Check out What's On...In Tobago for more information on everything there is to do and see in Tobago! No matter what time of year you decide to visit this beautiful island paradise, don't forget your fishing gear, the big ones are out there!
TIGFT is a member of the Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit (SCBC)
04.05.08 - Breaking News: Potential Junior Angler World Record
Congratulations to Junior Angler Sean Mendonza of Team Indigo on the 890 lb. Trinidad & Tobago New Record Breaking Blue Marlin caught in the TTGFA Tournament, Speyside, Tobago, Saturday 05th April, 2008. The Marlin was caught just a few miles to the north of Charlotteville.
Sean's fish proves what some of us always knew, that there are "Monster" Blue Marlin to be caught off Tobago's coast.
03.10.08 - 2008 Tournament Results are up
Check out the Results page for a full wrap up of this year's tournament. More details to come!
01.25.08 - 2008 Tournament Shirt design released, new sponsors, tournament rule updates and a new Layday tournament!!!!
The design for the 2008 Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament has been finalized and this year features a bull dolphin in aerial pursuit of a couple of flying fish!. As the 2008 tournament date approaches, the new design will be available in the TGFT store. We've had some of our former sponsors withdraw for 2008, but new sponsors have stepped in to provide their support! Check out the Sponsors page for more details! Also be sure to visit the Rules page to see some of the adjustments we've made to keep the tournament competitive and easier on the anglers (and us!). Finally, for our LayDay activity, we've added a Tarpon Fun Tournament, a catch-and-release competition that will be FREE for all registered anglers!! The date is coming up fast and we're looking forward to another great tournament!
10.05.07 - Sponsor News
The Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament committee proudly announces that Black Bart International and Penn Reels will be supporting us again as our rod & reel and lure suppliers for the 2008 tournament! We'd like to thank them for their support of our competition and look forward to working with these two exceptional companies again next year.
03.18.07 - 2007 Tournament Results are up and 2007 T-Shirt design available in the online store!
The 2007 tournament broke another couple of records for us, in the number of boats and anglers participating AND the record number of tournament billfish caught for Trinidad & Tobago. Thirty-eight boats participated for a total of 184 anglers, 174 male and 14 female (another new record). Day One saw Zingo, out of Trinidad & Tobago, jump to the front of the pack with 1000 pts. from two blue marlin and a sailfish. Anglers Roger Frost and Christopher Ellis combined for the catches. The boats Charge Up and Palawan followed closely behind with 800 pts. each. Also, David Brash of Papa San brought to scale a blue marlin that weighed in at 569.8 lbs!
On Day Two, Why Worry reversed their slow start and took Best Boat for Day Two with 1200 points and moved into third place overall behind Mischief, in second with 1230.63 pts., and Charge Up, who moved into first on a blue marlin released by Edgar Dapremont.
Day Three saw Viking IV take Best Boat with two Blue Marlin releases for 950 points, and they also moved up to take first place overall with 1802.70 points. Charge Up came up blank and Mischief and Gone Again both added a blue marlin each to move up into second and third place overall. Larry Coehlo of Gone Again secured Best Male Angler and Best Tag & Release Angler with his last day catch of a blue marlin, also earning Gone Again Best Tag & Release Team honors!
Over the course of the tournament, we had 44 Blue Marlin released, 2 brought to scale, and 14 Sailfish, breaking the record set last year for most billfish caught in a tournament for Trinidad & Tobago!!
We appreciate all those boats that made the trip to Charlotteville from Grenada and Barbados and we hope that you'll bring even more boats with you next year!
Congratulations and thanks to all who participated in this year's tournament, we hope to see you all again next year.
Here's a comment sent to us from James Pierce of Barbados:
" Dear Frothy, Dave, Teija, Della, Ramona, TGFT Committee Members and the People of Charlotteville,
Everyone made it home safely around midday yesterday after a pretty rough trip, and I would now like to personally thank everyone for the warm welcome and hospitality extended by you in what I can only describe as the most enjoyable tournament I have ever been in. Note that I do not make this statement lightly as I have fished in the IGFA Offshore Championships in Cabo, as well as many tournaments in Florida, the Bahamas, and the rest of the Caribbean, and the camaraderie is truly what sets you apart from all others. The way you have involved the entire community and are starting to move the whole fishing community to a new sustainable use of the ocean's resources, much in the way it was done in Cabo San Lucas, is wonderful to watch and be a part of. I am not sure if we could achieve the same thing in Barbados."
11.11.06 - 2007 Tournament Shirt design released!
In addition, the artwork itself has been issued in a signed and numbered limited edition print of 250, measuring 30" x 34", and is now available online for purchase via Bremond House Publishing. Be sure to check it out, along with all of the other fantastic artwork on their site.
10.17.06 - TGFT lands a new sponsor!
The Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament would like to proudly welcome Black Bart Lures to our family of sponsors and thank them for their support in our continuing quest to host a world-class game fishing tournament year after year. Capt. Bart Miller and his team have been creating first class fishing gear for the past four decades, and the experience of fishing with that gear never fails to impress.
9.7.06 - TGFT becomes qualifying event for the Junior Angler World Championship!
The Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament has been approved by the IGFA to become a qualifying event for the 6th Annual Mercury/IGFA Junior Angler World Championship scheduled for 2008! The 1st place winner in the Junior Angler division of the TGFT will be invited to participate in the JAWC in 2008. We are very proud to be a part of passing on the fishing tradition to future generations!
7.7.06 - Barbados International Game Fishing Tournament dates announced
The Barbados Game Fishing Association has just announced their dates for the 2007 tournament, to be held March 28 - April 1 at the Boatyard in Carlisle Bay. We're looking forward to it already!Read More >>
5.26.06 - New photo gallery added!
We've finally added photos from the 2005 Tobago Game Fishing Tournament to the gallery. Be sure to check them out!
5.19.06 - 2007 dates announced!
The dates for the 2007 Tobago Game Fishing Tournament will be March 15th - 18th, following the usual format of fishing Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and taking a break on Saturday for a nice "lime" and cook-up. Mark your calendars!
5.8.06 - Tobago team takes second in Barbados tournament
A month after the strong Bajan showing at our tournament in Charlotteville, some of the fellas from Tobago headed up to Barbados to participate in the Barbados International Game Fishing Tournament to see if they could even things up. TGFT staff members Gerard "Frothy" De Silva, Andrew LLanos, David Maharaj and Shammon Walker, along with perennial TGFT angler Terry Hamlyn, took two teams up to Barbados and wound up just shy of their goal. Hard Play II, captained by "Frothy", came in second place overall, with Terry taking the prize for landing the heaviest marlin at 382 lbs. Congrats to those guys, and don't worry, we'll get 'em next year!Congratulations must also go out to Joshua Proverbs aboard the boat "Carib Girl" for landing a whopping 190.2 lb Yellowfin Tuna, breaking the local record! His catch is also being submitted to the IGFA as a potential Junior Angler World Record.
4.28.06 - New images added to Gallery
We've updated the gallery with shots of some of the marlin released during the tournament. Be sure to check them out!
4.24.06 - Check out our new look!!
We've redesigned the site for a fresh new look (and to make the webmaster's job a bit easier *wink*), and will be adding new features and content in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to check back often for updates!
4.7.06 - Tournament results are up!!
The 2006 tournament was another milestone success, with a record number of boats and anglers participating AND a record number of tournament billfish releases for Trinidad & Tobago. Thirty-three boats registered for this year's contest but, after a few mechanical problems, 31 boats actually participated, still a new record for us. This year, our friends from Barbados came up big, capturing top prizes in five different categories! Happy Hunter, out of Barbados, established dominance early on day one with five Blue Marlin releases and one 23.4 lb. dolphin, giving them a one day total of 2279.25 points and huge lead over the rest of the pack. Angler Andrew Rapson was responsible for three of the marlin, as well as the dolphin. The boat Hopscotch finished day one 1000 points back with 1200 points, with Hard Play II in third place with 781.25 points.Day two saw the boat Mischief tag and release three Blue Marlin, two for angler Nick Nothnagel and one for Stephen Dalla Costa, taking Best Boat for Day Two with 1407.38 points and moving into second place overall with 1819.08 points. Hook released two Blue Marlin, brining their two day total to four, and moved into third place overall with a score of 1700 points. Happy Hunter, while having a quiet day with only a single 30.4 lb. Wahoo, held on to first place with 2317.25 points.
On Day Three, Hard Play II won Best Boat with two Blue Marlin releases for 950 points, and they also moved up to take third place overall with 1731.25 points, just edging out Hook who ended up fourth. Happy Hunter came up blank and Mischief landed only a 41.3 lb. Wahoo, but managed to maintain their hold on first and second place overall, respectively.
Over the course of the tournament, we had 44 fish come to scale, and 59 tag and release catches: 58 Blue Marlin, and one Sailfish, breaking the record for most billfish releases in a tournament for Trinidad & Tobago!!
We hope that those boats from St. Lucia, Grenada and elsewhere in the region that were unable to participate this year will be able to join us in 2007, and we, of course, look forward to seeing the Bajans back again in Charlotteville!
Congratulations and thanks to all who participated in this year's tournament, we hope to see you all again next year. Check back to the site for next year's dates, as well as some big changes to the site overall!
Here's a comment sent to us from Michael Lee Yuen from the boat Mischief:
"We had and super wonderful time in Charlotteville, the water taxis ran on time, your fueling facility was unquestionable, fresh water supply was excellent, breakfast and dinner was superb, bait was in super condition, and your entire hard working committee was always there to assist us when in need. This is my second consecutive year fishing in your tournament and words can never be enough in expressing how great, how wonderful, how little Tobago can deliver a game fishing tournament with such excellence. We continue to promote your tournament here in Trinidad and thank you for the super wonderful time. God's richest blessings and great health, and wait with anticipation, for the 12th Annual Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament."
3.22.06 - The Billfishing Times interviews TGFT Treasurer David Wong
Be sure to check out the interview over at The Billfishing Times, with David Wong, TGFT Committee Treasurer, answering questions about current and future plans for the Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament, the tremendous fishing in the region, and all the things about Charlotteville and Tobago that make our tournament such a success every year! Big thanks to John at The Billfishing Times for allowing us the opportunity to talk about Tobago and our tournament!
3.09.06 - 2006 T-Shirt Design and Tournament Updates!!
The new prize list for 2006 has been announced, and it includes lots of outstanding equipment from Penn, Aftco and more, as well as beautiful sculptures from world renowned wildlife sculptor, Bodo Muche, and artwork from The Billfish Foundation!Buzz is big for this year's tournament and the projected participation of anglers continues to grow! We expect to host many of our old friends and make many, many new ones with entries expected from Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia and Grenada, as well as our local boats from Trinidad and Tobago. Anglers from Europe, North and South America, and all over the Caribbean will be joining us for four days of fishing, food and fun.
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