OK, on to my experience: 

Chatter at the docks was that fishing had been slow, and the tournament would be lucky if anybody brought in a qualifying marlin.

Our team doesn't have much experience fishing the waters around La Paz, but it is well known that El Bajo and La Reyna are noted for holding big marlin.  Because El Bajo is famous, we decided that is where we would fish the first day.  Our plan was, if that didn't work out, we would look at La Reyna the last day.   

First day, 7:30 AM: Shotgun start here we go!  Eighty participating boats charged out. What a sight!

It was well over an hour run for us to El Bajo.  By the time we arrived and started fishing, another panga had already radioed that they were hooked up on a large blue marlin.   Shortly after the fish was boated, that team headed for the scale. The official weight was announced to be 343 pounds, which put them in 1st place at the end of the first day.   

It was a very long day for us.  We never had a bite, never saw a fish.  Conditions at El Bajo did not look good so we decided it was time to change our game plan.  Pangeros had been getting small tuna at Las Arenas, so we figured there might be some big blues hanging near by.

Second day, 7:00 AM: Off we go.  A two-hour run in the opposite direction from the day before.  Cruising through the channel near the southern tip of Cerralvo Island, we spotted a gathering of pangas. Chuy, Jen Wren’s Captain, decided we need to change course and check them out.  Sure enough they were in the middle of a ‘full on’ tuna bite.  It took about 15 minutes to fill our tuna tubes. 

With the great bait, our level of excitement increased and things were looking up!   After another 10 minute run southeast of Ceralvo, we bridled the live tuna and started slow trolling.  The water color looked good; we just needed to run over the right fish.  In no time, the tuna in the short teaser position died, and the one in the port rigger was not looking too good.  Diego spotted a small dorado in our pattern which we were able to catch and use to replace the dead tuna.  Again our baits looked good --- just waiting for the right bite!

We had a little snack while watching the baits, and doing a little day dreaming of the big one when Chuy shouted, “We're bit!”

All eyes were now on the long line where a dark shape was seen under the bait.  The clicker on the reel didn't go off and it looked like the fish missed the bait!  A moment later a larger shadow appeared under the bait on the starboard rigger.  This huge marlin ate the tuna and turned toward the dorado on our short line.  Chuy throttled up the boat and “bendo”,  I'm on!  The fish flailed and thrashed the water.  We got a good look and could see blood gushing from this monster's gill plates.  I am hyped, pulling and grinding as hard as I can, knowing I have a sure contender on the line. The fish was not putting up much of a fight and within five minutes the line was wound to the leader. Diego leadered the fish and grabbed the bill, just as I sink the flying gaff into it.  Chuy jumped down from the bridge and sinks another gaff in the fish.   That is when the real battle began!  In the end it took us longer to subdue the fish after being gaffed then the actual fight on the rod and reel.

The ride back to the scale couldn't have been more fun.  We were pretty confident that this fish would win the tournament, and we also believed it would be close to meeting the 400 pounds for the new truck.  As we neared the scale, we got a report of another boated fish headed in---a black marlin estimated to be 500 pounds!  Now we're a little nervous.

There were lots of spectators at the weigh station.   The scale crew, who were helping to unload our fish, congratulated us and are all in agreement that we will be driving away in a new Ford.  The digital scale had been zeroed and it stopped at 395 pounds, a heart breaking 5 pounds short for the truck. 

OK, that is that!  We are now in first place and looking for the other boats reported to have big fish.  Next boat to arrive has the reported 500 pound black marlin.  It weighed out at 291 pounds.  Whew! We can breathe again!   

Four other boats came in throughout the hours left; one by one their fish do not meet our mark.

5:00 PM:  Lines out.  There is still one boat fighting a fish hooked at 3:30 PM and they say it is huge.  Finally, at 6:30 PM, the fish is boated with an estimated one hour ride to the scale.  That last hour was a long one.  More than 100 spectators waited for the finish.  When the boat finally arrived, the sun had gone down and it was dark.  As it pulled to the dock, we could see their fish, and with a sigh of relief, knew it wasn't going to measure bigger than ours.  After being weighed, James Curtiss, the tournament chairman, declared us the 1st place winner and we became a 100K richer! 

It wasn't until the awards banquet that we understood that we had just won the biggest fishing tournament in the history of La Paz!

It appeared to me that the tournament was a huge success and went off without a hitch. I fish big money tournaments frequently, but have never experienced anything as well organized as this one, and it is hard to believe this was their first.

Every detail was covered and the red carpet was rolled out for the participants.   Hats off to James Curtiss and Gabriel Ley, Tournament Chairs, for doing a fantastic job and making everybody feel welcome! The tournament committee must have laid awake at night thinking of every detail. From a smooth registration through a spectacular closing awards banquet, it was the best.   Other big money tournament promoters should take a lesson from them.