The crewmembers of Jolene, who include Luther Taylor, second right, and boat captain Alex Sablan, right, pose with their 101-pound marlin, which won the inaugural Tasi To Table’s CNMI “Reel Heroes” International Fishing Derby at the Smiling Cove Marina on Saturday.
JOLENE won the inaugural Tasi To Table’s CNMI “Reel Heroes” International Fishing Derby by catching a 101-pound marlin on Saturday.
Jolene’s angler Luther Taylor celebrated twice as hard as it was also his birthday. He was the one who hauled the marlin, which he fought for about 20 minutes before it could be reeled in.
According to Boat Captain Alex Sablan, before the derby started, Taylor said they would catch a marlin for his birthday, “and he did just that.”
Jolene — whose other crewmembers are Jeff Taylor, Amanda Hayes, Chico Reyes and Jolene Saban — went home with the first-place cash prize of $3,000.
Alex Sablan thanked Tasi to Table for holding the first CNMI “Reel Heroes” International Fishing Derby as he also recognized the real heroes — the U.S. military veterans and his crew.
“Thank you again to everyone — we’re happy to win,” he added.
In second place was Rose I, which was captained by Juan Tenorio with Melvin Tenorio as crewmember. They caught a 72 lbs marlin and took home a $2,000 cash prize.
The side bet winner was a 6.2 lbs. tuna, which was caught by the Sea Folly captained by John Stewart.
Tasi to Table President Gene Weaver said the event was “amazing.”
“The weather was a little choppy, but it was fishable,” he added. “The only time I’m going to postpone a tournament is when there’s a small craft advisory.”
Weaver at the same time “thanked all our sponsors who came in and supported this event. We wanted to start small, and gradually grow so next year it’ll be a lot bigger.”
Sponsors of the derby included the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Black Micro Corp., the Saipan Mayor’s Office, Budweiser, KKMP, Saipan Select, and JEMCO Ltd.
