Earlier this month, on July 9 and 10, Baja Sur’s Trust “Fund for the Protection of Marine Resources” (FONMAR) and the H. XVII City Council of La Paz organized and sponsored a sportfishing tournament, “Fishing in La Paz,” targeting the catching of dorado, and the hook and release of striped marlin. The first tournament of the series of 64 in the five municipalities was in La Paz. Others will be in Los Cabos, Comondu, Mulege, and Loreto. The winner of each of the 64 tournaments in the five states will compete in the Loreto Championship Final in 2023.
The guaranteed prize pool: 1,000,000 pesos with equal contributions by FONMAR and the H. XVII City Council of La Paz of 500,000 pesos.
“Fishing in La Paz” Fishing Expo, Registration and Captains meeting were held on Saturday, July 9, on the Malecon in La Paz.
While the Tournament officials anticipated 100 teams, by the time registration closed, the number of participants had grown to an impressive 137 teams competing for more than ONE AND A HALF MILLION PESOS. It was an exciting kickoff for the “Fishing in the Five.”
On Sunday morning, the fleet of 136 boats – ranging from outboard-powered pangas to tricked-out 66′ custom sports fishers, gathered impatiently behind the start line in front of the Malecon, marked by a large catamaran filled with dignitaries armed with a dozen flare pistols to signal the start of the event.
Never before had spectators been treated to such a sight! The roar of the 167 boat engines all accelerating at once and heading for their favorite fishing spot was overwhelming!
When the scales opened at 1 p.m., teams were in line to weigh their catches. Then the lines grew, and when the scale closed at 5 p.m., teams were still waiting to weigh their catch.
The total number of dorado weighed (Percentage in terms of participation registration): 52 dorado represented 32% of the teams entered.
First-Place Gold Category:
Team: “Marine” 46.3 pounds.
Second-Place Gold Category:
Team: “Wasabi” 41.4 pounds.
Third Place Gold Category:
Team: “The Compadres” 39 pounds.
Marlin Catch & Release videos submitted:
16 teams submitted 2 videos each, total videos: 32.
Winning Teams: Catch & Release Marlin:
La Chingona
El Palmarito
Distribution of Jackpots:
The total amount accumulated in jackpots was 1,582,000 pesos.
“We are happy with the tournament’s outcome. The five municipalities need these events to promote the destinations, and we can see Baja Sur becoming the Capital of Sportfishing. Therefore, on behalf of our governor, Victor Manuel Castro Cosío, we invite everyone to visit us, participate in our tournaments, and enjoy our beautiful state.” …Director General of FONMAR Martín Inzunza Tamayo
