamentchairman and CIAC President for the past three years. The tournamenthas become Cayman's top annual sportfishing event.
Captain Scott, a veteran angler and long-time CIAC member andwas Chairman of the Cayman Airline Pilots Association (CAPA) tournamentfor the past three years.
Next month, Captain Scott and fellow CIAC members as well as MissCayman 2001 Ms. Jackie Bush, will team up with the Cayman IslandsDepartment of Tourism at the Miami International Boat Show topromote the CIIFT tournament-- and Cayman as a top year-roundsportfishing destination.
They will meet sportsmen from all over the world: this year'sshow takes place Feb. 15-20 at the Miami Beach Convention Centerand Miamarina at Bayside and the expected attendance is over 150,000international visitors. The Club will share the C.I. Departmentof Tourism's display, located by the Shuttle Bus Exit -- one ofthe busiest sections of the main outdoor exhibit area.
Cayman's top sportfishing event is organized and hosted by CIACand offers exciting cash and merchandise prizes and the kind ofcamaraderie missing from many other big money tournaments.
Once again, four guaranteed cash prizes totaling US$400,000 awaitthe first angler with the heaviest fish breaking existing CaymanIslands All Tackle records. These include US$250,000 to the anglerwith the heaviest fish breaking the existing All Tackle recordfor Blue Marlin (584 lbs.) In addition, prizes of US$50,000 eachawait angler with the heaviest fish breaking each of the existingall tackle Cayman records for Yellowfin Tuna (189 lbs. 4 oz.);Wahoo (105 lbs. 10 oz.; and Dolphin (58 lbs. 8oz. -set in 1998!).
That's not all. CIIFT also offers a special US$5000 cash prizeand other awards for the Heaviest Fish Caught by an Overseas Angler.
In addition, more than US$50,000 in attractive marine art andsportfishing merchandise will be awarded for top anglers in othercategories, such as CIAC member-anglers; lady and junior anglers;boat captains; anglers with most blue marlin releases, heaviesteligible fish caught each day-- and more.
The 4th Annual CIIFT combines eight fishing days with a mid-weekrest day. The overall program will again include three individualtournaments with separate registration fees and prizes. The 2001line-up features the April 28 CICO Bimini Start; 20th Annual CaymanAirline Pilots Association Tournament (April 28- May 1) and 8thAnnual Texaco Bluewater Sportfishing Challenge (May 3- May 6).All events follow IGFA rules and carry minimum weights for alleligible species including 300 lbs. for blue marlin; 30 lbs. foryellowfin tuna and 15 lbs. for wahoo and dolphin.
The entry fee for CIIFT is only US$500 per angler and registrationfor all tournaments takes place on Thursday, April 26, 2001 atthe Cayman Islands Yacht Club from 6-9 p.m. No additional registrationfees will be charged for participating boats. Free dock spaceat the Cayman Islands Yacht Club will be provided for all registeredtournament boats on a first come, space available basis. All boatsmust pay for their own water and electric bills.
What kind of fun can you expect? Last year's second annual CIIFTdrew 62 boats and 89 registered anglers from Cayman, Jamaica,Canada, the USA and UK, including 8 lady anglers and 3 juniors.They caught 21 yellowfin tuna, 20 wahoo and 67 dolphin. No CaymanIslands All Tackle Records were broken and no qualifying bluemarlin over 300 lbs. were caught, but anglers released a totalof 58 blue marlin-- more than in either of the previous CIIFTtournaments. Mama's Money from Grand Cayman was top boat with6 blue marlin releases under Captain Dr. Larry Tharp.
Charles Ebanks' 97 lb. 10 oz. yellowfin tuna was the heaviesteligible fish of CIIFT 2000. It was also the heaviest yellowfinsince CIIFT began and the heaviest yellowfin in any Cayman tournamentin over 10 years. Newark, Ohio angler Chuck Spurgeon's 67 lb.6 oz. yellowfin tuna won the US$5000 prize for Heaviest Fish bycaught by an Overseas (non resident) Angler, sponsored by theC.I. Ministry of Tourism.