Santa Soledad rules Tuna Mix Classic

Santa Soledad deckhand Tak Nakazato holds the giant $3,000 check and 1st place trophy after topping Tasi to Table Inc.’s Inaugural Tuna Mix Classic 2021 fishing tournament. They are joined in the photo by Tasi to Table president Gene Weaver and vice president Wayne Pangelinan and Bank of Saipan president and CEO John Z. Arroyo, among others. (Mark Rabago)

The crew of Santa Soledad had a windfall larger than most stimulus cards after winning Tasi to Table Inc.’s Inaugural Tuna Mix Classic 2021 fishing tournament held last Saturday in the waters off the Northern Marianas.

Santa Soledad won the first-ever Tuna Mix Classic after landing a 42.6-lb yellowfin tuna and a 101.6-lb marlin for a combined total weight of 144.2 lbs. It narrowly beat Lorraine which brought in 144.1 lbs of fish—a 143-lb marlin and a 1.1-b skipjack.

Aside from getting the $3,000 prizemoney and $300 worth of gift certificates for topping the competition, captain Mark Reyes and crewmember Tak Nakazato also won the side bet worth $1,000 for reeling in the heaviest tuna for a cool $4,000—not a bad day for less than 14 hours out in the water.

“It’s a regular tournament so I guess the luck was there…. We caught it west of Marpi Reef… We were using an electric reel so it only took a couple of minutes like three minutes and it came by the boat and we picked it up,” said Nakazato after the awards ceremony at the Smiling Cove weighing station.

The more than 30-year fishing veteran said the 42.6-lb yellowfin was so heavy that at first he and Reyes thought it was a much bigger type of fish.

Santa Soledad captain Mark Reyes shows off the 42.6-lb yellowfin tuna he and deckhand Tak Nakazato reeled in during Tasi to Table Inc.’s Inaugural Tuna Mix Classic 2021 fishing tournament held last Saturday in the waters off the Northern Marianas. (Mark Rabago)

“I thought it was a marlin because it was so big. My partner was the one pulling the line up and I said ‘it’s a yellowfin it’s not a marlin.’”

When asked what he and Reyes plan to do with the money they won, the 55-year-old Nakazato had a ready reply. “Give to my friends and family…Of course it’s better than the stimulus money for one day’s work…we dedicate [this win] to our fellow fishermen…We’re all the same trying to grab the prize.”

Captain Cecilio Raiukiulipiy and crewmembers Herb Sablan and Ernesto Rangamar of Lorraine settled for second place and the $2,000 runner-up purse and $200 worth of gift certificates, while third place went to Sex Sea of skipper Abraham S. Quitugua and second-mate Patrick Deleon Guerrero with their 120.4-lb catch that included a 4.8-lb skipjack and a 115.6-lb marlin. They won $1,000 and a $100 gift certificate for all their troubles.

Fourth and fifth place went to Y-Knot TTT of captain Alex Castro and crewmen Derik Reyes Jr., Ricky George, Khaka Castro, and Dan Wollak and J&MJ of captain Manuel Mogar and deckhand Lawrence Pantola. Castro and company reeled in 104.6 lbs of fish (104-lb tuna, 0.7-lb skipjack) while Mogar and Pantola submitted fish totaling 89.3 lbs (7.6-lb skipjack and 81.7-lb marlin).

TTT president Gene Weaver said a total of 124 captains and crew in 35 boats took part in the Tuna Mix Classic 2021 fishing tournament.

“The turnout was great with everything going on this weekend. You’ve got the HANMI golf tournament and you’ve got the Beef, Beer, and Bands [Festival] on Tinian. To have all these events and come out with 35 boats, I’m happy, I’m satisfied. I think we did a great job considering what’s going on this time…[It’s] the first time we did this. We expected 35 boats and we got 35 boats,” he said.

Bank of Saipan president and CEO John Z. Arroyo said his company is already looking forward to sponsoring the 2nd Annual Tuna Mix Classic.

“It was a great event. Everyone had fun and there was a lot of good fish caught today and good prizes going out. I think this is great for the island and I wish we can continue to do these things. We’re going to this next year as well and we’re very really proud to do this especially the reasons behind it like the education of the young kids. Teaching them life skills like fishing and conservation and things like that. We’re happy to be here and we’re very proud to be part of this team,” he said.

Aside from Bank of Saipan, Pacific Trading Co. also came in as a main sponsor of the event. Other sponsors include 4EVER CNMI, Roil Soil Clothing, IT&E, Herman’s Modern Bakery, GR Construction, Pacific Auto, Universal Rentals, and Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods.

Tasi to Table also would like to extend its gratitude to the following government agencies for helping them hold the Inaugural Tuna Mix Classic fishing tournament—American Memorial Park, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Department of Public Safety Boating Division, Smiling Cove Marina, Rep. Leila Staffler (D-Saipan), and the Marianas Visitors Authority.