SUGAR PLUMB TAKES TOP HONOURS

Randy Acres and his crew on the Sugar Plumb out-fished 34 competitors to take first place in the 18th Annual Treasure Cay International Billfish Tournament, June 17th-22nd. Fishing aboard a 53-foot Ocean the Naples, Florida, team boated a 497 lb blue marlin and released one blue and one white marlin for the winning total of 897 points. The victory qualified Sugar Plumb to compete in the International Game Fish Association International Tournament of Champions.

Satisfaction out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the smallest boat in the competition, snagged second prize as well as Top Release Team, Top Angler and Top Release Angler. Aboard the 28-foot Topaz, angler Ron Taylor released two blue marlin for a total of 600 points. Their second finish was based on time.

Third place was captured by David Drysdale's La Ceresa team of St Augustine, Florida, with two blue marlin releases for a total of 600 points. Risk and Rewards III from Clearwater, Florida, captained by Chris King, took home the fourth place trophy, also with 600 points.

Top Lady Angler was Kathy Mobley of the Leisure Lee II, Fort Pierce, Florida. Chris Broadwell of the Flash Flood, Jacksonville, Florida, took Top Junior Angler. Each had one blue marlin release.

In the non-billfish division, Peggy Heeter of Peggy Sue, Big Pine Key, Florida, won Top Wahoo with a 56.3 pounder; Bob Lake took Top Dolphin with a 41.2 lb fish; and Patrick Tye of Tangled-N-Blue, Blackshear, Georgia, received an award for the Top Tuna, weighing 40.6 lbs. A total of 22 billfish, including 18 blue marlin, three white marlin and one sailfish, were released and verified with photos by the teams during the four-day competition.

A modified release tournament, the TCIBT offers four days of fishing, social parties, dinners and fun competitions such as ring toss, a charity beach dig, a golf tournament, a volleyball tournament, crab races and a Bahamian arts and crafts fair. Funds were raised for the Treasure Cay Primary School and the IGFA Junior Angler programme. Major sponsors of the tournament were Abaco Markets Ltd, Texaco (Bahamas) and Gulfstream International Airlines.