Following on the heels of the Penn Zane Grey Invitational, The Crow’s Nest Avalon Billfish Classic and Crow’s Nest Catalina Classic took place September 20-22 out of Avalon, Catalina Island. Due to the short calendar in September with a late Labor Day, the decision was made to conduct both of these events concurrently, and the results were quite successful. Teams that had followed the live tournament control broadcast of the Zane Grey on Catalinaclassic.com were encouraged by the great fishing to enter, and many teams showed up at check in to register.
The Crow’s Nest Avalon Billfish Classic is a 100% release tournament, and this year the emphasis was on prizes and awards, with 4 mega raffle drawings for all competitors worth $5,000 each, combined with a very affordable entry fee helped draw teams into the event. The result was an increase in participation from 14 teams in 2008 to 38 teams in 2009. The Crow’s Nest Catalina Classic, which is a big fish money tournament, also saw a slight increase in participants, with 48 teams entered into the event. Overall, there were 51 boats fishing, as 35 teams competed in both events.
At the Viking Yachts check in party at Descanso Beach Club in Avalon teams gathered in the lawn area where they competed in a variety of contests including the Berkley knot tying contest, the Penn Reels casting contest, the Pompanette fight the fish contest, and a golf chipping contest. Teams received their Captains bags loaded with tournament shirts, hats and a variety of other items from sponsors such as Owner Hooks, Sea Vision, and Fisherman’s landing Tackle Shop, and more. When all was said and done, the reams would be competing for over $250,000 in cash prizes, plus over $50,000 in prizes and awards from the sponsors.
As roll call was finished and the teams lined up, 51 boats roared out of Avalon for the traditional Shot Gun Start at 7 a.m. Just 16 minutes later, Jeff Wood fishing aboard the 3900 Tiara Convertible Surly Mermaid hooked the first marlin of the tourney, which was quickly released as the first marlin of the event, and winning a pair of Kaenon Polarized sunglasses. The morning saw a flurry of activity in the G-3 grid, which was just down the ridge off the east end of Catalina. By 10:00 there had been 9 hook ups reported, with 5 releases, 2 lost fish and 2 boated fish. 1 Hot Tuna was first to the scales, with a 192 marlin to set the bar pretty high for the teams. Next to the scales was Ruckus, and their fish weighed 172 pounds.
Between 10:00 a.m. and noon, there were 17 more hook ups reported, starting with a double on Reel Nice and Easy at 10:05. 4 were lost, 9 were released, and 3 more were boated. Surly Mermaid brought in a 169 pounder, followed by Sharks Parlour with a fish that weighed 154 pounds but met the minimum length of 84 inches. They would have released the fish, but it came to the boat in poor conditions so they decided to boat the fish rather than release a fish that would not have survived. As Reel Nice and Easy backed into the scales in Avalon, it was apparent their fish was a good one. It was high five’s all around when the fish weighed in at 212.5 pounds and the lead for the team, which was entered across the board.
The action continued throughout the day, and 19 more hook ups were reported before lines out, with Lucky L calling the last hookup of the day just 20 seconds before lines out. Two other boats hooked up just seconds after lines out, and those fish were not counted for the event. Of the 19 hook ups, 2 were lost, 13 were released, and 4 were boated. Coming to the scales were Scrambler with a 172.5, Vertigo with a 176.5, End of the Line with a 160, and Tonnage with a 202. Tonnage, skippered by Todd Phillips and crew including Allen Watson and David Dodge, all renowned White Sea Bass captains, found themselves coming to the pier without a marlin flag, but they said they had a sea bass one if we wanted them to fly it.
When the dust had settled after day 1, 24 boats had scored a catch, with 29 releases and 9 boated fish. The Catalina Classic standings were Reel Nice and Easy in first with 212.5 and sweeping the day 1 jackpots, followed by Tonnage with a 202, 1 Hot Tuna in 3rd with a 192, and Vertigo in fourth with a 176.5 pound marlin.
The Avalon Billfish Classic Had the Bandit aboard the 60 Viking BCE in first with 3 releases and sweeping the day 1 jackpots, followed by Good Karma with 3 releases, and Reel Time III then Chaser aboard the 54 Viking BCE each with 2 releases.
Things were very tight and day 2 promised to be thrilling from start to finish.
Just 8 minutes after 6:30 start, Lucky L, who hooked a fish in the last 20 seconds of Day 1, continued their hot streak by hooking a sleeper that earned them a custom marlin caster from Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop. By 10:00 there had been 12 fish hooked, with 4 lost, 7 released, and 1 boated by Chaser. There were another dozen hook ups before noon, with 4 lost, 6 released, and 2 boated. Team Exta Sea came to the scales (aboard substitute boat Eggs-cessive because Exta Sea had broken down Monday) with a 155 pound fish. Then 1 Hot Tuna came in with another big fish. This one wound up going 193.5 pounds, 1 ½ pounds bigger than their previous days fish. Chaser was still out fishing and would not come to the scales until after lines out. The last 3 hours saw another 14 hook ups, with 4 fish lost, 8 released, and one boated by Bandit, which they fought for over 3 hours before landing the fish. On the release side, C Bandit scored three for the day, earning them the $500 and $1,000 daily Jackpots. Chaser had 2, and they earned the $250 and $2,000 daily jackpots in the Avalon Billfish Classic.
For the Catalina Classic side of the event, both Chaser and Bandit were coming to the scales. Both teams were entered across the board, and over $75,000 in daily jackpot money was at stake. First to the scales was Chaser, and their fish came in at 169 pounds and put them in the lead for the daily jackpots. Last to the scales was Bandit, and when their fish topped the scales at 196 pounds, they earned a third place finish and a sweep of the day 2 jackpots for the Catalina Classic.
It was a busy night at the Casino Ballroom for the awards ceremony. For the Crow’s Nest Avalon Billfish Classic, First place went to team Good Karma with 5 releases. Second Place went to team Chaser, also with 5 releases. Chaser also won the day 2 $250 and $2,000 daily jackpots worth $11,050. Third place went to team Bandit, with 3 releases and a sweep of the day 1 daily jackpots worth $22,575. C Bandit cashed in on the day 2 $500 and $1,000 daily jackpots worth $11,475. For the Catalina Classic, First place went to Reel Nice and Easy with their 212.5 marlin. Including their sweep of the day 1 jackpots, they collected a check for $114,050. Second place went to the Tonnage and they earned $16,320. Third place went to Bandit, and they earned $83,330 including a sweep of the day 2 jackpots. Fourth place went to 1 Hot Tuna and they earned a free entry into the 2010 Catalina Classic.
Winning the mega raffle drawings were Hunter Heatly from Cazador winning the underwater camera from Sea Vision, Team Uh Oh won the 5 Accurate/Cal Star combos from Fisherman’s Landing Tackle Shop, Mike Elias from Ace High won the Baja Excursion from Wide Open Adventures, and Jamie Thiennes from Pacific Edge won the set of Fraser Volpe gyros. Thousands of dollars in raffles were also given out from the sponsors, including Dana landing Market, Anglers Center, Fisherman’s Landing Tackle, Kaenon eyewear, Big Fish Tackle, Fishworks, Pompanette, Sea View Fishing, Aftco, Zukers, KK Pono, Old harbor Outfitters, Get the Gaff, and others. Live webcam, VHF broadcast, and media coverage was provided by Sportfishermen.com.