The Tribune

NO ONE enjoyed the first Bahamas Billfish Championship (BBC) tournament at Green Turtle Cay more than Joe Possillico, owner of the winning boat, Torta.

Over three exciting days fishing Team Torta, aboard the 61-foot Viking from Farmingdale, New York, released three blue marlin, one white marlin and a sailfish to clinch victory in the second leg of this year’s competition.

Team Torta released fish each day of the tournament to earn 2,100 points and moved into the overall lead at the halfway point of the 2014 championship.

Angler Bill Gardner guided Team The Boomer to a second place finish with three blue marlin releases. The 76-foot Whiticar from Hartford, Wisconsin, released two blue marlin on day two and on day three released their third blue marlin. It made for an exciting final few hours of the tournament as Torta and The Boomer traded top spot throughout the afternoon.

Team Hooker, led by Kenneth Cummins, had a successful first day as three separate anglers released two blue marlin and a white marlin putting them in third place. The team, from Bradenton, Florida, was pleased as all three anglers had never released a marlin before.

The event, co-hosted by resorts Bluff House and Green Turtle Club, was staged on Green Turtle Cay this year after the channel to White Sound was dredged to accommodate the BBC’s sportsfish fleet.

The championship produced 14 blue marlin, seven white marlin and four sailfish and all billfish were released. It proved that the Blue Marlin are in Abaco as every boat fishing the tournament reported bites and seeing large specimens on the fishing grounds. This has increased expectation for the final two legs of the 2014 Championship.

Team Torta leads with 2,900 points, 500 points ahead of Blue Sky and Marlin Darlin. But with Torta and Blue 

Sky moving back to the United States the championship is wide open.

The third leg of the series, staged in Abaco, takes place from June 4–8 at Treasure Cay Resort and Marina. The BBC is the oldest billfish tournament series in the world and anglers can fish any or all of the tournaments with cumulative points determining the overall winner.

• For more information on the BBC, including results, tournament dates and photo galleries visit the BSFN (Bahamas Sport Fishing Network) page at tribune242.com or bsfn.biz.