Big Game Club in Bimini, Bahamas
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Alice Town, BIMINI - The recently re-opened Bimini Big
Game Club will resume its rightful place on the grand sport fishing tournament
circuit when it hosts the first leg of the 2011 Bahamas Wahoo Challenge,
November 11-14, 2010.
The
Bimini Big Game Club, a legendary outpost for fishermen and host to
numerous major sport fishing tournaments for more than half a century,
officially re-opened this summer as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort &
Marina following completion of a $3,500,000 renovation that included
all guest rooms, the new Bimini Big Game Bar & Grill, and the Outfitter
Shop, a retail experience featuring sportswear, fishing supplies and
gifts.
Approaching
its fifth year of competition, the Bahamas Wahoo Challenge has attracted
the best wahoo anglers in the world to the Bahamas. The Wahoo Challenge,
according to Tournament Director Tony Albelo, consists of three tournaments—Bimini; Port Lucaya on January
12-16, 2011; and March 3-6, 2011 in the Bahamas. Each tournament is an
individual competition, but also adds points to the overall series.
Teams can compete in one or all three legs.
According
to Albelo, the wahoo fishing continues to be red hot.
“The
top fish for the 2006 series was a 95-pound torpedo weighed in by “Nothin’s
Wild” out of Homestead, Florida,” he began. “The following
years all saw increased numbers of fish and fish size, likely due to
new rules and regulations enacted by the Bahamas. As a tournament, the
Challenge also adopted new rules reducing the fish count to four fish
per team. These small efforts in concert have made a noticeable impact
on fishing.”
In
2008, the Bahamian-crew on “Zephyros” hauled in a 105-pound behemoth
which is the largest wahoo taken in any tournament in the Bahamas. Fish
in the 80-plus pound range are routinely caught in the Challenge as fishing
continues to be improving.
Bimini’s
location along the legendary Gulfstream (a “river” of warm water)
location is at the apex of a superhighway for migrating fish and acts
as a kind of sushi conveyor belt carrying abundant food to the local
fish. Deepwater game fish include marlin, tuna, sailfish, wahoo and
swordfish, while big grouper, barracuda and schools of snapper can be
found on the reefs. Bimini’s flats are home the fishermen’s favorite
prey, bonefish and permit. With more than 50-record-setting catches
in the waters around the island, Bimini has earned its title of Sport
Fishing Capital of the World.
Bahamas
Wahoo Challenge participants can call 800-867-4764 to reserve a room
and slip at the Big Game Club. For more tournament information
go to
www.wahoochallenge.com
.