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33rd Annual MDR Halibut Derby an
Outstanding Success
The 33rd Annual Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby held
April 21st and 22nd was an outstanding success.
Over 620 anglers competed for $65,000 in cash and prizes as well as a
shot at a brand new Toyota Tundra Truck. Halibut Derby anglers
enjoyed wonderful water conditions and challenging fishing trying to
locate and out fox their elusive quarries. Saturday the sun was out and
the weather was ideal, and on Sunday the weather was good as well,
although there was a light drizzle very late in the day during the
outdoor awards banquet, but it did not appear to stop anyone from having
a great time at the party. Most important was the feeling of
camaraderie and community of anglers and marine conservationists who
love the ocean, participating in their common passion and the knowledge
that participation would help thousands of at-risk kids and promote
marine restoration projects critical to all of us.
The excitement was in high gear late Saturday
afternoon during the weigh in as several nice halibut were brought to
the scales. The lucky and proud anglers were posing for pictures hoping
their big fish would maintain their lead the next day, while others were
praying the next day would produce a tournament winning giant for them.
Sunday brought humor and more tension especially toward the 3:00 PM
deadline for final weigh in. During the day the marine radios were a
buzz with reports of fictitious fish over 50 pounds and qualifying for
the new Toyota Truck being given away by Marina Del Rey Toyota. After
2:30 the nail biting was fierce; the tension was electric. All eyes
were on the leader board and the last boats arriving to weigh in their
fish for the grand prize, top honors and a full year of bragging rights.
27 halibut were brought to the scales and
officially weighed in. This did not include the catches many other
“legal sized” halibut between 22 and 26 inches which the MDR Halibut
Derby officials encourage to be released and do not allow to be weighed
in. There were reports of scores of undersized fish providing evidence
of a healthy halibut fishery in the Santa Monica Bay.
Congratulations to Dennis Cook from Long
Beach, CA who captured 1st place with a 30.6 pound
halibut, and won a fishing vacation for two people to Baja California’s
East Cape, the Rooster Fish capital of the world, including seven days
and six nights at the beautiful Hotel Punta Colorada , all meals, 3 days
of fishing, freezing and packing the catch, air fare to and from LAX to
Los Cabos Airport, and transfers to and from airport and hotel.
There were lots of winners and a mountain of prizes
presented at the awards party which followed a well deserved and tasty
barbeque feast. Of course, the biggest winners will be the 1,200
at-risk kids who will be hosted by Marina Del Rey Anglers’ volunteers
this summer for fishing trips aboard the Betty-O out of Marina Del Rey.
Proceeds from the event go to support not only the Marina Del Rey
Anglers’ Youth Fishing Program but also its Ocean Resources Enhancement
Program which has raised and released 100,000 juvenile white seabass
into Santa Monica Bay since its founding in 1994. These fish were
nearly extinct just 20 years ago and efforts to restore the fishery have
been extremely successful with trophy white seabass exceeding 30 pounds
being routinely caught off our local beaches and at local islands.
Congratulations also go out to all the other big
winners:
2nd
Place: Jim Bracci with a 29.83 pound halibut
Seven days and six nights
for two people at The Inn at Mazatlan, including 2 days of
fishing with Heimpel's Star Fleet, and an allowance for meals and
air fare between LAX and Mazatlan.
3rd
Place: John Romanak with a 27.6 pound halibut
Five days and four
nights, at the El Cid Hotel for two people in Mazatlan, including
2 days of fishing with Aries Fleet, and an allowance for meals
and airfare between LAX and Mazatlan.
4th
Place: Dominic Dinh with a 24.64 pound halibut
Five days and four
nights, at Las Flores Hotel for two people in Mazatlan, including
2 days of fishing with Heimpel's Star Fleet, an allowance for
meals and air fare between LAX and Mazatlan.
5th
Place: Victor Jedlicka with a 23.3 pound halibut
Six days and five nights
at Las Rocas Resort & Spa, Rosarito Beach, Baja California
including 3 days of fishing with Sergio’s Sportfishing, Ensenada,
and an allowance for meals.
The derby also presented quality rod and reel
combinations for the top 6th – 15th places donated
by West Marine, Shimano, Avet, Boater’s World and other generous
sponsors.
There was also excitement in the Youth Division
competition. Three exuberant youths shared the stage with their proud
families cheering them on. Kyle Robertson claimed the 1st
Place Youth prize with a 9.87 pound halibut and won $300. Matthew
Mercurio took home $200 for a 8.25 pounder. Both youths took home
quality rod and reel combinations donated by West Marine.
Lady Angler
The top lady angler award went to Holly Allman for
her 21.9 pound halibut. She won a prize and a trophy to mark her
achievement.
Jackpots
There was some fun and excitement for the 3 winners
of the separate entry $20.00 Jackpot.
John Romanak with a bag weight of 40.15 pounds won
$2,947. Dennis Cook, with a bag weight of 30.6 pounds won $1,768.
Miguel Zamora rounded out the group of Jackpot winners with a bag weight
of 30.13 pounds and took home $1,179.
There were big cash prizes for the three teams
scoring the most points. John Romanak and Victor Jedlicka won$2,070.
David Wilks and Miguel Zamora won $1,656. Mark Harris and John Petrelli
won $1,104.
Well over $11,000 in cash alone was presented to
the jackpot, team, and youth division competitions. Although new trucks
have been presented to winners in 2 of the last 5 years, it appears the
truck winning halibut busted loose this year and is still swimming out
there taunting anglers and waiting to challenge next year’s competitors.
Marina del Rey Toyota is still offering any Halibut Derby contestant
with proof of registration, a special fleet price on any new Toyota
through June 30, 2007. Be sure to visit the Fleet Manager.
Thanks to several generous anglers who donated live
halibut to the Redondo Beach Sea Lab for brood stock. These fish will
be used to boost halibut populations and for many future generations of
fishermen to enjoy.
Congratulations to all participants and to the many
dedicated volunteers from MDR Anglers for a great event. MDRA President
Keith Dager noted the incredible support and generosity of all of the
sponsors who make this event possible. Derby Co-Chairs Ken Raymond and
Stan Zisser want to remind all participants that our generous sponsors
are in business to sell products, and the best and most appropriate way
to show our appreciation is to copy the list of donors from your derby
brochure or from
www.halibutderby.com, and to
use this as a guide when planning your Father’s Day, Mother’s Day,
birthday and Christmas shopping.
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