Miami’s Team Pachanga Takes Top Honors In Bimini Wahoo Smackdown
With 30 boats and more than 120 anglers competing, Wahoo Smackdown VII, hosted by the Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina, in Alice Town, Bimini, Bahamas, set a record turnout in November for the popular tournament series.
Taking home the first-place trophy and a $6,750 check was team Pachanga, captained by Carlos Tosca out of Miami. The five-man team’s top five wahoo weighed in at 248.9 pounds. This was Team Pachanga’s first Wahoo Smackdown, and this group of anglers had not fished together as a team for five years.
Second place was Fishing-A-Loan from St. Augustine, Fla., with 232.1 pounds, and third place went to Nervous Water from Hilton Head, S.C. with 195.8 pounds.
The all ladies team Nearly Impossible won with the largest Wahoo, a 71.6-pounder, but team Pachanga was nipping at their heels with a 69.6-pound wahoo.
Other category winners were Nervous Water in the Ladies Division; Nearly Impossible with largest wahoo (71.6 pounds); Out-of-Line with the largest tuna (6.8 pounds) and Finale with largest mahi (14.6 pounds).
Tournament Director Misty Wells said the two-day tournament paid more than $20,000 in cash and prizes.
“This was the biggest and the best Wahoo Smackdown Bimini has ever seen,” said Wells. “The teams and sponsors are already signing up for the next tournament in April 2016. In this tournament, every ounce counted, some teams were separated on the board by only 2 ounces.”
Wells said there was no shortage of fun between the dock parties with Sands Beer, a Junkanoo Parade and the Smackdown Girls’ trio sponsored by FishBrain.
Steve Riely, general manager for the Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina, said the tournament was a tremendous success. “We have had many positive comments from the teams and guests about the improvements we have made over the past eight months on our $6 million renovation project, including a new pool, new docks, and room and restaurant upgrades, to name a few,” he said.
Tournament sponsors included FishBrain, Sands Beer, Tito’s Vodka, Costa Sunglasses, Bost Lures, Bucket Innovations, Don Ray Marine Artist, Island Air Charters and Salt Life Optic Sunglasses.
For more information on the Big Game Club Resort & Marina go to www.biggameclubbimini.com.