Riviera Nayarit Fishing Tournament, the Record Chase
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Nearly one-and-a-half million pesos worth of prizes are up for the take in the 4th International Tuna and Marlin Fishing Tournament in Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, in Riviera Nayarit. Sixty boats are expected to enter the tournament.
On Saturday, July 31, the details of the tournament were announced at a press conference presided over by tournament director Raul Serna Navarro, Riviera Nayarit Fishing Club President Andres Famania Ortega, and in the presence of Riviera Nayarit Visitors and Convention Bureau Marc Murphy and Marina Riviera Nayarit Representative Jonathan de Leon.
The organizers of the tournament, which takes place for the fourth consecutive year at the destination, expect that the standing records for the largest marlin and tuna can be broken. The largest marlin so far is a 332.3 kilo specimen captured in 2007, while the tuna record stands at 176 kilos. The tournament has set special prizes for record breaking landings: a Nissan Tsuru car for the first marlin above the record weight and a Nissan Tiida for the Tuna to break the record.
The Banderas Bay Sport Fishing Club has divided the tournament’s prizes into four categories: those two categories that give name to the tournament, tuna and marlin, and in addition, the categories of Mahi Mahi, and in the catch and release mode, sailfish, the latter two offering special prizes.
Teams up to four members per boat can enter the tournament, and can use reel and rod at will, as long as they are not electronic devises, and can use lines up to 130 lb. capacity and single hooks.
In the sailfish category, each participating team will photograph their catch, stating date and time of capture, before releasing it. The winner will be the team that catches the largest number of sailfish. In the rest of the categories, it is the weight of the catch that dictates the winner.
The Visitors and Convention Bureau has launched an important advertising campaign to promote the fishing tournament on specialized media, including TV shows such as “Rod and Reel” (on Spanish TV) and tourism magazine aiming at the high end market segment.
The tournament is also an important showcase for the destination that will publicize its competitive advantages on international media covering the event.
Riviera Nayarit is considered by experts one of the top sport fishing destinations in the world, with great year-round fishing of species such as wahoo, sailfish, Mahi Mahi, tuna, marlin, and lots more.