The Pasito Blanco boat won after a historic comeback, catching and releasing its third blue marlin just minutes before the tournament's end, surpassing 'Shockwave' and 'Naiss', which completed the podium with two catches each. This historic edition, marked by an abundance of billfish and characterized by the catch-and-release format, concluded with 24 marlin released by 16 of the 43 participating boats.
At the buzzer, with only a few minutes left before the tournament's end, the 'Cata Gran Canaria', skippered by Lithuanian Danius, pulled off a masterstroke, catching and releasing its third blue marlin—the second of the day—to complete a historic comeback and secure the overall victory at the 6th Gran Canaria International Deep-Sea Fishing Open. The fishing competition was marked by an abundance of marlin and concluded with 24 fish released back into the sea unharmed.
The podium was completed by Jorge Luis Ramos' 'Shockwave' and Ignacio Pérez Hernández's 'Naiss' —champion in the 2025 edition—, with two specimens of blue weevil each (the name by which it is known in the Canary Islands), released after completing the mission of bringing them to the boat and returning them unharmed to the calm waters of southern Gran Canaria.
Crístofer Marrero Martín, captain of the 'Cata Gran Canaria'—a charter boat based in Pasito Blanco—explained that on the first day they landed a 250-kilo specimen before releasing it. On Saturday, they managed to catch and release two more marlin almost consecutively: “We saw that there were a lot of tuna present and, after about 11 minutes of fighting, the fish approached the boat without any problems.” After this, and with the end of the permitted fishing period fast approaching, they decided to explore the same area, catching a third specimen that they estimate weighed around 120 kilos.
Jorge Luis Ramos's 'Shockwave' made its two catches on Friday, between Puerto Rico and the El Pajar cement plant, in waters about 500 meters deep. “We got one first, but we lost it quickly. The first one to come out was very big-headed: my son Luis fought it for an hour, but we managed to bring it aboard. The second one was smaller and took about 20 minutes,” said Jorge Luis, who congratulated the champion. “We've really enjoyed these two days,” he concluded.
Agustín Pérez, from the 'Naiss' fishing club, described his catches as unexpected. He explained that they were about 600 meters from Puerto Rico when they sensed movement nearby. They got an initial bite, and as they were reeling in, a second rod signaled a double bite: “Luckily, the two marlin went in opposite directions, and both Héctor Gómez and my son, Ignacio Pérez, were able to complete the process and release the fish unharmed,” explained the 2025 champion.
This podium finish marked the end of an unprecedented edition of the Open High Seas Fishing Tournament, in which 16 boats achieved the prize of at least one catch and release. Veteran anglers consider this edition among those with the highest number of blue marlin catches in the waters off southern Gran Canaria. While the first day saw eleven catch-and-release operations, Saturday, the decisive day, recorded twelve.
The morning began with the departure of the 43 competitors from the marinas of Pasito Blanco, Puerto Rico, and Mogán. Engines roared to life, revving to reach the optimal zone as quickly as possible, a zone determined by the skill, knowledge, and instincts of the skippers.
Shortly after, a change in the standings was announced following a correction made by the official Open jury. Jorge Luis Ramos's 'Shockwave' finished the first day in a strong position, entering the Pasito Blanco dock with two catches. However, the competition jury initially disqualified one of the two catches provisionally, while requesting further information. On Saturday morning, the Open judges accepted the appeal, and as a result, 'Shockwave' regained the points for the second catch and took the lead in the standings.
Up to that point, a total of ten boats had reported successfully catching and releasing a blue marlin each. At that moment, the top three were 'El Pirata' and 'Millenium Uno'. They were followed by boats such as 'May Nieves', 'Cata Gran Canaria', 'El Monty', 'Leire', 'Garvi Uno', 'Marsana', 'Cavalier Uno', and 'Dulcemar'. The start of the second and final day was at 9:15 a.m., and the abundance of blue marlin throughout the tournament—proven by a record-breaking day in terms of points—suggested that the winner of the sixth edition would be decided in a thrilling final few minutes.
Speed was crucial once again. Brian González's 'El Pirata' took the lead for the second consecutive day and was the first to report a bite. He was followed by Ignacio Pérez Hernández's 'Naiss', the reigning champion, who managed two consecutive catches. Therefore, three contenders each had two catches. After them came 'Blue Marlin III' and 'Morrice', while 'Cata Gran Canaria' began its comeback, culminating in three catches just minutes before the final whistle. 'Therapy' and 'Noalex' also scored their first points in those final moments.
The Gran Canaria International Deep-Sea Fishing Open is an event organized by the Pasito Blanco Yacht Club and the Gran Canaria Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Gran Canaria Tourism and with the collaboration of Gran Canaria Blue. The deep-sea fishing festival concluded with the traditional dinner and awards ceremony at the Punta Yacht Club in Pasito Blanco.
