The Dominican Republic has come on strong in the last few seasons as one of the Caribbean’s top billfishing destinations, so it’s no surprise to hear of good fishing for the fleet in the second annual Marina Casa de Campo Open, located in La Romana.
The event started with a raucous cocktail party and kickoff at the Casa de Campo Yacht Club, which is also home to the MCDC Open perpetual trophy.
On the first day of fishing, Auspicious had taken an early lead with three blue marlin releases, followed by Builder’s Choice and Reel Healin’ with two blues apiece. That evening, the yacht club hosted a barbeque with Santiago Carnaval dancers, providing a spectacle for the gathered participants.
On the final day, Capt Brent Gaskill on Builder’s Choice made a run at the leaderboard late in the day, adding three more blues to the team’s total to win with a total of five blue marlin releases. Auspicious also had five for Capt. Cookie Murray and placed second on time. Capt. Rhett Bailey landed in third with his team on Intents with four blue marlin. For the event, there were 36 blue marlin, four white marlin and two sailfish releases by 19 participating boats in two days of fishing
