May hosted another of Phil's Mini-Tournaments.  We all get excited about something a step beyond the regular charters, the Captains are always anxious for some competition and a love to put their skills and experience to good use.  Ross MacLean from Colorado amassed a group of 11 fishing enthusiasts and they began this adventure on the 7th of May.  Three top class small boats were selected for the first day, the SOL, the ESPERANZA and the VIKINGO.  The group did a random draw in the morning for boat placement and then at 7:00 am they were off in different directions.  The good news was that everyone caught fish; the difficult part was to decide who was a prizewinner for the 'Biggest fish', the 'Most fish' and so on. 

This was my job and I had meticulously printed out charts and pasted them to poster board.  These were enclosed in plastic bags and I even included a pen.  So with my authority as official judge and prize delegator I was given the day's charts (well, actually only 2 of them, the 3rd has not yet turned up).  With 30 minutes to decide on the winners, I looked at the records.  The names were all there but no one recorded a weight or a measurement.  Someone caught and released a Manta Ray but this is not considered a sport fish.  One angler noted, 'Bumble Bee, Tiger and 1/2 Pelican'.  What was I supposed to do with this information?  Was this a 'Tiger Shark' and did it account for the other half of the pelican?  It seemed that this guy should be the Grand Prize winner but with no Tiger Shark and not even a Pelican feather, just a nasty bee sting, he was off the list. 

So, with absolutely NO information, Phil set off with his prizes and met Ross and his group for their celebration dinner at the El Dorado Restaurant.  The prizes did not include automobiles or outboard motors as most tournaments do, just a selection of Phil's Jigs that we mentioned last month and a few other appropriate consolation prizes.  Phil, a natural MC began the awards with the statement, "So who caught the biggest fish?"  Phil had absolutely no idea but all eyes turned to Mark, a fishing guide from Denver. 

The second prize was for the angler with the most fish.  Phil, still in the dark grinned as everyone applauded and Chris took the prize.  This was easier than Phil thought.  So however competitive we thought they may be, Ross MacLean and his family and buddies turned out to be fun loving and just happy to eat the catch of the day. 

A tournament is never over in one day and Ross and the guys had reserved what we consider the best that Vallarta has to offer in the 38' class.  The STRIKE ONE and the ANTICIPATION were head to head on the 8th and also set off in different directions.  At the end of the day it looked like the ANTICIPATION was the winner with an impressive catch of Dorado.  With no pre determined rules it was once again a tough call and the anglers on the STRIKE ONE thought that perhaps their very big Pargo should be the overall winner.  Once again, as impartial judge, I really had to give it to the ANTICIPATION.