West Coast Fishing Club’s magnificent 160’ floating hotel and mother ship has everything necessary to ensure the fishing trip of a lifetime! Accommodating up to 12 guests, complete with opulent state rooms, dining room, lounges and multiple outdoor decks, this is truly a floating paradise. Fish each day from your private 37’ or 40’ gameboat with Captains and Mates who have been fishing these waters all their lives.  

We will take care of all arrangements and trip planning.

Only limited space remains on one of 6 trips between April 25 and May 30, 2012

For rates and dates, click here: http://westcoastfishingclub.com/panama/reservations/expedition-marlin-coiba-island/2902

West Coast Fishing Club has paired world-class fishing destinations with luxury accommodations, exceptional service and award-winning cuisine. Whether you choose the tropical allure of our newest destination in Las Perlas Islands of Panama or the rugged beauty of our northern pacific lodges at Langara Island, BC Canada, the West Coast Fishing Club is dedicated  ensuring every trip is a world class adventure.  

Contact West Coast Fishing Club toll free at 1.888.432.6666 if you have any questions or are  considering a trip.  Visit www.westcoastfishingclub.com for more information. 

Tight lines!

Brook Stevens – +1 (410) 326-1590 x 137

http://www.seakeeper.com/

June 12, 2011, Biloxi, Mississippi

By Capt. Dave Lear

Sportfishing is back to normal along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After a long rebuilding process triggered by Hurricane Katrina, followed by last year’s cancellation due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the contestants are back and the fish are indeed biting. A field of 60 boats competing in the 15th annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic proved that point as 21 boats collected prize money at this morning’s awards ceremony at the Isle Casino and Hotel.

Patron, a 66 custom sportfisher from Port Aransas, Texas, took home the top tournament award for blue marlin by boating a 702.5-pound blue marlin on the first day of fishing. Cole Casady was the angler, guided by Capt. Joe Lyall.

In the hotly-contested tuna category, Jasper Time from Destin, Florida, held on for the tournament award. Chip Temple outlasted a 203.9-pound bigeye tuna for the top honors. That fish, if approved by state officials, would qualify for the new Mississippi record for the species.

The Texas team of Papotanic, fishing aboard a 36-foot Invincible center console, earned distinction for the largest wahoo of the event. That fish, caught by angler Jose Reyes, tipped the scales at 68.4 pounds.

Dolphin was another division that changed hands several times throughout the weigh-in yesterday. In the end, Philip Foster and his Pascagoula crew aboard Sweet Liberty, took first in the team awards.

Reel Addiction, a 56 Viking from Pensacola Beach, was the hot boat in the release division. It won that category with 2,050 points and earned a nice payout of $107,550.

Several boats earned big paydays based upon their entry into the optional cash divisions. Reel Worthless is taking home the most money–$179,205–based on their 394.6-pound blue marlin along with a couple hefty dolphin and tuna.

Tico Time also won big in the cash standings, pocketing $169,650 after boating  a 591-pound blue marlin and a dolphin, plus the crew award. With credit for the largest blue marlin of the tournament, Patron earned $151,400 in the optional categories.

Total team awards, the top boat prize and optional entry awards added up to an overall purse of $1,246,300 for this year’s Classic. Tournament Director Bobby Carter was obviously pleased with the outcome.

“It’s been a fantastic tournament,” Carter said. “We had great weather, hungry fish and a lot of fun. We set a new first-day tournament mark by weighing in four blue marlin and it appears very likely another state record was broken with a big tuna. We gave a lot of money away to a lot of teams. But the biggest winners are all of our loyal anglers and crews,” Carter added. “They stuck with us and now that we’re totally back with the new marina, next year is going to be even bigger and better. We know how to have a good time here along the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast and we back that up with world-class big-game fishing.”

June 12, 2011, Biloxi, Mississippi

By Capt. Dave Lear

It’s a good thing tournament officials at the Classic use erasable markers when writing down the names of the anglers and weights of their fish. That’s because the lead changed constantly throughout Saturday evening as scores of eligible fish came to the scales. By the time the final one was weighed just before 1 a.m., nearly 100 fish caught by two-thirds of the 60-boat fleet had been recorded. The lightning and thunder, which threatened briefly but never disrupted the proceedings, only served as a soundtrack for the exciting conclusion of this 15th annual event.

Tico Time made the biggest splash as it waited until the last day to weigh its prize. Angler Dennis Wilkerson of Spring, Texas, hooked a blue marlin around 1 p.m. Friday afternoon and fought the fish for several hours in a battle in the Green Canyon. After a five-hour marathon, the blue came in tail-wrapped. With its 113-inch length and 61-inch girth, the hefty blue registered 591 pounds when the total was announced by Weigh-master Jack Teschel. That score vaulted Tico Time into second place on the blue marlin leader board.

“We knew we couldn’t make it back in on Friday before the scales closed,” a happy Wilkerson explained Saturday afternoon. “But I would have slept a lot better last night if I’d known the exact weight of that fish.” Tico Time also weighed three dolphin and a yellowfin tuna that briefly held top positions in the standings. But not for long.

It was Chip Temple’s turn in the chair aboard Jasper Time and the Stockbridge, Georgia angler took full advantage of it. Temple bested a monster tuna after a 45-minute battle after the fish ate a live hardtail bait (bluerunner) in the wee hours of the morning. For his efforts Temple is likely the new state Mississippi record-holder, as his big eye tuna tipped the scales at a whooping 203.9 pounds.

“Kudos to the crew,” a tired yet happy Temple said after the weight was announced to the cheers of hundreds of on-lookers. “I was lucky enough to get the wake-up call in the middle of the night to reel it in. This crew always manages to get on big fish.”

Cindi Pasentine, a Classic regular for several years, also shared the tuna spotlight, albeit briefly. The lady angler outlasted a yellowfin tuna that weighed in at 150.8 pounds aboard First Choice. Reel Worthless and C-Ya also made a late mark on the tuna leader board, weighing in yellowfins at 168.9 and 151.7 pounds, respectively.

“It was very exciting. We thought it was a marlin at first. My guys would have never put me on it if they’d known it was a big tuna,” she said.

Outboard-powered center console boats were well represented in the close wahoo division. Team Papatonic, a 36 Invincible out of Houston, Texas, claimed the top prize after boating a ‘hoo at 68.4 pounds. Thunder, a 36 Invincible, captured second place with a 68.1-pound fish, while Finatic, a 36 Yellowfin from nearby Ocean Springs rounded out the standings with a 64.3-pound entry.

Philip Foster, fishing aboard Sweet Liberty, took first-place dolphin honors with his 41.8-pound fish. Nana’s Girls was second, with a 39.8-pounder, followed by Quick Time.

Reel Addiction, home-ported in Pensacola, Florida, took top honors in the release division, based on overall points.

The 15th annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic wraps up with the awards ceremony later this morning. More than $1.3 million in prize money will be distributed to the winning boats.