During the recently held second annual Bom Bom Island Invitational Blue Marlin Tournament in Principe, West Africa there were two granders caught and nearly every angler achieved a personal best. Due to limited boat availability this year the field was comprised of only six anglers who rotated between three boats. During the six-day tournament fifteen blue marlin were tagged and released and one tail-wrapped fish that came up dead was boated. She weighed 806 pounds at the scales and was the largest blue marlin California angler Chris Allen had ever caught. The meat was greatly appreciated by the local townsmen of San Antonio. The fish along with an earlier tag and release pushed Allen into the first day lead. Mark Sanders tagged a 450-pound blue that day as well.

Day two of the tournament was particularly productive for Georgian Terry Tri who tagged and released three blue marlin with an average weight of 800 pounds in less than four hours. The last of these was an 850-pounder that was part of a double-header with both fish being caught. Tri?s three tags vaulted him into first place at the end of the second day. Larry Walker from Texas also tagged an 800-pound fish, the largest blue marlin of his career.

The fishing was equally hot the next day with four more marlin being tagged. One of these was a huge fish estimated at 1100 pounds caught by John Paul from California. Chris Allen tagged his third fish, a nice 650-pounder and fellow Californian Mark Sanders moved into the fray with two more tags of his own. In addition Larry Walker lost a nice fish estimated at 900 pounds after a short fight.

Sanders caught the only marlin of the fourth day and moved into first place with 2000 points off four tag and releases. There was other action though as Tri caught a 212-pound yellowfin tuna and Walker took a 177-pounder, his largest tuna ever.

Early the next morning Sanders solidified his first place position with his fifth tag, a small fish of about 200 pounds. Ken Leisher from Newport Beach, California had the most excitement of the day. His first fish of the tournament was a 1050-pound blue marlin that put on a spectacular show. He was considering gaffing it when the fish lurched and broke the leader. There were three 50-pound tuna caught as well.

The last day of the tournament was wet and stormy. The only marlin caught was a small 250-pounder tagged by John Paul. This fish was half of a double-header with the larger of the two fish swimming free. The tournament finished with the same flare with which it started with two more huge fish being seen. Larry Walker had a strike from a blue estimated at 900 pounds plus and Terry Tri briefly had a marlin on of 1000 pounds plus before the fish spit the hook on the second jump after ripping off more than 300 yards of line.

Mark Sanders took home the beautiful locally carved trophy and the $3000 in prize money with five tagged fish. All that competed though considered themselves winners and the tournament a success. The sixteen blue marlin caught averaged over 520 pounds with two being in excess of a thousand. Two other granders were seen in addition to two more fish estimated at 900 to 1000 pounds. Thus the participants had encountered six "grander-class" fish in just six days of fishing. Considering the fact that there were only three boats on the water; that is incredible!

Mark and his trophy Chris Allen on a fish

Terry's 212-pound tuna

Bom Bom Island Resort 32-foot Blackfin

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