By Bryan Rose

The 16th Annual Mikelson Catalina Classic Marlin Tournament started out with what was undoubtedly an incredible day. There was little chance that the fishing could outshine the opening day when day two dawned, but it was soon apparent that day one was simply an omen of things to come. While the marlin had been moving north and west to and across the top of the tournament boundaries that movement slowed and reversed itself; leaving the competitors in a veritable hornets nest of feeding billfish.

The first fish to be released came at the hands of the California Style, but the Scrambler, Reel Time, Buck Fever and La Dulce Vida soon showed that the early action was no fluke and that it would continue well into the afternoon. The action was steady through until 10:00 when the floodgates opened and the fish really started piling on. C-Bandit opened the flurry with a quick release and the After Midnight followed just a minute behind. Rickdiculous, Code 3, Buck Fever, and Bad Company all followed with releases before 10:30 including a double by the Team Bad Company Viking.

By Bryan Rose

The 16th Annual Mikelson Catalina Classic Marlin Tournament got off to an incredible start on Monday morning. Forty-eight boats took to the water with a wild shotgun start from outside the Avalon Harbor and past the tournament control on the EPYCs Pacific Provider. The fleet was greeted by a grease like slick ocean surface which was perfect for high speed running. Most boats headed north and went straight to the northern edge of the tournament grid where they had left off fishing during the Zane Grey Invitational a week before. Other crews opted to head offshore and others went around the south end of Catalina Island, though most seemed to end up in that same area off the west end. A few crews held back from the mayhem and took a relaxed approach but the majority were at full throttle as they headed to their chosen grounds.

The 16th Annual Catalina Classic kicks off today, Monday September 22 as a field of fifty boats leave Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island for the first of two scheduled fishing days. It is the third and final stop of the California Billfish Series held in three concurrent weeks on Catalina and is the culmination of all the events. The tournament has the highest number of participants of all three runs and is one of the biggest marlin tournaments on the Pacific Ocean each year.