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Texas Legends Draws Big Crowd and Big Money
“5 O’Clock Somewhere” with lots of flags — 4 sailfish, 1 white marlin.
After Hurricane Dolly slammed into South Padre Island and Tropical Storm Edouard hit the upper coast, the stage was set for the top money tournament in Texas history.
Bluewater fishing this summer continues to be excellent and despite some tropical interference, fishermen are taking advantage of this banner year. The cost of fuel has kept many tied to the dock a little more than they like, but anglers are picking the weather and their favorite tournaments to make the best use of their time on the water.
In July, the Poco Bueno Invitational was held out of Port O'Connor with great weather and excellent fishing. A total of five blue marlin were weighed and many others released. With a field of close to 90 boats and prize money over $600,000 Poco Bueno is one of the premier tournaments on the Gulf Coast. This year's event was won by Doug Osburn's WASABI weighing a 518 pound blue marlin to barely edge out DOUBLE TROUBLE with their 503 pound blue. OUTLAW came in third with a 400 pound fish, followed by TAG TEAM andTEXAS RATTLER to round-out the top five places.
Hurricane Dolly then decided to pay a visit to our coast, hitting South Padre Island as a category two storm. Churning up the Gulf, it almost caused the cancellation of the Rockport Offshore Challenge, but tournament officials were able to postpone the event 24 hours and allow the seas to subside. Over sixty boats fished the delayed event and the blue marlin bite was still on. After their third place win at Poco Bueno, owner Gary Moss and the crew on OUTLAW weighed a 504 pound blue marlin to win the event. Mechanical Man won the Tag & Release Division with three blue marlin releases.
The weekend after the Rockport Offshore Challenge, the Texas International Fishing Tournament, one of the oldest tournaments in Texas, was completely cancelled due to Hurricane Dolly. Flooded roads and downed powerlines along with damaged docks and buildings made it clear to officials that there would be no tournament this year.
The next tournament, the Texas Legends Billfish Tournament, was scheduled for the following weekend. The "Legends" is known for its video release format, which is very popular among today's big game anglers. This tournament has grown significantly every year and this year should have been no exception, but with the unusual circumstances due to weather, the stage was set for a big event. With anglers ready to go fishing, no one had any idea what was about to transpire. By the time the smoke cleared at registration, there were 69 boats competing for over $746,000 in prize money That's more money than we have ever heard of in any Texas tournament!
Despite a slowdown in the red-hot fishing that Texans have been enjoying this summer, 27 billfish were released. Top honors went to owner Ed Bass and the crew on the AKELA, catching one blue marlin and two white marlin. The 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE came in second with four sailfish and one white marlin. HIGH COTTON and FAMILY TIES finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively, with one blue marlin each. Top yellowfin tuna went to BRAND NAME with a 115 lb. fish. First place wahoo was 59.5 lbs., caught aboard the THUNDER. The largest dolphin, weighing 34.2 lbs, was brought in by TICO TIME. First place swordfish went to the REEL INSANITY with 64.7 lbs.
The Texas Legends tournament is based out of Virginia's Restaurant in Port Aransas, Texas. Tournament participants can leave from any Texas port and fish the entire coast. We have structured the layout of this tournament to be one of the most fun, fair and enjoyable tournaments on the coast and it is dedicated to celebrating our big game fishing heritage.
During the Memorial Dinner on the last night of the tournament, we always host the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame Big Game Awards. This year's inductees were: Walter W. Fondren III, founding chairman of the GCCA and founder of the Poco Bueno Invitational; Will Ohmstede, another key leader in CCA and avid fisherman; Capt. Lloyd A. Dreyer, famous charter fishing icon and professional captain from Port Aransas; Doyle F. "Junior" Wells, well-known captain and businessman from South Padre Island. We invite you to go to www.txsaltwaterfishinghall.com to view the complete biographies of these fellow sportsmen and other inductees in the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
For more information about tournament fishing in Texas or the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame, come by our Fox Yacht Sales office at Tops-N-Towers. We're always happy to answer your questions. At Fox we have an extensive inventory of brokerage boats as well as new CABO and Riviera Yachts and we will be glad to help you find a boat or sell yours. We specialize in sportfishing boats and motor yachts. Come by and get a great deal on your next boat. For more information call our Seabrook office at 281-291-0656 or call Capt John Cochrane direct at 409-739-4817.
Bluewater fishing this summer continues to be excellent and despite some tropical interference, fishermen are taking advantage of this banner year. The cost of fuel has kept many tied to the dock a little more than they like, but anglers are picking the weather and their favorite tournaments to make the best use of their time on the water.
In July, the Poco Bueno Invitational was held out of Port O'Connor with great weather and excellent fishing. A total of five blue marlin were weighed and many others released. With a field of close to 90 boats and prize money over $600,000 Poco Bueno is one of the premier tournaments on the Gulf Coast. This year's event was won by Doug Osburn's WASABI weighing a 518 pound blue marlin to barely edge out DOUBLE TROUBLE with their 503 pound blue. OUTLAW came in third with a 400 pound fish, followed by TAG TEAM andTEXAS RATTLER to round-out the top five places.
Hurricane Dolly then decided to pay a visit to our coast, hitting South Padre Island as a category two storm. Churning up the Gulf, it almost caused the cancellation of the Rockport Offshore Challenge, but tournament officials were able to postpone the event 24 hours and allow the seas to subside. Over sixty boats fished the delayed event and the blue marlin bite was still on. After their third place win at Poco Bueno, owner Gary Moss and the crew on OUTLAW weighed a 504 pound blue marlin to win the event. Mechanical Man won the Tag & Release Division with three blue marlin releases.
The weekend after the Rockport Offshore Challenge, the Texas International Fishing Tournament, one of the oldest tournaments in Texas, was completely cancelled due to Hurricane Dolly. Flooded roads and downed powerlines along with damaged docks and buildings made it clear to officials that there would be no tournament this year.
The next tournament, the Texas Legends Billfish Tournament, was scheduled for the following weekend. The "Legends" is known for its video release format, which is very popular among today's big game anglers. This tournament has grown significantly every year and this year should have been no exception, but with the unusual circumstances due to weather, the stage was set for a big event. With anglers ready to go fishing, no one had any idea what was about to transpire. By the time the smoke cleared at registration, there were 69 boats competing for over $746,000 in prize money That's more money than we have ever heard of in any Texas tournament!
Despite a slowdown in the red-hot fishing that Texans have been enjoying this summer, 27 billfish were released. Top honors went to owner Ed Bass and the crew on the AKELA, catching one blue marlin and two white marlin. The 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE came in second with four sailfish and one white marlin. HIGH COTTON and FAMILY TIES finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively, with one blue marlin each. Top yellowfin tuna went to BRAND NAME with a 115 lb. fish. First place wahoo was 59.5 lbs., caught aboard the THUNDER. The largest dolphin, weighing 34.2 lbs, was brought in by TICO TIME. First place swordfish went to the REEL INSANITY with 64.7 lbs.
The Texas Legends tournament is based out of Virginia's Restaurant in Port Aransas, Texas. Tournament participants can leave from any Texas port and fish the entire coast. We have structured the layout of this tournament to be one of the most fun, fair and enjoyable tournaments on the coast and it is dedicated to celebrating our big game fishing heritage.
During the Memorial Dinner on the last night of the tournament, we always host the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame Big Game Awards. This year's inductees were: Walter W. Fondren III, founding chairman of the GCCA and founder of the Poco Bueno Invitational; Will Ohmstede, another key leader in CCA and avid fisherman; Capt. Lloyd A. Dreyer, famous charter fishing icon and professional captain from Port Aransas; Doyle F. "Junior" Wells, well-known captain and businessman from South Padre Island. We invite you to go to www.txsaltwaterfishinghall.com to view the complete biographies of these fellow sportsmen and other inductees in the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
For more information about tournament fishing in Texas or the Texas Saltwater Fishing Hall of Fame, come by our Fox Yacht Sales office at Tops-N-Towers. We're always happy to answer your questions. At Fox we have an extensive inventory of brokerage boats as well as new CABO and Riviera Yachts and we will be glad to help you find a boat or sell yours. We specialize in sportfishing boats and motor yachts. Come by and get a great deal on your next boat. For more information call our Seabrook office at 281-291-0656 or call Capt John Cochrane direct at 409-739-4817.