In the world of high-stakes tournament fishing, teams need to make the most of every bite. A knowledgeable captain, hard-working mates and skilled anglers are important ingredients. And a little luck always helps.
Capt. John Mumford, running the 37-foot Ocean, Billfish, held all the cards during the 2017 Quepos Billfish Cup, hosted by Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, February 1 to 4, 2017. The team stacked the deck with experienced anglers, including Samantha Mumford, Jimmy and Jennifer Fields, Susan McCart, and Matt Rabenstine, while Cristian Delgado handled the deck duties. They led the first day with 11 sailfish, held off a strong push by Fish Tank on Day Two, and won another daily on Day Three with an incredible 15 sailfish and three marlin, for a grand total of 36 sails and three marlin, good for 8,700 points and victory. Rabenstine was the tournament’s top angler.
Finishing in second was Fish Tank, with 39 sailfish and one marlin released in three days of fishing to score 8,300 points. They were the top daily boat on Day Two with 17 sailfish. Wybulu was third with 25 sailfish and 5,000 points. For the tournament there were a total of 262 billfish releases: 254 sailfish and eight marlin.
Marina Pez Vela offers world-class facilities including a complete boatyard and service center, 195 floating concrete slips, high-speed refueling for vessels up to 200 feet in length, 10 luxury villas, eight dining venues, a tour center, retail stores and other services. It’s also home to the 2017 Offshore World Championship, which will be held April 22 to 28, 2017.
