The 2004 Rolex IGFA Offshore Championships had it all; exotic location, international competition and, of course, first-class striped marlin action. David Granville has the lowdown. Story: David Granville Photos: David Granville, Kate McLarty and Daniel Mathews

"Getting 66 teams on to a different boat each day is a logistical nightmare but somehow the IGFA made it happen like clockwork."

It was always BlueWater's intention to return to Cabo San Lucas, on Mexico's Baja Peninsula, for the 2004 Rolex IGFA Offshore Championship as this event is growing rapidly and quickly establishing itself as one of the world's most prestigious tournaments.

When BlueWater last attended in 2002, the Rolex (as it is affectionately known) attracted just 20 competing teams, but this year there were a staggering 66 teams from 33 countries, and this growth rate looks set to continue.

At the 2002 Rolex, BlueWater was represented by Editor-in-chief Mike 'Sinkers' Sinclair and US Field Editor, Rick Gaffney. Because Sinkers and Gaffney had such a great time in during the '02 tournament, I thought my chances were pretty slim at getting a guernsey for this year's event.

There was one way of guaranteeing a spot however, and that was to win a qualifying event and receive an invite to compete in the tournament. Easier said than done I know, especially as there were only two Australian qualifying events in 2003.

Fortunately one of those was the Sunshine Coast Sailfish Shootout which is conducted out of my home port of Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. I fished the 2003 Sailfish Shootout aboard the 7.2m Kevlacat Reel Capture with Fred and Michelle Temminck and Craig McCulloch.

As luck would have it, we beat 42 other teams to take out the Sailfish Shootout and earn ourselves a berth in Cabo for the Rolex.

TEQUILA SUNRISE
With an entry into the Rolex confirmed, I informed Sinkers that I would be happy to represent BlueWater in Cabo on this occasion. Hesitant to provide me with sole responsibility of flying the BlueWater flag in a town renowned for tequilas, margaritas and senoritas, he shook his head, wished me luck and told me not to spend too much time at El Squid Roe.

Having never been to Cabo San Lucas before, I didn't realise that El Squid Roe was the hottest nightspot in town, but having now experienced first hand El Squidy at full flight I know exactly what Sinkers was talking about. It's hard to put the sights and sounds of El Squid Roe into words so all I'll say is it is like no other place on earth.

But alas, I digress, I didn't mean to talk about Cabo's sizzling nightlife so early in the story; after all, we were there to go fishing!

The only problem with visiting Cabo is that it's a bloody long way from Australia. The 14-hour haul from Sydney to LA is a killer, but our friends at United Airlines did make the trip as enjoyable as such a flight can be. The service was excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to fly with them again.

We overnighted in LA but in hindsight it would have been better to continue straight on to Los Cabos then down to Cabo and get all the travelling out of the way in one go. That said, it was nice to break up the trip and spend some time with friends in LA, so there are pros and cons with both options.

It's a scenic 40-minute drive from Los Cabos airport to Cabo San Lucas and Trans Cabo offers this service in comfortable air-conditioned vans. We stayed at the Hotel Finisterra which was also the tournament headquarters. This is the logical place to stay during the tournament as it is ideally located above the marina, but accommodation choices are extensive
in Cabo.
On arrival in Cabo, sleep probably would have been a sensible option, however, we were just too excited and had to head down and check out the marina. I had no idea Cabo's marina and sportsfishing fleet was so large. It was awesome to see row after row of boats all sporting a set of outriggers and a livewell.

There must be at least three to four hundred sportsfishing boats in Cabo and hardly a yacht in sight - this is my kind of place. As we walked the streets we soon realised that this bustling town thrives on sportsfishing. The dollars that recreational fishing must bring to Cabo is mind-boggling. It was a shame to hear that there are also thriving longline and purse-seine fleets working the Pacific side of Baja Peninsula as well as the Sea of Cortez.

Like most countries with large commercial fleets, the Mexican government is obviously turning a blind eye to the damage these ocean rapists are causing. Local charter captains already talk of a declining fishery and are justifiably concerned that as the fishing deteriorates, so will the number of angling tourists.

ROOKIE ORIENTATION
As we had arrived in Cabo a few days prior to the tournament we were keen to do a couple of days pre-fishing and find out how to catch the local striped marlin. For Craig and myself there was an extra incentive to pre-fish because although both of us had wired, tagged and driven on dozens of striped marlin back in Australia, neither of us had ever wound one in. It was a bit of an ongoing joke with our fellow club members and added pressure we didn't need once the tournament started.

We walked the docks and there were no shortage of charter operators willing to offer us a boat for the day. Some were far more scrupulous than others and rates varied from USD300-1200 per day. Boats varied dramatically too from the bring-your-own life-jacket-and-paddles variety to world-class.

I think it is definitely a case of getting what you pay for, and you should expect to pay between USD700-1000 for a quality boat and crew. I can highly recommend reputable charter fleets such as Pisces, Minerva's and Picante.

As the sun was setting on our first day in Cabo we were getting a little thirsty so we met up with a buddy of mine, Tony Berkowitz, for a beer. Tony runs San Lucas Yacht Sales and is the local Black Watch dealer. Tony has lived in Cabo for 20 years and it was interesting to hear him describe how the town, and the fishing, used to be. We learnt many lessons off Tony during our stay but the first was to drink Pacifico beer instead of Corona. It's made by the same company but I must admit the Pacifico is indeed a sweeter drop. If anyone at Carlton United Breweries in Australia is reading this, do us all a favour and start importing Pacifico. You don't even need to stick a piece of lime in it!

Tony invited us to his favourite Japanese restaurant called Nick Sans and, while we thought we'd be eating Mexican on our first night in Cabo, no one was complaining. The food was absolutely fabulous and the Pacificos weren't bad either.

Over dinner Tony advised that he was taking a couple of friends fishing the next day and there was room for two more. Craig and I jumped at the chance of potentially losing our striped marlin virginity while striper veterans Fred and Michelle were happy to stay ashore and check out the town.

As we departed Nick Sans with our bellies bulging, the plan was made to meet at the boat at 6.00am. With the night still relatively young Craig and I decided to head down to El Squid Roe for a quick nightcap. After all it was only lunchtime back in Australia - no need to sleep yet!

Now I can't divulge the exact proceedings between midnight and 5.00am at El Squidy on the grounds it may incriminate us. However, as Craig and I stumbled into the street to be greeted by a shimmer of daylight in the sky, it was decided that a leisurely stroll to the boat would be all that is required in preparation for a day at sea.

Upon arrival at the marina, the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs wafting from the kitchen of the Baja Cantina was just too alluring and Tony kindly granted us permission to indulge in a hearty breakfast before throwing the ropes. Tony noticed we were still wearing the same clothes from the night before and all he could say was: "Squid Roe hey boys!"

VIRGINAL STRIPES
We jumped aboard a 32 Blackfin called Ole' Ole' which was a nice little boat that had all the gear for chasing stripers including a big livewell which we duly loaded with livebait from the local bait vendor. Most common livebait is mackerel which are basically identical to our slimy, and caballitos which are similar to our yakkas or yellowtail.

Tony's friends Joe and Chick had caught their fair share of stripers over past few days and were keen to tangle with some big yellowfin tuna, so we headed up the Pacific side of the peninsula into some cooler water.

Although we did catch a few small yellowfin, we didn't see any of the monsters that Cabo is famous for. By mid afternoon Craig and I had set up permanent residence on the padded engine boxes so Tony finally took pity on us and started trolling downsea towards some warmer water and hopefully a striper or two.

I was sound asleep when the call came from the flybridge that there was a tailing striped marlin in front of the boat. Somehow I managed to beat Craig to the casting rod which was loaded with a live caballito. Tony made the call to cast the bait to port and somehow, still half asleep, I managed to perform the perfect backhand cast with a Shimano TLD 30 and an unweighted livebait over the outrigger line and land the bait just metres from the marlin. Not that I could see the fish, I was only going by what Tony was telling me.

As I free-spooled the livebait back I felt that unmistakable grab of a billfish and the spool increased velocity. I set the hook and as the line came tight it was hard to believe I was connected to my first Mexican striped marlin.

At around 150lb it was a hot little fish and gave a good account for itself on 30lb tackle. After the crewman grabbed the leader, I donned the gloves and made sure there was photographic evidence of me holding my first striped marlin. No more banter from my mates back home. A swim beside the boat, a few quick photos and it was released to fight another day.

Although my striper virginity was lost, it looked like Craig's was going to remain intact for another day as we stowed the gear and headed for home. A couple of miles into our journey the boat made a sudden swerve to starboard as a couple of tailers were spotted nearly a mile away - boy these guys have good eyes.

As we paralleled the tailing stripers Craig cast the bait and prayed for a bite. He had to wait a little while but when it came it was a ripper.

The striper lunged half out of the water as it engulfed the livebait and Craig was soon hooked-up solid. Fifteen minutes later Craig had also successfully released his first striped marlin.
What a way end the day! What a place! I always reckoned sleep was overrated anyway.

We pre-fished one more day aboard Ole' Ole' before the tournament and on this occasion Fred and Michelle both released a striper. It was nice that the whole team had released a Mexican striped marlin each before the tournament had even started and gave us a bit of an insight to local methods.

GET SET, GO!
Sunday May 16 was team registration day where anglers received their tournament bags filled with goodies including three top-quality shirts. The tournament briefing and all-important boat draw took place that afternoon and was followed by a buffet dinner poolside at the Finisterra.

The boat draw establishes which boats each team will be fishing from over the four days of the tournament, with each team fishing aboard a different boat each day. The fleet comprised mainly of 30-40 footers with twin diesels.

Other tournament rules of interest include the use of 30lb Momoi Hi-Catch monofilament only, just 10 livebaits were allowed on each boat each day and all live and deadbaits must be rigged with circle hooks.

The livebait issue is something the IGFA needs to address for next year. Clearly 10 baits is not enough for a serious day's fishing and it was a shame to learn some boats did take more than 10 baits. We were offered extra baits every day, which we duly declined, but as we ran out of livebait on a few of occasions, a couple more probably would have resulted in more fish.

Getting 66 teams on to a different boat each day is a logistical nightmare but somehow the IGFA made it happen like clockwork. In fact the whole tournament was run with extreme precision and I'd go as far as saying it was the most organised tournament I have ever been to.

Day one dawned rather windy by Cabo standards and was indeed the roughest day of the tournament. We drew a 31 Bertram called Fish Tails for the first day and although the boat was tired it was soon evident that the captain and crew knew their stuff. We caught two striped marlin; one ate a Pakula Guru and the other we caught on a live caballito.

There were a total of 41 marlin tagged the first day. An impressive catch of four striped marlin and two dorado (mahi mahi) saw the Portuguese team leading the field with 1275.5pts. In second place on 1000pts was the team from the Texas Women's Anglers Tournament after releasing three stripers and a sailfish. There were six teams - including ourselves - tied for fifth place on 600pts.

Day two saw the weather improve dramatically, and as the day went on the seas became calmer. We drew our biggest (and slowest) boat of the tournament on day two, the Solmar VI. As was the case the day before, the boat might not have been the flashest but the crew tried their hardest to put us on fish.

Joining us aboard the Solmar VI were TV fishing presenter Bill Boyce and his cameraman Rick Westphal. We had a ball with Bill and Rick and ended up releasing three striped marlin for the day.

Bill's show is called World Class Sport Fishing, which is televised on the Outdoor Channel on ESPN in the US. Look out for the show covering the 2004 Rolex early in 2005.

Those three stripers pushed us to third place on 1500pts after the completion of day two while the Sicily Big Game Fishing Club was in second place with 1532.9pts. Now in the lead was the team representing the Nantucket Anglers Club Billfish Tournament with 1800pts. There were a total of 57 marlin released on day two.

SLIP AND SLIDE
On day three we jumped aboard a nice looking little boat called the Anamar II. In contrast to our previous two days, on this occasion we had a nice boat but a bad crew. I kindly asked the captain to take us to the location where we had caught three marlin the previous day but he had no intention of doing anything we asked of him. It was obvious that he was just there for a boat ride and as we dragged our lures around in the green water we could only shake our heads as the radio was alive with boats hooked-up further up the coast.

We did catch one suicidal striper on day three but at the end of the day we all felt this one-fish-day would cost us dearly. Don't expect to see this boat in the tournament lineup next year.
There were a total of 84 marlin released on day three which included an impressive five-fish-day for the team representing the Kona Firecracker Open. Holding their lead though was the Nantucket team with 2400 points while the Texas Women's team moved to second place with 1900pts and Portugal was third with 1875pts. We slipped from third to fifth place.

Day four was always going to be a close contest with at least a dozen teams in the race for victory. Although we were disappointed by our day three effort, our confidence increased dramatically as we stepped aboard our boat draw for the final day. The Tailchaser is an extremely well-equipped 32 Blackfin, and the father and son crew provided us with the confidence we needed. They had no hesitation in making the 40-mile run to where the fish were caught on the previous day.

Just before midday we stumbled on a patch of fish and they were hungry. We released three striped marlin in around 30 minutes and were feeling pretty good. In the hot action though our supply of ten livebaits deteriorated very quickly and a couple even died.

I rigged a couple of dead caballitos as skip baits which left us with a solitary livebait. When we spotted a tailing striper, the boat was put into position and the livebait was cast. Just as we thought the striper was going to eat the livebait it changed its mind and ate the skipbait. It hooked up immediately and as it tore off it got caught up in another line and subsequently busted off. You wouldn't read about it!

After resuscitating our last livebait we did get the opportunity to present it to another striper. This fish engulfed the bait and after a lengthy freespool we couldn't believe it when the line didn't come tight. With our livebait depleted, the rest of the afternoon was uneventful and we finished the day with just the three releases.

WOMEN ON TOP
By the final day the international field was obviously starting to get the hang of catching those Mexican stripers. There was a total of 115 marlin released on the final day making it by far the most successful.

Blitzing the field on the final day was the team representing the Texas Women's Anglers Tournament which released five marlin to amass a total of 3500pts for the tournament. The tally comprised 11 striped marlin, one sailfish and 100 bonus points for the team releasing the most fish. The Texas team received engraved Rolex timepieces and Bodo Muche bronze sculptures for the win.

Also making a surge on the final day was the team representing the Tobago Game Fishing Tournament who released four marlin. This brought their marlin tally to nine but an important 37.7lb dorado ensured them second place overall.

Third place could not be tighter, with both the Nantucket team and our team representing the Sunshine Coast Sailfish Shootout both releasing nine marlin to amass 2700pts. The Nantucket team walked away with the prizes though as they released their ninth marlin before us.

Commiserations must go to the team representing the PNG National Titles who travelled even further than us to get to Cabo and failed to release any marlin. Ouch!

The final tally for the four days was 297 striped marlin, one blue marlin and one sailfish released while 15 dorado, 10 wahoo and one tuna over the 25lb minimum were weighed.

All tournament functions, and in particular the Gala Awards dinner, were truly world-class and once again I must take my hat off to the IGFA and their band of volunteers for making the event so successful.

I have absolutely no doubt that the tournament will see even more teams in Cabo next year. If your tournament isn't a qualifying event then you should contact the IGFA and find out what is required to make it one. Hopefully a few more Aussie tournaments will become qualifying events so I can enter and increase my chances of getting back there next year.

Dates for the 2005 Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship are May 15-21.

Rolex IGFA 2004 Offshore Championship

Top Teams
First: Texas Women's Anglers Tournament, 3500 points - Edgar Artecona, Robin Artecona, Ryan Artecona, Amalee Artecona, Monte Love.
Second: Tobago Game Fishing Tournament, 2737.7 points - Frothy DeSilva, Edgar Dapremont, Andrew Llanos, David Wong.
Third: Nantucket Anglers Club Billfish Tournament, 2700 points - Joe Santolucito, Roy Santolucito, Jim Santolucito, Larry Kenney.

Top Male Anglers
First: Edgar Artecona, 1900 points representing the Texas Women's Anglers Tournament.
Second: Jamie Diller, 1500 points representing the While Marlin Open.
Third: Roy Santolucito, 1500 points representing the Nantucket Anglers Club Billfish Tournament.

Top Female Anglers
First: Maria Joao Gaioso, 930.3 points representing the Trofeu Clube Nautico De Tavira, Portugal.
Second: Grace Camfield, 900 points representing New Smyrna Beach Billfish team.
Third: Gene Duval, 600 points representing the Internationall Women's Fishing Association (IWFA).

Heaviest Wahoo
First: Geoff McGovern, 97.3lb - Nova Scotia International Tuna Tournament.
Second: Renee Cross, 72.2lb - Baton Rouge Big Game Tournament.
Third: Margie Adams, 57.7lb - IWFA Billfish Tournament.

Heaviest Dorado
First: Jason Langford, 62lb - Blue Marlin Classic, Western Australia.
Second: Diana Locke, 47.4lb - Isla Mujeres Ladies Billfish Tournament.
Third: Jose Eduardo, 45lb - Trofeu Clube Natico De Tavira, Portugal.

Heaviest Tuna
First: Pat Kelly, 68.9lb - Isla Mujeres Ladies Billfish tournament.
Second: Not won
Third: Not won

Top Crews
First: Angelina - Capt Edgar Chong, 3075.5 points.
Second: The Pride - Capt Antonio Romero, 2800 points.
Third: Mucho Loco - Capt Jan Cesina, 2700 points.