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The city itself was first establishedbythe Spanish in the early 1800s. Withits location on a deepwater cove, largelysheltered and protected from the Pacific'slarge waves and frequent storms,Mazatlán quickly became the capital forthe surrounding state ofSinaloa, and even functionedas the state's capital for sev-eral years. The 1930Sbroughtalong a boom in commercialfishing and shrimping, plac-ing the region squarely onthe nation's economic map,but it wasn't until decadeslater that travelers from

around the world began tosample the world-class mar-lin fishing that existed just ashort distance offshore.

Mazatlán quicklybecame a closely-guarded secret amongtraveling anglers as one of the top billfish-ing destinations of the world, a title it stillcarries proudly today. While its stunningneo-Gothic architecture remains evidentin the town's center and historians report-ing that Mazatlán has perhaps one of thebest-preserved historic centers in all of

Mexico, the action this year was centerednot on the town's interior but offshore inthe blue waters that border the pictur-esque coastline of golden beaches asonce again the World BillfishSeriesGrand Championships headed south intothe land of iguanas, tequila, fiestas andgreat billfishing.

Few resorts in the nation are as invit-

ing as the Marina ElCid Hotel and YachtClub, the host facilityfor this year's tour-nament. With its top-notch marina facility,Mediterranean-style suites, numerouspools, excellent dining and friendly staff,the Marina ElCid is certainly one of thefinest resorts of its type in the entire

THE 2°°5 OFFIClAL GUIDE TO BILLFISHING

nation. Owners Carlos and Julio Verdeguehave cultivated a degree of hospitalityamong their employees that really setsthe Marina ElCid Beach Hotel apartoFrom the registration fiesta to the celebra-tory awards dinner to the after-fishingcocktail parties each afternoon, theanglers of the WBS were made to feel

right at home by the hotelstaff. Tourists in generalare welcomed in Mazatlán

with open arms and afriendly grin, but the recep-tion at the Marina ElCidwas especially cordial.

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While December is

normally a crossroads in thebillfishing off the west coastof Mexico, there are usuallygood numbers of blue and

black marlin in the area, plus enough bigPacific sailfish to really spice things up.An unexpected bonus for many anglers isalso the good chance of spotting a sword-fish on the surface, a rare treat duringdaylight hours as this hunter of the deeprests after a long night of chasing squidand baitfish in the murky depths.

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Mazatlán offers one of the world's best

shots at baiting a swordfish on light tackle,and more than one was spotted duringthe event. Hordes of striped marlin alsoinvade these waters, albeit later in theseason, making for a truly mixed bag ofbillfishing available off Mazatlán.

The wide variety (and sizes) of thebillfish available also made for some

difficult choices for the WBS anglersthat gathered for this year's eventoWhile30-pound test line is certainly adequatefor a loo-pound sailfish, it's woefullyinadequate for a marlin that may weigh

in excess of 300 pounds or more.Conversely, it's very hard to cast a smalllive bait, generally less than a pound, to afish that's spotted 011the surface usinganything greater than 50-pound test line.Tournament rules also governed thechoice of tackle, with double points forany species of billfish caught on thelighter 30-pound class line. As a result,the experienced group chose to targettheir fish using light tackle wheneverpossible. It would be a determining factorlater in the event.

The choice oflive bait versus dead bait

or artificiallures would also prove to be afactor in deciding the winners. Since it'sdecidedlyeasier to entice a marlin or sailfishusing livebait, double points were alsoawarded to those who chose to use dead

bait or synthetic trolling lures. This is alsowhere the angler's individualexperiencecame into play,as the local boats oftenfished in a manner entirelyforeignto someof the visitingtop guns. Bypulling a spread of all artifi-ciallures, the boat couldcover more ground and pos-siblylocate hungry fish,whileothers pullingdead riggedbaits likeballyhooand mulletwere forced to do so more

slowly,covering less waterbut with a more enticingmarlin appetizer at the end ofthe leader. Finally,those whowent with alllive baits could

only move at a snail's pace,but had the best chances of

raising a fish if they werelocated in the right area.Often, boats would choose tocover more ground using onestyle of fishing, then switchto

another when conditions looked right. Itwould come down to the experienceof th~angler at this point, knowingwhen and whatto pull in order to locate and catch fish.

As the tournament registrationkicked off on Tuesday, though, more thanone participant was quite appreciative todiscover a long-sleeved WBST-shirt intheir angler bag. The weather had turneddownright blustery, with the winds gustingbetween 10 and 25 miles per hour andthe temperature taking a very un-Mexicandip into the unseasonably chilly range.Mother Nature had taken aim at the central

west coast of the country, unleashing acold front that would also prove detri-mental to the billfishing as well. Still, thegathered crowd of anglers, WBS tourna-ment directors and VIPs took the weather

in their characteristically easy-going style,with most having another Pacifico beer orshot of tequila to ward off the chill.

ByWednesday morning, the windshad subsided enough to allow the 3rdAnnual WBS Golf Classic to kick off, asthe gathered group of golfers took to thelinks at one of the many nearby courses.Mazatlán offers some world-class golf forthose so inclined, although world-classwould hardly describe the gathered four-somes that teed off that day. However,by noon everyone had returned to thecomfort of the Marina ElCid with morethan a few tales of birdies missed and

putts made, entertaining everyone withinearshot. Others took to the ocean inorder to test their tackle as well as their

charter boats, reporting a few marlin seenand a few more missed. The tournament

was shaping up to be one for the books inmore ways than one.

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THE 2°°5 OFFIClAL GUIDE TO BILLFISHING 53

2004 WBS GRANO CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Day One began with a shotgun startat 6:30 a.m. as the fleet spread out far andwide. Some of the faster boats elected to

test the limits of the tournament-imposed50-mile boundary, while others decided toremain closer to port in search of produc-tive water. Making a long run is always agamble in competitive fishing. While thegrass may seem greener in pastures wellover the horizon, the downside is a sub-

stantialloss of fishing time. No one evercaught a marlin while running full speed, sothe tradeoff is not one to be taken lightly.

)ennifer Bacardi, fishing aboard theBertram 54 Rum Sum, scored the first

release ofthe event by mid-morning,releasing a sailfish on an artificiallureand using 50-pound test line. One of theworld's top anglers, the Miami-basedBacardi qualified for the Championshipthrough her efforts in the Caribbean

Division, fishing extensively throughoutthe islands of the Bahamas, Puerto Rico,and StoThomas. In fact, )ennifer andher husband Luis were the recipients ofthe 2004 WBS World Traveler award,

An acrobatic sailfish makes a quick 180 degreeturn toward the boato

Left: The action heats up as Mike

Cromer battJes a striped marlin.

Right: Jennifer Bacardi makesher on-camera appearance.

presented to the team whotravels the most miles each

year in order to compete onthe World Tour. Her experi-ence was enough to gain hertop spot on the leaderboardwith 150 points.

Bacardi wouldn't be alone on the

leaderboard, though. Shortly after noon onDay One, veteran West Coast angler MikeCromer also scored a sailfish release

aboard his 75 Mikelson, the After Midnight."We had been pulling lures when we found

some good-Iooking water," Cromer report-ed. "There were tons of little skipjack tunaaround, so we decided to switch over to

live-baiting with them. I had a strike beforewe could even get the rest of the baits inthe water!" With such initial success, theteam was certain they had found the cor-

rect strategy to catching fish but would gowithout a strike for the remainder of the

day. Mike would receive 100 points for hisnice Pacific sailfish, released in short order

on 30-pound gear.

As the anglers gathered poolside forthe after-fishing dock party, it seemed thateven though the fishing was very muchslower than usual, there was plenty ofaction to be hado Numerous schools often- to 20-pound class yellowfin tunaaccompanied by hundreds of porpoiseshad been spotted within 20 miles of the

marina, and several boats had seen tailing

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marlin and swordfish on the surface near-

by as well, so Day Two was shaping up tobe a promising one.

Later that evening, the crowd gath-ered in the lobby of the Marina El Cid forthe Mazatlán Meander, a tour of the city'snightlife. The fish tales seemed to growlarger as the overall sobriety level of theparticipants declined, but it was agreedthat a good time was had by al!.

The second day of a three-day tourna-ment is often known as moving day,withanglers either making a jump into the leador falling offinto obscurity.This event wouldbe no different,as angler Mark Wodlinger,representing Singer Island, Florida, was able

to releasetwo sailfish,both on dead bait/lure combinations and 3o-pound tackle.Thiswouldvaulthimintothe leadwith 400points for the tournament. "We found somereally good-Iooking water yesterday andwent back to the same areatoday," he saidat dockside. "1just hope we can catch acouple more tomorrow."

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Another East Coaster, )upiter Florida'sAndy Kontos, also scored a billfish release

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2004 WBS GRANO CHAMPIONSHIPS

on Day Two. Andy connected with a nicePacific sailfish on dead bait and light lineto add 200 points to his side of the ledgerand place his name on the board as well.

Never in WBS history has a GrandChampionships tournament been so wideopen going into the third and final day ofcompetition. A single marlin on dead baitand light tackle would equal the score ofclubhouse leader, so everyone knew that itwas anybody's game to win or lose as theydeparted the Marina El Cid at first light.Once again, there were plenty of fish seenbut they remained aggravatingly difficult totempt with a baited hook. The noon reportto the committee boat listed just oneangler, South Carolina's Perry Peace,with asingle sailfish for the fleet. However, bymid-afternoon the seas calmed a bit and

the wind changed direction slightly, creat-ing perfect conditions for spotting the elu-sive striped marlin as they tailed along onthe surface. The showdown would wind

down right to the 4 p.m. call for lines out.

With just over two hours remainingin the tournament, the After Midnight hadfinally found their quarry: striped marlin.These fish spend much of their time onthe water's surface, slowly cruising alongwith just the tips of their fins giving awaytheir location. West Coast crews spendhours with their faces pressed tightly intohigh-powered binoculars, glassing theocean in search of these tailing marlin.Capt. Steve Lassley carefully maneuveredthe boat into position as Cromer headedforward to the bow, preparing to pitch hislive bait. The game was now on.

As the small baitflsh hit the water'ssurface with an audible thwack in front of

the marlin, an instant response was elicited.

Left: Mark

Wodlinger(right) cele-brates after

releasing hissecond sailfishof the event

on light tackleand dead bait.

It would be

enough tovault him into

the lead onthe second

day of thetournament.

The fish, once bronze-black, immediately litup in blues and purples, its trademarkflanking stripes glowing like neon in thenight. In a flash the marlin engulfed the baitand immediately took to the air in a displayof aerial acrobatics that the species isrenowned for displaying. Cromer's expertisewith light tackle was also impressive, as hehad the fish boatside for a careful release

within twenty minutes. The tournament-required circle hook had performed perfect-Iy, latching the marlin harmlessly in the cor-ner of the jaw rather than in the throat orgills. High fives were passed around as thefish, estimated at 15° pounds, swam offuninjured to fight another day.

Now in second place, Mike knew theevent was his to win or lose. In the final

hour, another striped marlin was spottedby the sharp-eyed crew and with visionsof the tournament trophy in his head,Cromer again made a perfect cast to amarlin on the surface. The billfish's

response was identical to the first: it lit

up from nose to tail with color, wheeledaround on the live bait...and then disap-peared from sight. A lesser competitor .would have been compelled to eitheranger or tears at that point, but Mikesimply said, "That's marlin fishing."

Back at the Marina El Cid, Mark

Wodlinger nervously awaited the arrival ofthe remaining tournament boats. His friendand deckhand Matt Alligood had turned offtheir boat's VHF radio midway through theafternoon, so Mark was unaware of how

close the tournament had actually become."He was pacing the deck just hoping hewould have enough points to win," Alligoodreported. "So at that point I just turned offour radio. We do that in tournameñts at

home sometimes, becauseyou get toowrapped up in what's going on that youaren't concentrating on your fishing."

As each angler turned in their score-cards though, it soon became apparentthat his pair of sails from the day beforewould be enough for the win. The youngFloridian would be the 2°°4 World

Champion of Billfishing, adding his nameto a very elite roster of world-class anglersthat have previously earned the title ofchampion. Aided by his fellow competi-tors, Mark found his way into the pool,fully clothed, in true tournament-winningtradition. And so ended this year's GrandChampionship. ........

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MarkWodlinger,SingerIsland,FL 400 pointsMike eromer, Ojai, eA 300 pointsAndy Kontos,Jupiter,FL 200 pointsPerryPeace,Pawley'sIsland,se 200 pointsJenniferBacardi,Miami, FL150points

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THE 2°°5 OFFICIALGUIDE TO BILLFISHING 57

;'''. 0-""-..--

~dh:th~ weste~n'¿;:;aSL"~'d'.: . -"f; < eJe

.~ offers both a traoitión'alOhlsto

..".plete with 19th century neo~G~thic'~athe-drals and museums combined with all the

amenities of a modern 21Stcentury destina-tion in the form of restaurants, hotels, dis-cos and other attractions in the Zona

Dorada (Golden Zone).

The region also offers an intriguingcombination of both natural and manmadeattractions. Visitors are most often drawnto the warm waters of the Pacific and the

miles of golden beaches that make up thetra,nsition from ocean to dry land. Thesportfishing here is spectacular, with threedifferent species of marlin (blue, black andstriped) making their seasonal appear-ances, plus an abundance of feisty Pacificsailfish found nearly year round. An added

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-¿.in -th~angli;g'~G:~I~.'Jheó~~an f~en1sP">,o'I';/\tithlife here, with tho~~ands of porpoises'>

herding schools of baitfish accompanied byplentyof yellowfintunaand four differentwhalespecies, including killer whales, a commonsight just a short distance offshore.

Back on terra firma, the sights andsounds of the local markets will delighteven the most hardened visitor as local ven-

dors offer fresh seafood, produce and hand-made goods for sale. These markets are notmerely tourist attractions-this is where thelocals come to do their shopping for theirown families.

Mazatlan truly offers something foreveryone, representing the finest culturesof Old Mexico while embracing the neweco-tourism of the modern era.

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