Botin Saba takes grand prize

Botin Saba is named after a type of tuna, but the father-and-son crew of Paul and James Roberto topped the grand prize of the invigorated 39th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament with the biggest billfish caught in the two-day derby.

The father-and-son crew of Paul and James Roberto aboard the Botin Saba topped the 39th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament after snagging a 140.3-lbs billfish last Sunday. (FLOYD MASGA)

The Robertos actually capped a rollercoaster ride of emotions for the Top 3 grand prize winners as Islas Marianas and Emmanuel earlier weighed in with what everyone thought was the tournament’s grand prizewinning fish.

Islas Marianas took pole position with its 127.2-lb billfish caught on Day 1 last Saturday.

On Day 2 last Sunday, Emmanuel took first place 40 minutes before the 6pm cutoff for boats coming in with its 130.2-lb billfish, but as organizers were just about to write the grand prize check out to the Emmanuel crew, Botin Saba wheeled in their 140.3-lbs billfish that eventually ruled the 2023 edition of the Saipan International Fishing Tournament.

James Roberto thanked Lady Luck for he and his father finally winning the grand prize of the derby, which returned to its two-day format this year after COVID-19 and high gas prices shortened it to a one-day affair the past couple of years.

“This was pure luck and a blessing. We lost a big one yesterday (Saturday) and we tried to catch it back again but we couldn’t. We went out there and we told ourselves we’re looking for that big one. But nothing hit all day until 2:30pm almost 3pm. We got lucky on this and that was it,” he told the media.

The 20-year fisherman, who has been accompanying his father on “reel dates” since he was about 5 years old, said perseverance paid off for the duo.

“Day 1 was challenging. After we lost the big one yesterday we were down and our spirits were shot. We were happy to get this one today,” he said.

He also didn’t divulge where they caught the 140.3-pounder last Sunday.

“Out in the ocean,” was his secretive answer.

In an interview before Botin Saba came in, derby record-holder Emmanuel captain Michael James of Guam said he alway loves coming to Saipan to take part in the 39th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament.

While James didn’t say what lure he used, he did say he caught it about 3-5 miles out of Smiling Cove Marina. He added that “I’ve been fishing in this tournament since 2022. I’ve been here for a long time. The Saipan derby is one of the most prestigious fishing derbies in this region. That’s why we Guam people will go out of our way just to come here and participate. It’s because the fishing association in this place is the best and it’s outstanding. I just want to thank them for hosting and this is really a blessing,” he said.

James was joined in the boat by longtime friend George Arriola and nephew Christian Camacho. Incidentally, Arriola was a deckhand on James’ boat when they caught the Saipan International Fishing Tournament record 942-lb record in 2012.

In other unofficial results, St. Jude topped the yellowfin category with a 44.6-lb catch with Happy Hooker taking second place with its 33.8-pounder. Boats Betty Ann and Chang shared third place with identical 16-lb hauls.

In the wahoo category, Lady V took the prize with a whopping 42.9-lb fish, followed by Here Fishee Fishee and Only Reelz with their 31-lb and 26.3-lb wahoos, respectively.

Navigator then nipped Reel Tight in the mahi mahi category, 22.2 lbs to 21.7 lbs, with Botin Saba’s 10.8-pounder taking third place.

In the skipjack category, St. Jude took the cake after hooking a 13.2-lb fish. Ruby Fishing came in second with her 12.9-pounder, while San Juan and Fan Gote finished tied in this place with similar 12.4-lb fish.

A total of 91 boats took part in the 39th Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament with some 10 vessels coming from neighboring Guam.