The Blue Weevil is the protagonist of the first day of the Gran Canaria International Open

 

A day to remember with up to 15 bites. The Blue Marlin, long-awaited treasure of the Atlantic kingdom, athlete and the greatest sprinter in the Canary waters, known as Picudo Azul and weighing nearly 300 kilos, emerged this Friday, August 25, as the absolute protagonist of the first day of the third edition of the Gran Canaria Open International Deep Sea Fishing with ten confirmed catches and releases and another five appearances, in an event with few precedents in the 34 years that add up to the new international format and the precedent of the Pasito Blanco Fishing Contest. 

 

 

José Miguel Barbosa's 'Faelo', docked in Pasito Blanco, managed to capture two specimens of this great blue sprinter. With this milestone, he leads the classification ahead of nine other skippers who managed to approach, capture and then release, as established by the competition rules, a specimen of blue weevil. The podium of the first day is completed by the ´Gara´ of Luis Pérez Gálvez and Gara Guerra, who achieved the first confirmed catch of the day and the ´Blackfin´ of Emilio Ley, who was the second fastest to achieve his prize. Six other boats remain on the table tied with one dive. In this way, Phillip A. Cross's 'Wild One'; Rodger Thomas Burston's 'Reel Escape'; the ´Corali Primero´ by Luis Peñate; Wim Moens' 'Run Away'; Jesús Urriza's 'Philgood'; and Ignacio Pérez's 'Naiss' reach the last day with options for victory.       

 

“It has been a spectacular day with an abundance of fishing,” said the leader of the first day, José Miguel Barbosa, who said he could not remember a competition with so many catches and bites for at least 15 years. “We captured two pieces of about 280 kilos and we had a fight for about three-quarters of an hour with each one, something that is not too difficult. Furthermore, we were lucky because we caught them very close to the coast, near the El Pajar cement factory,” explained the skipper of 'Faelo', who left his options open for a second day that looks “very even.” .

 

The abundance of fishing marked a first day of competition that started with heat and good conditions early in the morning, with the departure of the contenders from the marinas of Pasito Blanco, Puerto Rico and Mogán, in the south of Gran Canaria. In total, 39 boats took the start and directed their strategies towards different areas of the southern coast. 27 of these set sail from their base port in Pasito Blanco; 10 from Puerto Rico, among them ´El Pirata´ by Brian González, current champion of the International Open; Two did so from Mogán and their crew members are foreigners aboard charter rental boats. Three other international crews take part in the fishing contest. This third edition of the International Open and the 34th edition of the Pasito Blanco Competition also has the participation of fishermen from Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife. 

 

The type of fishing in the contest, faithful to custom, is trolling, using

artificial specimens or live or dead bait mounted exclusively on

circle hooks. Parts are captured, marked and released, following

Strictly follow IGFA rules. It should be remembered that the Pasito contests

Blanco were pioneers in the prohibition of removing the Blue Marlins from the water, before

even that the regulations required it, because the philosophy was always that the capture

will remain alive in the sea.

 

For this Saturday's day, the boat options that are in the

top positions are waiting for the catch and release of a new

marlin, since whoever achieves it has another 400 immediate registration points, which will be added to those achieved on the first day. It is worth remembering that, if one of the contenders achieves three weevils during the weekend, they will win a prize of 20.000 euros. 

 

Record number of participants in the Children's Contest

 

The Gran Canaria International Deep Sea Fishing Open held its social proposal on Friday afternoon with successful participation as 62 boys and girls signed up for the social and sporting experience proposed by the organization for all interested minors, both from the municipality and from the rest of the Island. This initiative has the collaboration of the Sports Department of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council and commercial houses also participate in it, so all participants received prizes and gifts in a day with a marked family character.