The 14th Belikin Blue Water Classic Fishing Tournament
2 days. 26 participating boats. 110 anglers. Over $105K in prizes.
Our flagship fishing tournament returns to Belize City as the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic! With three main events, the #14BWC2023 weekend began with our Captain’s Meeting, held at Old Belize in Belize City, Belize on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Over the next few days, Old Belize became the hub for all things fishing as the official tournament base.
And because we welcome any opportunity to share our love of the sport (and to hopefully welcome more into the fold!), all tournament events were free and open to the public. And for those not fishing but craving the angler experience, our onshore package offered an all-access pass to angler-exclusive perks, like an official #14BWC2023 dry-fit long-sleeve shirt, VIP bar access with complimentary happy hour on both days for free courtesy of Belikin Beer and Cuello’s Distillery, plus dinner of your choice from any vendor at Old Belize Food Market on Prize Giving night. However, Happy Hour from 4-6 PM still offered rum and keg specials from The Market Bar at Old Belize on each day!
With our Weighmaster Duran manning the scale on the dock of the tournament base, here’s a recap of anglers’ catch-of-day.
DAY ONE: OCTOBER 20, 2023
A Bimini Start, more commonly known as a shotgun start, is how we began the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic fishing tournament! On Day 1, each registered boat must report to Tournament Base for check-in with the Weighmaster ahead of the start time. A fleet of 27 strong queued from the Cucumber Beach Marina of Old Belize—whose complimentary docking was included within tournament registration—to await the 6:00 AM start time. With a rising sun just over the horizon, our Weighmaster Duran officially kicked off Day 1 of fishing in the #14BWC2023: a single air horn signaled captains to rev their vessel’s engines and throttle up in search of their winning catch.
Old Belize served as this year’s tournament base.
With lines out at 4:00 PM sharp—which also doubles as the deadline to call in or report all fish to the Weighmaster—boats began returning one by one to bring wahoo and dorado to the scale. Also at 4 PM, the VIP weigh station bar kicked off with DJ Cas inside the Old Belize Food Market, which also hosted local marine artist Ernest Garcia with ready-to-purchase original artwork and graphic tees on display.
The Honduran crew of Boatweiser with Belizean marine artist Ernest Garcia.
Of the 26 boats that fished, nine qualified to rank on the scoreboard at the end of Day 1. Unofficial results for Day 1 of the #14BWC2023 placed the Honduranian boat “Boatweiser” in the top spot, thanks to a Sailfish release by angler Luis Canahuati.
The “Deez Knots” found their luck in Glover’s Reef Atoll, bringing in seven wahoos by anglers Jordan Griffith and Steven Chen. For 62 points, “Mad Storme” was awarded the first boat to arrive at the scales with qualifying fish—earning them a $500 BZD cash prize sponsored by Belize Pro Dive Center—with a 26lb wahoo caught by Captain Dr. Adrian Heusner and a 36lb wahoo caught by Victor Zabaneh.
Female anglers Madelyn Bowen and Breannah Musa earned 49 points for “Jolly Mon” between their wahoos, while “Miss Lexi” trailed behind with 46.2 points earned by anglers Brad Bowman and Allen Valdez with a 21.4 lb wahoo and 24.8 lb wahoo, respectfully. “Absolutely Knot” brought a single wahoo fought by angler Jose Marin that almost rivaled Zabaneh’s, which remained the heaviest of the day.
With only two points between them, “Ben Avi 2” angler Jose Santana adds 25.4 points with his fish of equal weight, while Julian Bradley of “Sweet Caroline” qualifies his team with a wahoo of 23.4 pounds.
And after a slew of wahoos, female angler Lauren Fontana of “The Navy” brings her 10.2 lb dorado to the scale.
Though more Dorado and Wahoo were brought to the scale for the Weighmaster, fish were disqualified due to being underweight or maimed. The minimum weight for a dorado is 10 lbs, while the minimum weight for a wahoo is 15 lbs. Maimed fish will be disqualified once damaged to a point where it can no longer reasonably continue to fight. This usually occurs when the tail has been severed to the bone, or if the fish is injured to the point it becomes unable to propel itself.
At the end of day one, a total of 16 wahoos and one dorado qualified. For the scoreboard, Wahoos adds 1 point per pound; Dorado adds 1 point per pound; and the release-only Sailfish adds 1,000 points.
DAY TWO: OCTOBER 21, 2023
All boats MUST dock at the tournament base before 4:00 PM for any fish to qualify. Remarkably, two teams skyrocketed on the scoreboard with successful billfish release videos: “Toro Loco” lands a Blue Marlin outside Caye Caulker by angler Zacch Reich, while “Deez Knots” lands a Sailfish by angler Jordan Griffith.
Ultimately, seven qualifying wahoos were brought to the scale on Day 2 between three boats. Junior angler Adriel Pascascio of “Sea Senora” with 22.2 lbs; Allen Valdez of “Miss Lexi” with 24.2 lbs; and 25.8 lbs by female angler Breannah Musa of “Jolly Mon”.
With a total of four wahoos, “Mad Storme” brought in 107.4 points on Day 2 with two wahoos by Captain Dr. Adrian Heusner—both weighing 24 and 24.2 lbs each—one by Victor Zabaneh of 28.6 lbs, and lastly, a 30.6 lb wahoo by Robbie Peyreffitte.
Prize Giving Ceremony
This year, we began our Prize Giving Ceremony with a tribute: in memory of a staunch member of the Belize Game Fish Association, we honored Captain Sandy McPherson (1954-2023) by presenting a trophy to his wife Elizabeth, followed by fireworks on the beach as Scotland The Brave on Bagpipes played in the background! We can say for certain that if Capt. Sandy was still with us today, ‘Ole Sandy Mac’ would be right there in the crowds celebrating Toro Loco’s win.
Our Vice President of Tournaments, Zacch Reich, was our night’s master of ceremonies. But before announcing tournament winners, Sydney Griffith, who represents our Premium Sponsor Belize Waste Control, spun our ticket holder to choose our Manta Island Resort raffle winner at random. Congratulations to our 2023 raffle winner Samantha Lizarraga, who will enjoy a 3-night all-inclusive package on the luxury 12-acre island in Glover’s Reef Atoll sponsored by Manta Island Resort! We are so grateful to everyone who supported our fundraising drive: we were sold out!
Ultimately after two days at sea, it was team “Toro Loco” of Belize City that secured the win overall, bringing home the coveted 1st Place trophy and a nice check for $50,000 BZD.
Here’s how the rest of the numbers played out.
WINNERS
1ST PLACE
Toro Loco wins 1st Place in the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic! Representing Belize City, Captain Stuart Doley and his team leave with an immaculate hand-carved cluster trophy, an original Ernest Garcia art piece, a prize package sponsored by Bulluna Fishing, and a total of $50,000 BZD—which includes First Place’s $25,000, 60% Calcutta of $22,500, and the Top Angler prize of $2,500.
2ND PLACE
Not only does Deez Knots and Captain Warren Cabral’s team return to Placencia with $15,000 BZD as our 2nd Place Winner in the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic, but a Zericote trophy, an original Ernest Garcia art piece, and a prize package sponsored by Bulluna Fishing. The 3-man crew earning 1221.2 points ultimately walks away with 30% Calcutta for an additional $11,250 and a grand total of $26,250 BZD.
3RD PLACE
3rd Place goes to our friends of Boatweiser, who hails all the way from Acatilados, Honduras! A successful sailfish release on Day 1 secured a spot on our 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic scoreboard, where they closed out the 2-day tournament with a total of 1,010 points. Congratulations to Captain Bernhard Meermann, whose crew now returns to Omoa with an extra $7,500 BZD in hand!
4TH PLACE
Mad Storme made their return to the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic with a bang! Captain Dr. Adrian Heusner and his crew are our 4th Place winners with a cumulative 169 points from a haul of wahoo, including this year’s Heaviest Wahoo of 36 pounds by angler Victor Zabaneh for an extra $1,000 prize. For that, “Mad Storme” has earned themselves a total $6,500 BZD and well-deserved bragging rights!
5TH PLACE
No stranger to our flagship tournaments, Captain Brandon Bowen secured his crew yet another win. Rounding out our scoreboard, “Jolly Mon” is 5th Place in our 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic! A total of 74.8 points lands them $2,500, while the Top Female Angler trophy by Breannah Musa adds another $1,000, walking away with a total of $3,500 BZD prize.
AWARDEES
1st BOAT TO SCALE
Our friends at Belize Pro Dive Center sponsored $500 BZD cash for the first boat to bring qualifying fish to the scale. “Mad Storme” checked in on Day 1 with wahoos by Captain Dr. Adrian Heusner and Victor Zabaneh.
HEAVIEST DORADO
Lauren Fontana is our Heaviest Dorado awardee! Fishing with Captain Kris Marin on “The Navy,” Lauren’s 10.2 lb Dorado caught on Day 1 earns her a custom Zericote trophy and $500 BZD.
HEAVIEST WAHOO
Victor Zabaneh’s 36-pound Wahoo caught on Day 1 for “Mad Storme” takes this year’s Heaviest Wahoo award, plus a taxidermy trophy and $1,000 BZD!
TOP FEMALE ANGLER
Breannah Musa single-handedly earned 51.4 of Jolly Mon’s total 74.8 points by bringing wahoos to the scale on each day! Breannah takes home a custom Ernest Garcia painting and $1,000 BZD.
TOP ANGLER
The 2023 Top Angler is Zacch Reich! Zacch landed and safely released the 14th Annual Belikin Blue Water Classic’s one and only Blue Marlin on Day 2 for a total 2,510 points aboard Toro Loco.
JUNIOR ANGLER
Adriel Pascascio is our 2023 Junior Angler! On Day 2, Adriel caught a 22.2 Wahoo on “Sea Senora” that ultimately secured $500 BZD and this gorgeous Ernest Garcia wahoo artwork.
SPONSORS
To all our sponsors, we are so grateful for your support that made 2023 our largest fishing tournament held out of Belize City. Thank you!
Thank you to all teams that fished with us—we look forward to hosting you all in the future for the 15th Belikin Blue Water Classic in 2024!
