Clear your schedules for Tuesday, August 24 to attend the California Billfish Series Kick-Off Fiesta. Co-hosted by WIDE OPEN Excursions and The Harbor Grill this event is poised to be a highlight of the season.

Taking place at WIDE OPEN’s Corporate Headquarters and Race Shop in Irvine, CA should appeal to all fishermen’s sense of adventure. Filled with race cars, trophies, artwork and Baja memorabilia, this place is the ultimate guys hang out.

Keeping with the Baja theme, The Harbor Grill located in Dana Point Harbor, will be Co-Hosting the event and providing tacos and cervesas for all in attendance. Keegan Hicks, Operating Partner and Catalina Classic regular, is proud to support the California Billfish Series and wants all anglers to know that The Harbor Grill is Marlin Fishermen friendly.

In addition to the amazing food and Baja racing equipment, California Billfish Series sponsors and partner will have product and service displays showing off the latest and greatest in the game fishing world. During the event there will be a raffle, seminars, and an informal Q & A session with some of the top West Coast boat captains.

Please join us in Irvine for this amazing FREE event on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. A special thanks to the event hosts, WIDE OPEN Excursions and The Harbor Grill.

See you all there!

We will be displaying at the Anglers Tackle Showcase and BBQ this Saturday, April 10. The event starts at noon, and goes till around 4 p.m.
This is a free event, so be sure to come on down for a visit. There will ots of great tackle on display and some great seminars too.
Take a tour of the Bad Company, compete in a casting contest and knot tying contest, and see all your old fishing buddies.

California Billfish Series will be displaying again at the Fred Hall Long Beach Fishing Show March 3-7. Stop by our booth 603 to say hi. We will have 2010 tournament info and entry forms, and will be selling tournament hats and T shirts form previous events.

Look forward to seeing you there.

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.

Day 2 Updates - Last Updated 4:50 PM

Today’s Releases - Updated List:
C Bandit: 3 releases
Chaser: 3 releases (+1 boated: 169lb)
Tiger Spirit: 2 releases
Good Karma: 2 releases
Lucky L: 1 release
Shark’s Parlour: 1 release
Club Ted: 1 release
After Midnight: 1 release
Scrambler: 1 release
Three Daughters: 1 release
Haywood: 1 release
Ahi Nui: 1 release
Buck Shot: 1 release
Bandit: 1 boated (196lb)
Eggcessive (Exta Sea): 1 release (+1 boated: 155lb)
1 Hot Tuna: 1 boated (193.5lb)
Impuse 1 release

PLAY BY PLAY:
Bandit 196 lbs striped marlin
Bandit is 15 to 20 mins out
Chaser’s fish is 169 lbs
Bandit has landed the fish
1 Hot Tuna 193.5 lbs
Eggcessive release at 2:15
Eggcessive hooked up at 2:10
Buck Shot release at 1:54
1 Hot Tuna boated their fish at 1:46 are expected at the scales at 2:45.
C Bandit release 1:41
C Bandit released a fish and is hooked up again.
Bandit released their fish but is measuring it
C Bandit & Buck Shot hooked up
Ahi Nui released their fish
Good Karma one fish cut off and one just released
Haywood release at 1:07
Good Karma hooked on a double in G3
Impulse hooked up in G3 at 12:12
Tiger Spirit release at 12:11
Pacific Edge lost their fish
Pacific Edge just hooked up
3 Daughters got the release
Exta Sea 155 lb 86 inches
3 Daughters is hooked up
1 Hot Tuna is hooked up
Uh Oh lost the fish
Uh Oh and C-Bandit hooked up at 11:39
Ahi Nui hooked up in F3
Good Karma released their fish in F3
Good Karma is hooked up in F3
Eggcessive, the replacement boat for Exta Sea, boated their fish
Shannon Rose hooked the wrong kind
Shannon Rose is hooked up at 11:10
Chaser released 2nd fish of double at 11:00
Eggcessive hooked up at 10:52
Scrambler released their fish in F3
Shark’s Parlour is hooked up at 10:46
Chaser boated their fish at 10:45
Scrambler hooked up at 10:36
Uh Oh lost their fish
Chaser is on a double now - 9:48
Chaser hooked up again at 9:48
Uh Oh hooked up on a jig fish at 9:43
After Midnight release at 9:41
Chaser released at 9:39
Chaser hooked up at 9:24
After Midnight hooked up at 9:24
Surly Mermaid hooked and lost a Jig fish at 9:19
Club Ted release at 9:16
Club Ted hooked up at 9:03
Tiger Spirit released at 8:33
Tiger Spirit hook up 8:21
Uh Oh lost the fish
Uh Oh hooked up
Shark’s Parlour hooked up at 7:15 release time 7:46
Lucky L had the first release of the day

Boat Name	Catalina Classic				Avalon Billfish Classic
	Daily $250	Daily $500	Daily $1000	Daily $2000	Daily $250	Daily $500	Daily $1000	Daily $2000
1 Hot Tuna
Ace Hi
Afishinado
After Midnight
Ahi Nui
Bali Ann
Bandit
Barely Legal
Buck Fever
Bucks Shot
C Bandit
California Style
Cazador
Chaser
Club Ted
Code 3
Dialed In
El Diablo
End Of the Line
Exta Sea
Four Aces
Gambler
Good Karma
Haywood
Impulse
Knot For Rent
La Dulce Vida
Lucky L III
Martuni
Miz Pah
Out of Range
Pacific Edge
Pez Espada
Plan B
Puritan XI
Reel Nice and Easy
Reel Time
Reely Hooked III
Right Hook
Ruckus
Scrambler
Sea Esta
Shannon Rose
Shark’s Parlour
Surly Mermaid
Three Daughters
Tiger Spirit
Tonnage
Uh Oh
Vertigo
Vilhelmina

ABC	Cat Classic	Boat Name	Boat MFG	Boat LGH	First name	Last Name
ABC	Cat Classic	1 Hot Tuna	Trophy	23	Capt. Bill	DePriest II
	Cat Classic	Ace Hi	Tournament 30	30	Mike	Elias
	Cat Classic	Afishinado	Delta	36	John	King
	Cat Classic	After Midnight	Knight & Carver	75	Mike	Cromer
	Cat Classic	Ahi Nui	Parker	23	Keegan	Hicks
ABC	Cat Classic	Bali Ann	Riviera	43	George	Balian
ABC	Cat Classic	Bandit	Viking	60	Corey	Myer
ABC		Barely Legal	Parker	21	Randall	Loomis
	Cat Classic	Buck Fever	Hatteras	45	Mike	Buckley
ABC		Bucks Shot	Skagit Orca	22	Buck	Fries
ABC	Cat Classic	C Bandit	Titan	75	Bill	McWethy
	Cat Classic	California Style	Pacifica	50	Burl	Gregory
ABC	Cat Classic	Cazador	Blackfin	29	Hunter	Heatly
ABC	Cat Classic	Chaser	Viking	54	Greg	Chase
ABC	Cat Classic	Club Ted	Jersey	36	Ted	Butland
	Cat Classic	Code 3	Blackman	26	Robert	Scantlebury
	Cat Classic	Dialed In	Ocean	48	Randy	Pennington
ABC	Cat Classic	El Diablo	Albemarle	36	Chris	Erwin
ABC	Cat Classic	End Of the Line	Bertram	31	Peter	Babros
ABC	Cat Classic	Exta Sea	Mikelson	50	Bob	Stephens
ABC	Cat Classic	Four Aces	Cheoy Lee	72	Johnny	Edwards
ABC	Cat Classic	Gambler	Elliot	65	Capt. Dick	Peckham
ABC	Cat Classic	Good Karma	Donzi	72	Bobby	Lienau
ABC	Cat Classic	Haywood	Riviera	40	Jim	Dragoo
ABC	Cat Classic	Impulse	Bertram	42	Russell	Oniel
ABC	Cat Classic	Knot For Rent	Riviera	58	Bill	Miholic
ABC	Cat Classic	La Dulce Vida	Mikelson	43	Mark	Wheeler
	Cat Classic	Lucky L III	Cabo	48	Brian	Dull
ABC	Cat Classic	Martuni	Innovator	31	Keith	Denete
ABC	Cat Classic	Miz Pah	Hatteras	52	Eric	Byron
ABC	Cat Classic	Out of Range	Pro Line	33	Raymond	Birch
ABC	Cat Classic	Pacific Edge	Tiara	39	Mark	Wisch
ABC	Cat Classic	Pez Espada	Philbrooks	72	Gary H.	Hoertig
	Cat Classic	Plan B	Contender	36	Bob	Woodard
	Cat Classic	Puritan XI	Hatteras	60	John	Markulus
ABC	Cat Classic	Reel Nice and Easy	Cheoy Lee	50	Clayton	Dobbs
ABC	Cat Classic	Reel Time	Hatteras	60	Preston	King
ABC	Cat Classic	Reely Hooked III	Mikelson	57	Jon	Bivens
ABC		Right Hook	Tiara	38	Jack	Staub
ABC	Cat Classic	Ruckus	Riviera	40	CG	Miller
	Cat Classic	Scrambler	Bertram	54	Dean	Miller
	Cat Classic	Sea Esta	Pacifica	44	Robert	Rabinowitz
ABC	Cat Classic	Shannon Rose	Bertram	28	Shaun	Keating
ABC	Cat Classic	Shark’s Parlour	Riviera	47	Jim	Sloan
ABC	Cat Classic	Surly Mermaid	Tiara	39	Ali	Johnson
ABC	Cat Classic	Three Daughters	Jersey	44	Russ	Armstrong
ABC	Cat Classic	Tiger Spirit	Donzi	72	Ned	Wallace
ABC	Cat Classic	Tonnage	Pacifica	36	Todd	Phillips
ABC	Cat Classic	Uh Oh	Silverton	34	Don	Cooper
ABC	Cat Classic	Vertigo	Lidia	72	Storm	Bartling
ABC	Cat Classic	Vilhelmina	Mikelson	43	Doug	Dixon

38 marlin landed with 29 releases and 9 boated fish.

Catalina Classic Standings after Day 1-
1st place Reel Nice-N- Easy 212.5 and sweep of day 1 jackpots
2nd place Tonnage 202 pounds
3rd Place 1 Hot Tuna 192 pounds
4th Place Vertigo 176.5 pounds

Avalon Billfish Classic Standings after Day 1-
1st Place Bandit 3 releases and sweep of day 1 jackpots
2nd Place Good Karma 3 releases
3rd place Reel Time III 2 releases
4th place Chaser 2 releases

1 Hot Tuna- 1 boated 192 pounds
Afishinado- 1 Release
After Midnight- 1 Release
Bandit- 3 Releases
Buck Fever- 2 Releases
Chaser- 2 Releases
Club Ted- 1 Release
End Of The Line- 1 Release and 1 Boated 160 pounds
Four Aces- 1 Release
Gambler- 1 Release
Good Karma- 3 Releases
Knot For Rent- 1 Release
La Dulce Vida- 1 Release
Lucky L III- 2 Releases
Reel Nice-N-Easy- 1 Release and 1 boated 212.5 pounds
Reel Time III- 2 Releases
Reely Hooked III- 1 Release
Ruckus- 1 Boated 172 pounds
Scrambler- 1 Release and 1 Boated 172.5
Sharks Parlour 1 Release and 1 Boated 154.5 pounds
Surly Mermaid- 1 Release and 1 Boated 169 pounds
Tiger Spirit- 1 Release
Tonnage- 1 Boated 202 pounds
Vertigo- 1 Boated 176.5 pounds

51 boats total. 48 entered in Crow’s Nest Catalina Classic, 38 in Crow’s Nest Avalon Billfish Classic, and 35 in both.

Day 1 Results
Catalina Classic - 24 boats caught 38 Marlin, with 29 releases and 9 boated fish.
Avalon Billfish Classic - 15 boats scored 22 releases (all also in Catalina Classic)

Avalon Billfish Classic Standings
Bandit is in first place with 3 releases.
Good Karma is in second, also with 3 releases. Bandit leads based on time of release.
Reel Time III is in third with 2 releases.
Chaser also has 2 releases, but is in 4th based on time of release.
11 other boats have 1 release.

Catalina Classic Standings
Reel Nice and Easy is in first place with a 212.5 pound marlin. Award is $38,400.
Tonnage is in Second place with a 202 pound marlin. Award is $16,320.
1 Hot Tuna is in Third place with a 192 pound marlin. Award is $7,680.
Vertigo is in Fourth place with a 176.5 marlin. Award is a free entry into the 2010 Catalina Classic.

Daily Jackpot Summary

Crow's Nest Catalina Classic		Crows Nest Avalon Billfish Classic
$250		36 boats $7,650/day		12 boats $2,550/day
$500		36 boats $15,300/day		11 boats $4,675/day
$1,000		26 boats $22,100/day		8 boats $6,800/day
$2,000		18 boats $30,600/day		5 boats $8,500/day
Total / Day		$75,650/day			$22,525/day

Day 1
Catalina Classic Winner is Reel Nice and Easy, sweeping all Jackpots.
ABC Winner is Bandit, with 3 releases, leading Good Karma on time and sweeping all Jackpots.

Total overall Jackpot cash payout $196,350 for both events
Total overall cash payout totals $258,750.

The 2009 Zane Grey Invitational was one for the record books. A light field of 12 boats were treated some of the best Southern California marlin fishing that has been experienced in years. The bite was centered on the back side of the island, starting around Cat Harbor on Monday, and moving east as the tournament progressed. Overall, 66 marlin were landed in the tournament, with 61 released.
Monday started strong, with a very exciting finish. There were 16 marlin caught by the fleet, 14 released and two boated. First to the scales were team Chaser aboard the 54 Viking Bad Company Edition. They had scored 1 release, and had a fish to weigh. The fish just toped the tournament minimum of 165 pounds and weighed in at at 167.5 pounds. This earned team Chaser a total of 436 points according to the scoring method and a commanding lead. Team Gambler hooked a fish in the closing moments before lines out and boated the fish. Based on Chasers release, the Gambler fish would need to top the scales at 201 pounds to take the lead and the Day 1 daily jackpots of $38,888. The fish was a nice one, but fell 3 pounds short at 198 pounds, and Chaser took the lead and a sweep of the day 1 daily jackpots. Teams Ruckus, and C Bandit had big days with 3 releases each, followed by Sharks Parlour with a pair. Bandit, Exta Sea, Shannon Rose, Acero Azul, and Good Karma each scored one release.
Day 2 was one of the most exciting days in Zane Grey history. The action started early with Acero Azul releasing a marlin, then team Exta Sea got hot, as did team Scrambler and team Bandit. The action was fast and furious, with several double hookups for the teams. The lead was changing by the minute, and Tournament Control operator Mike “Beak” Hurt was kept busy recording hook ups and releases all day long. When lines out was called at 4 p.m., there had been 41 marlin caught, with 38 releases and three boated. Many boats had multiple releases, but teams Scrambler and Exta Sea were at the top the pack with 6 releases and 1 boated fish each. Team bandit scored 5 releases, Gambler, Ruckus, and C Bandit each scored 4, Chaser had 3, Shannon Rose2, Good Karma had 1 release and 1 boated fish, and Acero Azul and Out of Range each had one. Back at the scales, Scramber was first to weigh in with a 172 pound fish and the lead with 957 points. Next came Good Karma, but their fish did not meet the minimum size of 165 pounds, although it did meet the minimum length of 84 inches. Then came team Exta Sea, run by husband and wife team of Bob and Marilyn Stephens. Their fish looked big on the swim step, and when it toped the scales at 195 pounds Exta Sea had taken the tournament lead and a one day tournament record 1020 points. The daily jackpots were split between three teams, with Exta Sea taking the $500 daily of $4,250, Scrambler took the $250, $1,000, and $2,000 daily jackpots of $17,638, and Bandit with 5 releases and 500 points took the $5,000 daily of $17,000. What a day.
Day 3 started fast with Scrambler releasing both fish out of a double to pass Exta Sea for the tournament lead. Then team Chaser started chipping away at the lead with an early release. Sharks Parlour got one out of a double, and Acero Azul and Out of Range both scored releases. But it was team Chaser that was steadily getting fish. They would need 5 releases to take the lead, and about an hour before lines out they released their fifth marlin of the day to sweep the daily jackpots one more time and to win the tournament by a very slim margin.
At the awards banquet that night, the awards, raffles, and checks were distributed. Bandit collected $17,000 for day 2 jackpot, Exta Sea claimed third place with 1,120 points, earning $$8,570 including their day 2 jackpot. They also earned a standing ovation from the field for their record breaking day. Team Scrambler earned second place with 1,157 points and a total of $26,818 including their day 2 jackpots. Team Chaser claimed first place with 1,236 points, for a total payout of $99,376 for first place and sweeping day 1 and 3 jackpots.