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Tuna fishing tournaments can be so much more fun than people realize, and not only for the fishermen. Anytime a group of guys goes out on a boat fishing, you know they are gonna have a great time.
The Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament sponsored by Western Outdoor News is a total blast for all parties involved. Especially, if you catch a big cow, monster tuna! There are so many sponsors for this tournament, that I have added a picture below, with a big Tuna and the sponsors listed behind them.
And it Benefits a Great Cause
I have to say that in addition to all the fun we are all having, the beneficiaries of several events are the children with cleft palate. Costa Sunglasses sponsors a starter party boat, which includes raffle items, food, and beverages. The boat itself is donated by “Cabo Escape“.
The Cabo Escape takes the spectators out to see all of the tournament boats, “check-in” with the D-J, “Curley”, asking the boats to “show us their number”. Their number is the team’s number that they are registered with.
Also, this year an added $20,000 Optional pot was added to help promote tagging and was sponsored by Gray Taxidermy. This pot had an 85 percent payback with 5 percent going to Gray to purchase electronic fish tags, which cost $5,000 each.
Additionally, there was a raffle sponsored by Gray Taxidermy where the winner and a friend won a special fishing trip to Gloucester Massachusetts to fish with Dave Marciano from Wicked Tuna. That’s an awesome opportunity to catch an even bigger Tuna with a pro!
All the Boats Must Check In
This is actually the official way to ensure that all boats start out at the same time. As the boats pass by, they have to show their “number”, which is the teams’ official number for the tournament. Additionally, the crowd cheers them on, when they announce their number.
Since Costa is a sponsor, they have a contest called, “Show Us Your Costas”. This is where the fun really gets going. Several boats participate, dressing up in crazy or silly costumes and the crowd goes wild.
Show Us Your Costa Winners:
Because this particular boat had a “baby in a diaper”, there was also a second-place winner awarded:
Yes, folks, that’s my husband, Todd, dressed as the baby. I honestly believe he is reliving his childhood! He always has so much fun trying to make Dave with Costa blush. It usually works! They also had a “Cow Tuna” – basically a Cow Body and a Tuna Head, with the sign, “Eat Mor Shark”. It’s a lot of fun for the guys!
As Dave says, “Some things cannot be unseen.”. I believe he was being “photobombed” by Chip Woodall who was dressed up for the festivities on the Cabo Escape!
Like I said before, this is a fun, fun, fun tournament. It is held the first Wednesday of November, and if you are looking for a reason to head to Cabo, this is the best time you will have.
And They are Off to Catch Big Cow Tuna!
Once all the boats have checked in, there is a shotgun start and they all take off to fish for Tuna, Wahoo, and Dorado. There is nothing like the excitement of experiencing the start of the tournament.
Folks, we are talking 155 boats, taking off at the same time, cruising to their “secret” fishing spot to catch the big one. The waves begin crashing and the Cabo Escape starts rocking and rolling; you better hang on tight! Once the boat settles down, the real fun begins.
Now the Real Fun Begins!
There is a lot of dancing, eating, and drinking going on. But, the best part about the Cabo Escape is that all the money collected for the fare goes to Smiles. You can read more about Smiles on their website: click here to smile.
Smiles International Foundation was started by Dr. Jeff Moses and is a national and international organization that organizes and provides charitable surgical care for underprivileged children. These children are located internationally as well as in the United States. They are afflicted with cleft palate and craniofacial deformities.
Your $30 ticket gets you into the raffle, which has lots of great prizes from Costa: Sunglasses, Visors, hats and other great swag. It is definitely worth every penny. And did I mention, it is a lot of fun?!?!?
Each time we go out on the party boat I meet more and more friendly folks that are here for the tournament or just the fun on the boat. Even the locals join in on the fun. These fun people become life long friends, who share a common trait – Living Life to the Fullest!
Getting Back to the Biggest Fish
Day One Winning Fish:
- Tuna – 345 pounds – Caught by Team 130 – Boat/Team Sirena;
- Wahoo – 42.1 pounds – Caught by Team 32 – Boat: Spicy Tuna – Team: Pendejadas;
- Dorado – None were caught that weighed at or over the minimum 30-pound requirement.
Day Two Winning Fish:
- Tuna – 248 pounds – Caught by Team 124 – Boat/Team: Southern Comfort;
- Wahoo – 47.1 pounds – Caught by Team 24 – Boat: Salsa – Team: TNT Texans & Tunas;
- Dorado – 21.7 pounds (Changed weight minimum to at or over 15 pounds.) – Caught by Team 7 – Boat/Team: Outcast.
Top three Largest Tuna Caught over the two-day tournament:
- 345 pounds – Caught by Team 130 – Boat/Team: Sirena;
- 291 pounds – Caught by Team 146 – Boat/Team: Santana;
- 260 pounds – Caught by Team 144 – Boat/Team: Stella June.
Winner, Winner – Tuna for Dinner!
There is a lot of money to be won in this tournament. The largest tunas pulled in a prize of $356,400 for each winner: day 1 and 2. (A total of 712,800 Paid out for two big fish!) This is because they entered into all the optionals, except the $20,000 one.
The winning Wahoo from both days – garnered a total of $40,400 for each winner. A total of $80,800 paid out over the two days.
And, since there was no day one winner for the Dorado, the pot was carried over to day two. The minimum weight was changed from 30 pounds to at or above 15 pounds. And the winner won $80,000 for a 21.7-pound fish!
Sushi Anyone?
There were 10 Blue Fin Tuna’s caught that weighed over 200 pounds! That’s a lot of sushi! A nice thing is a lot of the tuna is donated to the orphanages, some are sold to local restaurants, and some tuna is packaged and taken home to be enjoyed later.
All in all, everyone had a great time! Especially me!!! Consider participating in this tournament next year! If you would like to see more of my tournament photos, click here.
Enjoy!
