By Sal Vergopia
This year, for the first time since 1992, the famed Cat Cay Tuna Tournament was fished June 4-7 in the Bahamas. Established in 1939, this tournament was focused on the epic bluefin tuna fishery in what became known as Tuna Alley, a 15-mile strip of white sand and reef running south from Gun Cay.
It was out of Cat Cay, 50 miles east of Miami and 60 miles east of Ft. Lauderdale, that the tournament began. It is sometimes referred to as the “birthplace of sportfishing,” where anglers defined the sport of fishing and set the bar for big-game tournaments to follow. What follows is the kind of “fish story” everyone dreams of.
This year’s Cat Cay Tuna Tournament was a disappointment to competitors hoping for a shot at the tuna that historically migrate through the shoals of Tuna Alley. No tuna were caught. It was after the tournament, when I was invited to do a little fun fishing on a fellow Cat Cay Yacht Club member’s 54-foot Bertram Sportfish that we caught the fish of a lifetime.
Departing the marina at around 11 a.m., we headed south with Capt. Rod at the helm and mates Chuck and Dave. Approximately 3,000 feet from the island we spotted tuna in 45 feet of water. It was a school of about six fish.
We were not trolling. We dropped a line baited with mackerel in front of the school on 200-pound braided line with a leader of 200-pound monofilament. We were fishing a Randy Towe custom rod with a Shimano Tiagra 130 reel.
It was when we circled around for our second pass on the school that the fish hit. It immediately made a run for the nearby vertical wall, which raised concerns of a severed line. Capt. Rod expertly navigated the boat and fish into deeper water. With help from my friends and the mates, we fought the fish for nearly two hours. After this seemingly never-ending battle, we got the fish to the boat, but the first shot with the gaff missed. The big tuna dove at least 150 feet, and the battle began again.
All I can say is it took tremendous teamwork from everyone aboard. When the fish finally surfaced again, a successful gaffing was effected. The fish was estimated to weigh 850 pounds. Fishing the islands of the Bahamas and catching a fish the likes of which neither my friend nor I have ever seen before is something we can both cross off our bucket lists. Did I mention that my friend is 81 years young and I am a 75-year-old Bronx boy? That’s got to be one for the record books.
Sal Vergopia was raised in the Bronx and played college and professional basketball before building an international automotive group. He has been a member of the Cat Cay Yacht Club since 1981. For more information about Cat Cay, visit www.catcayyachtclub.com.
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