CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Mere minutes before the Noon line’s out time in the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club’s Annual Kid’s Fishing Tournament, held on Saturday, October 5, 13-year-old Earl Questel came running to the weigh-station set up at IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina, in Red Hook. Wow, Questel caught a whopper!
Professionals from the Department of Planning & Natural Resources (DPNR) Fish & Wildlife Division weighed in the Tarpon at 3690-grams (8.1 pounds).
“It was there swimming in a school by the dock,” says Questel, who earned first place in the tournament for the biggest fish by weight. “It came to my bait, and I caught it.”
Questel was one of 165 anglers ages 14 years and younger who competed in this annual event hosted by the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club.
Thirteen-year-old Earl Questel with his whopper winning Tarpon. )Photo Credit Rian Bareuther/VIGFC)
The tournament was free to junior anglers and promoted the sport and life skills of recreational fishing and catch-and-release conservation.
Tots to teens, accompanied by parents and friends, were equipped with Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club-provided handlines, bait, and buckets as they spread out along the marina docks and tried their luck.
Club members walked the docks and helped junior anglers and adults alike with everything from fishing techniques to untangling lines. It didn’t take long for the fish-catching action to happen.
“I’ve caught a lot of fish,” says 7-year-old Kain LaPlace, one of the entrants to catch a fish shortly after lines-in at 9 a.m. “I like being outside.” LaPlace earned an Honorable Mention prize for his 465-gram Cubera Snapper.
Six-year-old Kai James was equally excited, saying, “I want to catch an eel.”
Captain Red Bailey (center) with 9-year-old grandson Kai Bailey (right) and 6-year-old Cayman Richardson. (Photo Credit: Rian Bareuther/VIGFC.)
K’nyaii Rochester did just that by reeling in a 1425-gram Green Moray Eel, earning the Most Unique Fish prize.
Christian Bryan, age 10, brought his catch of a Mangrove Snapper to the weigh station. “I like fishing. It’s yummy.” Bryan made several more trips to the scales, ultimately earning three prizes. These were second place in the Biggest Fish for his 660-gram snapper, Most Fish by Total Weight at 2180-grams, and Most Fish by Count at 19.
Ten-year-old Lynnea Steuerwald tied with Bryan on Most Fish by Count and earned herself a prize.
Ma’liayah Bryan, age 9, enjoyed the tournament, saying she wanted to participate because “I like to catch fish.”
Bryan and her mother, Masairah Francis, were among the Girl Scouts parent volunteers of Troop 55407 who took part.
“Many people think that Girl Scouts only do girly things. We also do more adventurous things like camping, hiking, and fishing,” says Francis.
Grunt, snapper, tarpon, and tomtates numbered among the day’s catch. Junior anglers practiced conservation by keeping their fish in a bucket of seawater until weighed and then released their catch back into the sea.
The tournament’s overwhelming success was evident on the young faces as they ate pizza and drank cold drinks following the Noon call for lines out. Prize giving followed shortly after.
“The Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club provides handlines and buckets, while Neptune Fishing Supplies donates fishing rods as prizes so kids and families can continue fishing year-round. It’s what we as a Club are all about. That is, passing these skills and a love of fishing to the next generation,” says Kelvin Bailey, Jr., president of the VIGFC Board of Directors.
The Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club’s Kid’s Fishing Tournament was sponsored by IGY’s American Yacht Harbor and Island Time Pub, with prize donations from Neptune Fishing Supplies, Lattes in Paradise, Ocean Surfari, Shen Dragon, Red Hook Dive Center, Coki Dive Center, the St. Thomas Swimming Association, Neptune Fishing Supplies, Nomads Bar & Grille and Splash Zone.
Upcoming, the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club will host its Wahoo Windup on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
For more information, call 340 775-9144 or Email: [email protected]
By CAROL BAREUTHER/Special to the V.I. Free Press