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10 -7 hauls mightiest mahi
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Posted on Apr 03 2023
Captain of the boat 10-7, Keith O. Torres, holding plaque, won the first place prize of $2,500 in the 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby with a 26.2-lb mahi last Saturday at the Smiling Cove Marina weighing station. (LEIGH GASES)
No one was made a fool on a sun-splashed Saturday as the weather was finally calm enough to proceed with the 19th Annual Mahi Fishing Derby—with the boat 10-7 hauling the biggest catch at 26.2 lbs.
Captained by Keith O Torres, the catch won him and fellow angler Ceejay Echalico $2,500.
Second place for $1,500 was the boat Ka Fish On with a 22.2-lb mahi captained by Manuel Mogar.
For $1,000 at third place was the boat Victoria with a 22-lb haul captained by Diego Benavente.
Fourth place was the Salty Bandits’ catch of 21.1 lbs for a $400 gift certificate from Fishing Tackle, gift bag from Budweiser, and a $25 GC from Last Shot Bar.
Fifth place was the boat Orion with a 20.7-lb catch for a $200 GC from Fishing Tackle, gift bag from Budweiser, and a $25 GC from Last Shot Bar.
At just about 10 minutes into the derby, Torres said that their lure baited the mahi which turned out to be the biggest catch. With 15 years of fishing experience under his belt, he said they’ve also won the Saipan International Fishing Tournament in previous years.
“I want to thank the Saipan Fishermen’s Association. Everything comes from God and I’m very blessed—not to catch this fish, but to fish with each and everyone here. That’s the main [goal], it’s to go out and have fun with each and everyone here,” said Torres.
SFA president Tony Scragg said after the derby that 52 boats entered and it was a great turnout.
As for the postponement of the derby, he said “I think the postponement definitely had a [good number] of participants. The water wasn’t quite [for] small craft, but it was border, so we made the call to postpone it until we had calmer weather. And we had weather like we did today—so we got more participants. Everybody gets out there and gets a chance—big or small boat,” he said.
Sponsors of the derby were MarPac and Budweiser and Tan Holdings—both celebrating 50 years of business and community contributions to the CNMI.
The derby was set for March 25, but due to inclement weather, the SFA decided to postpone it for a week to April 1.
Results of the side bet winner will be posted in the next issue of Saipan Tribune.
