The 96 teams entered in the 22nd Annual East Cape Offshore Tournament all had one thing in common – they were still in the hunt on the third and final day for the right fish that could put them on the leader board for this year’s already record-setting event.
And so, when the flaregun once again streaked across the sky, all boats roared off in three directions, ready to find their jackpot-winning billfish, dorado, or tuna. At 8:32 a.m., Team GOLO released the first billfish of the day.
Back at the weigh station, the crowd swelled as the news that several qualifying dorado and billfish were on the way. And Team Big Oh put the finishing touches on the tournament, with the final qualifying dorado of the day coming to the scales after lines out.
In the Dorado division, the three top qualifying fish were as follows.
1 “Karma” Ray Gannon Dolphin 41.2-pounds
2 “TMAC EASTCAPE” Tony Mackenzie Dolphin 36-pounds
3 “Big Oh” Bo Ingram Dolphin 34-pounds
In the Billfish Division, the top three fish were as follows:
1 “Tiger Spirit” Hugo Pino Black Marlin 597-pounds
2 “Buena Fortuna” Chip Shapley Blue Marlin 487-pounds
3 “Second Wind” Jim Arthaud Black Marlin 410-pounds
The 22nd East Cape Offshore (BCS, MX) produced by the Bisbee family began this year’s series in a remarkable fashion! The number of teams increased from 72 boats in 2020 to 96 in 2021. As a result, the total jackpot increased to $1,582,975, exceeding last year’s record of $1,100,000 by over 42%.
“The top two 2021 winning teams received more money than the total amount received by all the winners in the 2020 event,” Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee observed. Last year’s total jackpot was $1,100,000, and this year’s largest two payouts were 1st Place Overall, $790,712, and Day 1 & Day 2 Jackpots, $431,800, for a total of $1,222,512.
Continuing a “quality over quantity” theme again this year, Team Tiger Spirit’s winning fish weighed 597 pounds, the second-largest qualifying marlin ever caught in the 22 years the tournament has been in existence.
Awards were passed out at East Cape on Saturday to the following winners:
“Retriever” 2nd Place Release
“Rancheras Guapas” Day 1 Dorado 39.2 Pounds
“Buena Fortuna” 2nd Place Overall
“Don Julio” Top Tuna plus Dailies
“Keep It Reel” Day 1 plus Day 2 Jackpots, 305-pound marlin.
Later that same afternoon, the remainder of the awards were presented at Baja Cantina in Cabo San Lucas.
“Karma” Day 3 Dorado Jackpot.
“Vaquero” 3rd Place Release Team.
“El Suertudo” 1st Place Release.
“Second Wind” 3rd Place overall.
“Tiger Spirit” 1st Place Overall plus Dailies.
Next in line will be the Los Cabos Offshore, October 14th – 17th, and the Bisbee’s Black and Blue, October 19th – 23rd. We hope to see you there!
