BOAT captain Alvin Iglecias and the crew of 10-7 reeled in the heaviest catch in the 17th Annual Mahi-Mahi Fishing Derby hosted by the Saipan Fishermen Association and sponsored by Budweiser at Smiling Cove Marina on Saturday.
While most of the other boats were making their way back to shore minutes before the 5 p.m. cut-off, 10-7’s crewmembers were already relaxing. They reached land much earlier, at around 2 p.m., with an 18.9-pound mahi-mahi already weighed and recorded.
10-7’s catch slightly outweighed the mahi-mahi brought in by last year’s winner, Papasan, which caught an 18.3 pounder.
This year, 59 boats went off to the deep blue in search of the biggest catch but nearly half did not return before the cut-off time.
Coming in at second place was CAT-SIKA of captain Jesse Sablan whose crew caught an 18.2 lbs mahi mahi while Kingfisher 2, which finished third, presented a 17.4 pounder.
In fourth place was Salty Bandits with a 16.5 lbs. catch while MV Gloria finished fifth with a 14.4 lbs mahi-mahi.
10-7’s half-day of work earned its captain and crew the first place prize of $2,000 while CAT-SIKA collected $1,500 and Kingfisher 2 went home with $1,000.
Wahoo
In the wahoo category, Roil Soil topped the charts with a 21.2 lbs catch beating Victoria Lei which reeled in a 20.5 lbs wahoo followed by Kaimana in third place with a catch weighing 19.7 lbs.
The 10-7 crewmembers pose for a photo after claiming the $2,000 cash prize in 17th Annual Mahi-Mahi Fishing Derby on Saturday at Smiling Cove Marina.
Contributed photo
