La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico - Ana Maria owner Mark Martin and his crew won their second crown of the year at the 5th International Tuna and Marlin Fishing Tournament at Bahía de Banderas, Riviera Nayarit, with a 152.7 kg Marlin caught on Friday, July 15.

The crew on Ana Maria worked hard on Friday 15th to get the best catch of the 5th International Tuna and Marlin Fishing Tournament at Bahía de Banderas, and did well with their 152.7 kg Marlin that was enough to claim their second Riviera Nayarit championship of the year, since last June they also won the San Blas Tournament.

Rain falling on Friday night made things difficult for the Saturday fishing, when the two catches of Marlin registered for the second and third place of the competition, and when just one out of three tunas presented made it for the minimum weight, a 51 kg yellow finned caught by Hold On that served to give them the third place on the competition. Therefore, the 65.5 kg catch presented on Friday by My Way and the 65 kg tuna also presented on Friday by Guayabitos Team, stood first and second for the awards ceremony.

Sailfish, which hid for Friday Catch and Release competition, appeared on Saturday for the crews of Monkey Business and La Nona.

“Two years ago I bought this boat and decided to spend my time fishing over the Mexican Pacific during the Winter. I’m from Germany but live in Pennsylvania, I come to Riviera Nayarit ever since and have already won six Marlin tournaments, including this year´s at San Blas and now Bahía de Banderas, both at Riviera Nayarit. Today (Sunday) we had no luck, but we are still happy because we have won the tourney,” said Mark Martin.

The crew of 007, that arrived early on Sunday with a 105.4 kg Marlin – just over the minimum weight — said that last day of competition wasn´t easy at all. “We were looking for the fish the whole day and could only catch it at La Corbeteña with enough time to get back on the marina,” they said, still excited about getting the third place and very close to the jackpot.

Riviera Nayarit is one of the most important fishing destinations in the world, as it offers great fishing year-round and several kinds of fish like wahoo, sailfish, dolphin-fish, tuna, three different species of marlin, sawfish, and snapper, among many others.

Additionally, our destination offers world-class marinas, fiberglass specialists, and technicians that can fix all the gadgets found on a ship, as well as incredible restaurants, luxurious hotels and the complete infrastructure that this sport demands.

FINAL RESULTS

Marlin
1st: Ana Maria - 152.7 kg
2nd: Animal House - 143.4 kg
3rd: 007 TEAM - 105.4 kg

Tuna
1st: My Way - 65.5 kg
2nd: Guayabitos - 65 kg
3rd: Hold On - 51 kg
4th: My Way - 48.8 kg
5th: Los Matadores - 42.7 kg

Mahi Mahi (special)
1st: Drink Team - 12.6 kg
2nd: Sierra, Acayapan - 10.3 kg