 Team Double Dog is the 2009Bahamas Billfish Champion
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For the past ten years, team Double Dog has been a fierce competitor in the annual Bahamas Billfish Championship series finishing third overall in 2002 and 2003 and fourth overall in 2004. The title of Bahamas Billfish Champion; however, eluded Don McKinney's team until this season when their carefully planned fishing strategy paid-off.
Team Double Dog took first place at the Central Abaco Championship and third place at the Cape Eleuthera Championship. With bonus points from those two tournaments and release points for six blue marlin, three white marlin and six sailfish, McKinney's 66 foot Hines Farley amassed 7,000 points and the BBC title for the 2009 season.
At the start of the Treasure Cay Championship, the final leg of the five tournament series, Double Dog led team Marlin Darlin by less than 700 points. Additionally, there were no fewer than five other teams within striking distance of the two leaders.
For both Double Dog and the 60 foot Viking Marlin Darlin the final 2009 tournament proved to be a tense study in frustration. The best that Marlin Darlin could do was to release two sailfish. There was an air of excitement on the final day when both teams were hooked-up at the same time; a blue marlin for either team would be significant. The excitement was short lived; however, when Marlin Darlin released their second sailfish and, moments later, Double Dog released a sailfish; its only billfish release of the tournament.
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Strong Finish for True Grit
at Treasure Cay Championship
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Coming off of a second place finish at the Boat Harbour Championship, Dan Deer's team True Grit put together three good days of fishing and 700 grand slam bonus points to win the Treasure Cay Championship and finish third overall in the 2009 Bahamas Billfish Championship.
Deer's 63 foot F&S from St. Michaels, Maryland was one of seven teams to catch blue marlin on the first day of fishing during the final leg of the five tournament Championship series. During day two, team True Grit completed their grand slam by catching and releasing a white marlin and a sailfish. Deer's team capped the tournament by releasing their second blue on day three and finished with 2,200 points.
Finishing in Second Place was Ed Hardin's 54 foot Bertram Abracadabra with 1,200 points based upon time. Both of Abracadabra's blue marlin were released on day one of the three-day tournament hosted by the Treasure Cay Resort & Marina on Great Abaco. The Birmingham, Alabama based Hardin has been fishing the Bahamas Billfish Championship for 25 years.
Trey Brown's team The Edge caught and released two blue marlin and placed third; also with 1,200 points. The 60 foot Spencer from Dallas, Texas released their blues on day one and day two of the tournament meaning that team Abracadabra was the first to achieve 1,200 points. In total, there were four teams with two blue marlin releases to their credit - Abracadabra, The Edge, Freebie and Hooker.
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