Lead changes in Day 2 of IGFA Offshore World Championship

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – After a day one record eight marlin
releases for 2400 points, Mexico’s Copa del Gobernador San Jose del
Cabo team turned in a big fat zero Tuesday falling to second place
among 63 world class teams at the eighth annual International Game Fish
Association (IGFA) Offshore Championship Tournament in Cabo San Lucas,
Mexico.

    Jumping
from second to first with 2745.6 points after adding three marlin
releases is an east coast Florida, U.S.A., team that qualified by
winning a bid at the Master Angler Billfish Tournament in Balboa,
California last year. Halfway through the championship the team of Burt
Moss and Tim Hamilton of Pompano Beach, along with George and Stuart
Disbury, Deerfield Beach have nine marlin releases and a 45.6 lb
yellowfin tuna as a weight fish.

    Oscar Daccarett of Copa del
Gobernador said they saw at least 50 billfish, hooking one but losing
it. The other team members from the San Jose del Cabo area are Jaime
Pino, Modesto Mirando, and Antonio
Castro.   

    Alone in third place with 2100
points for a two-day total of seven marlin releases is the YCSS-IMD
Fishing Tournament team from Rome, Italy.  They released four
fish on Tuesday.

  
 Making the biggest jump of the day was the Caicos (Turks and
Caicos) Classic Release Tournament team who after having a scoreless
day on Monday released six marlin for 1800 points. They are tied for
fourth at 1800 points with teams from Bermuda, Brazil and the
U.S.   

    IGFA tournament director Mike Myatt
said 86 marlin were released with many of the teams reporting the
sightings of hundreds of billfish.
  
 For some like Iain Nicolson an Englishman on the (Luanda)
Angola Billfish Tournament team the “bite was off” quipping, “There
should be a fine for the amount of bait we killed.”

    Each catch-and-release of a marlin
(blue, black and striped) or a swordfish equals 300 points. The catches
are scored and released alive at the boat in accordance with the IGFA
tournament rules with all anglers using 30 lb. Momoi fishing
line.

    Though no
tuna, wahoo or dorado were caught on Tuesday, the teams can also
receive “weight” points (per pound) over 25 lbs. Local charities
receive the donations of all fish weighed at the Cabo docks.

    The prestigious
four-day tournament is believed to host the single largest contingent
of international anglers and teams (30 countries represented) to
compete in a fishing competition.

    The United States has 19 teams
competing. More than 40 teams are representing tournaments in the
countries and territories of Angola, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados,
Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, England, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya,
Kingdom of Tonga, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, St. Lucia,
Senegal, Spain, Sultanate of Oman, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and
Caicos, Vanuatu and Venezuela. Additionally the countries of Holland,
Singapore, the Canary Islands and Ireland are represented by anglers on
several of the teams. 

    The tournament has attracted many
of the world’s best angling teams who won one of 132 IGFA sanctioned
qualifying offshore events held in 40 countries across the globe during
2006. 

  
 The team with the most points at the end of the four days of
competition will receive engraved watches and trophies. Eighteen other
prizes will be presented to the three top male and female anglers, top
three captains and top three places for the heaviest tuna, wahoo and
dorado. 

  
 Sponsors and partners for the IGFA Offshore World
Championship are Secretaria de Turismo de Baja California Sur, Costa
Del Mar, Hotel Finisterra, Momoi, Guy Harvey, Inc., Mold Craft
Products, Picante Sport Fishing and Yacht Sales, Cabo Yachts, Outdoor
Channel, K D & G Sea Life Masterpieces, Shimano, Hook &
Tackle, Murray Products, AFTCO Bluewater, Bodo Muche, IWS Scales, King
Sailfish Mounts, Stidd Systems, Corona and Modelo S.A. de C.V. Mexico,
Trans Cabo Group, API Dock, Daiichi, Minerva’s Baja Tackle, Pisces
Fleet Sportfishing and UltraJewels.

     Founded in 1939 the IGFA is a
not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish
and promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through
science, education, rule making and record keeping.  IGFA
members are located in over 125 countries and territories. The IGFA
welcomes visitors to its 60,000-square-foot interactive Fishing Hall of
Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.

    For more information on the total
daily scoring of the 63 teams please go to the IGFA web site at www.igfa.org.