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SFA hopeful postponed derby pushes thru on April 1
It’s not an April Fools’ Day joke, as the Saipan Fishermen’s Association is looking at finally pushing through with its postponed 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby this April 1.
SFA president Tony Scragg said it was out of an abundance of caution that they postponed last Saturday’s derby for a week as rough weather was expected last March 25.
“Our vice president and committee members made the decision based on rough waters and the potential for a small craft advisory. Safety is always first and foremost and that was the reason for the cancellation of the event last Saturday,” he said.
Fortunately, so far things are looking good for the derby to finally commence on April 1.
“The waters for this Saturday, April 1st, are looking great and the 29th Annual Mahi Derby is a go! Registration will happen at 4pm this Friday, March 31, at Smiling Cove Marina,” said Scragg.
Originally, the SFA president was expecting 40 boats to take part in the derby, but he later amended it to, “but with calmer waters we could see more.”
Scragg again thanked MarPac and Budweiser and Tan Holdings, both celebrating 50 years of business and community contributions to the CNMI, for sponsoring the 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby.
The crew who lands the mightiest mahi takes home $2,500, while second and third place pockets $1,500 and $1,000, respectively. Fourth and fifth places get in-kind prizes.
Aside from boat crew registration, there will also be a briefing on the event and rules this Friday.
“As a reminder to the participants, we highly encourage boat owners to have up-to-date registration and safety requirements. If they are in need of having this done they can contact DPS Boating Safety located at Smiling Cove Marina,” Scragg earlier said.
The registration fee for the 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby is $100 per boat, including one captain and one angler, and $25 for each additional angler.
Last year, Salty Bandits 2 topped the tournament after netting a monster mahi weighing 21.1 lbs. Second place went to Sweet Candy and their 19.2-lb catch, while third place was the 18.1-pounder caught by J3RM.
For more information about the 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby, call Scragg at (670) 483-4597.
