KAILUA-KONA — Rich Wilson fought what would end up being the biggest fish of the day at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament for 2 hours and 10 minutes on Tuesday.
KAILUA-KONA — Rich Wilson fought what would end up being the biggest fish of the day at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament for 2 hours and 10 minutes on Tuesday.
It was a fight the 70-year-old angler had been waiting 46 years for.
“When I fished in the tournament back in the 60s, I was one of the youngest participants,” Wilson said. “We decided to put it on our bucket list to come back to this tournament. It was a real special day for us. ”
Wilson and Likeke Club teammate Tony Crabbe caught three fish Tuesday aboard the boat Dojo — two marlin were tagged and released along with Wilson’s 447-pound blue marlin. All were on 50-pound test line. The team name is paying homage to the duo’s old boat – the Likeke.
Wilson was born in Honolulu but currently lives in Cedar City, Utah. The veteran angler said he had not fished in the tournament since 1969, and has been in an extended bout with cancer. It would be an understatement to call his big catch a triumphant return to the Kona waters.
“For a 70-year-old guy that’s a long fight,” Wilson said. “If you have a strong enough will and desire, you can do anything.”
Team Likeke currently sits in second on the leaderboard behind Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club.
Sunshine Coast angler and HIBT rookie Brent Higgins weighed a 404 pound blue marlin, the second largest fish of Day 2.
“Good day for us out there,” Higgins said. “We fished with Tim (Hicks) on the Illusions and went down south and had a nice patch to ourselves. Good weather and great fishing.”
The Sunshine Coast Club has the reputation as the best game fishing clubs in Australia. Brent Higgins is fishing with his father, Barry Higgins, and mentor, Peter Bain, on the Sunshine Coast squad.
It has been an enjoyable debut in Kona for Brent Higgins so far, and surely being atop the leaderboard at the HIBT helps.
“I love the town,” he said. “It’s great to be in a place that embraces fishing. To hop off the boat and have everyone cheering is pretty special. We get a lot of rough seas in Australia and to come here and fish basically on a lake is wonderful.”
Nearly all fish caught are tagged and released throughout the tournament. The HIBT tag and release strategy captures valuable points for teams and boat captains.
“Captains, crews and teams must be able to quickly estimate the weight of the fish, often during a heated battle reeling in the fish,” HIBT founder Peter Fithian said. “This is where experience and knowledge come into play.”
Fithan said 27 of 31 teams have already posted points on the scoreboard through two days of fishing.
But while fishing has been great, there have been some concerns about how Tropical Storm Hilda could affect the tournament. Fithan said some contingency plans have been discussed, but it would be unprecedented for the tournament to be canceled because of weather.
“We are watching it but we don’t know yet how much interference it may bring,” Fithian said. “We are not at the point yet to have to make a call on it.”
2015 HIBT Day 2
LEADERBOARD POINTS (inc bonus)
Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club 1,688
Team Likeke Club 1,495
Kona Game Fishing Club – Kusatsu 1,264
Nanhai Lang Tao Club 1,000
Mermaids Anglers Club – Team Kalaoa 900
TOP BOATS POINTS (inc bonus)
Illusions 1,645
Ihu Nui 1,564
Northern Lights II 1,000
Topshape 900
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