John Hemingway Joins Anglers for Upcoming Wahoo Smackdown V

Grandson of Ernest Hemingway Named Tournament Grand Marshal

John Hemingway
John Hemingway

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ollowing in the footsteps of his famous grandfather, author John Hemingway this year has run with the bulls in Pamplona and will be soon fishing the big game grounds off Bimini—the same tiny Bahamas out island where Papa Hemingway chased marlins and tuna aboard his beloved “Pilar” in the 1930s.

In November, John Hemingway will return to Bimini, this time chasing speedy Wahoo as Grand Marshal of the popular Wahoo Smackdown V series, hosted by the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina in Alice Town.

John Hemingway (far left) with fellow Bull Runners in Pamplona
John Hemingway (far left) with fellow Bull Runners in Pamplona

“My family has been coming to Bimini since the 1930s,” said Hemingway, who grew up in Miami and now lives in Montreal. “My father (Gregory Hemingway) came with my grandfather as a young boy on his boat the ‘Pilar’ and I was first brought to the island in 1960 as a newborn with my mother and my father on a Chalk’s flight from Miami. We have always fished here, for tuna, marlin, sailfish and grouper and it’s a great pleasure for me to help officiate as Grand Marshal this Wahoo Smackdown Tournament.”

The 54-year-old Hemingway will be fishing with Tournament Director Captain Chase Camacho aboard “Miss Kethleen II” in the tournament, which is scheduled for November 13-14.

Hemingway family (including John Hemingway’s father Gregory) arriving in Bimini by seaplane in the 1930s.
Hemingway family (including John Hemingway’s father Gregory) arriving in Bimini by seaplane in the 1930s.

“As a writer myself I am a great admirer of my grandfather’s works and this also extends to the life he led and the places he visited,” said Hemingway. “I’ve lived in Italy and Spain, I’ve run with the bulls and I’m an aficionado of corrida, but whenever someone mentions Bimini it brings back childhood memories of fishing out in the Gulf Stream on hot days and coming back to the docks in the evening to see what the others had caught. Good times that I remember and that I will live again this coming November.”

John Hemingway poses next to photo of grandfather Ernest Hemingway at the Bimini Big Game Club Resort.
John Hemingway poses next to photo of grandfather Ernest Hemingway at the Bimini Big Game Club Resort.

The entry fee for Wahoo Smackdown V (which includes four anglers per boat) is $1,250 ($100 for each additional angler). At stake is $30,000 in cash and prizes to be won.

For information regarding the next Wahoo tournament and to register online, please go to http://www.biggameclubbimini.com/big-game-tournament.htm or call (800) 867-4764.