Weather played a big factor in the 6th Annual Chub Cay Invitational Tournament that just concluded in the Bahamas. A strong low pressure system with high winds forced multiple boats to sit out, but the remaining fleet didn’t let that damper spirits. By the time the frontal boundary had passed, the fish turned on and No Le Hace, a 57 Spencer led by Capt. Freddy “Potatoes” Vicens and the team had captured first place. No Le Hace released three sailfish and one blue marlin and all were caught by Denise McMahan, who was also named Top Lady Angler for the event.
On the first day of fishing two blue marlin, one white and four sailfish were tallied. Blues successfully released count for 500 points, whites are 200 and sails score 100.
No Le Hace made its charge on the second day. Invicta, a 44-foot Contender center console run by Michael Buxton, released a blue the first day, followed by the first fish of Day Two, a white marlin. That earned the team second-place honors. Sempre Dura, a 68 Ricky Scarborough with owner Chris Stavola at the helm, locked up third place with a sailfish in the morning and a blue marlin after lunch.
The radio and dock was buzzing with Waterline’s (Capt. Jake Griffith/58 Viking) epic fight on light tackle. Rob McCall fought a big yellowfin tuna for five hours, 20 minutes on a Tallica 25 with 40-pound main line, 60-pound leader and a 7/0 circle hook. The fish ate a ballyhoo on the right long outrigger line and was finally boated at 5:04. The boat made it back to the scales within the two-hour deadline, with everyone cheering on. When the fish was finally weighed, it registered 140 pounds, easily winning the heaviest meat fish for the Invitational. That catch also was the largest game fish in Chub Cay Resort’s tournament history. Waterline also weighed a 38-pound dolphin to sweep the game fish categories.
“The Invitational is a members-only event following the Chub Cay Classic and Chub Cay Open, which are open to the public,” says Tournament Director Robert “Fly” Navarro. “The weather was a factor early, but we still had some outstanding fishing overall, including Waterline’s epic catch.”
The dates for next year’s tournaments are set. The Chub Cay Classic kicks off on March 11-13, 2027. The Cub Cay Open will be held April 1-3, followed by the Chub Cay Invitational on April 15-17, 2027. For additional information about the resort and its amenities, please visit: www.chubcay.com
