Humdinger Wins 21st Annual TART Tournament

 PRESS RELEASE

 For Immediate Release

Kona Sportfishing Turns Red Hot for the 21^st Annual

T. A. R. T Tournament

 Five Boats Catch 24 Blue Marlin during the Five-Day Fishing Tournament in Kona Hawaii

Kailua-Kona, HI – July 11, 2011 – Some of Kona’s best sportfishing captains competed this past week in the 21^st annual T.A.R.T.  Tournament (Tag and Release Tournament) held each year in Kona Hawaii.  The tournament was founded by Ken Corday.  Five boats competed this year for total points and anglers from each team compete separately for total points and prizes.  This year’s event proved to be one of the best ever with 24 blue marlin caught during the five day event with 22 of the 24 fish being tagged and released.

This year’s event featured Captain Jeff Fay on the Humdinger, Captain McGrew Rice on the Ihu Nui, Captain Kevin Nakamura on the Northern Lights, Captain Bill Casey on the Pacific Blue and Captain Bill (B.C.) Crawford on the Chiripa.

Day One of the event started off strong when Jeff Fay on the Humdinger tagged and released two blue marlin.   Captain Bill Crawford on the Chiripa answered with two tags of his own, but it was McGrew Rice on the Ihu Nui that bested both captains with three tags for the day to take the lead on day one of the event.

Day Two of the event delivered more of the same great sport fishing Kona is known for.  Once again, The Humdinger tagged and released two blue marlin, and Kevin Nakamura weighed a 400 lb blue marlin to add his name to leader board, but it was the crew of the Ihu Nui who posted two more tags on day two to hang on to the lead with five tags total at the end of day two.

Day Three continued to demonstrate why the Sportfishing in Kona Hawaii is considered to be some of the best and most consistent anywhere in the world.  Captain Kevin Nakamura on the Northern Lights weighed a 399 pound blue marlin and Captain Bill Casey went on to tag and release one blue marlin for the day, but it was Captain Jeff Fay on the Humdinger who took the day and pulled into the lead for the tournament with three tags on day three and seven thus far in the tournament.

Day Four of the event opened with all five captains on the leader board and the event up for grabs.  With captains able to earn points by tagging and releasing blue marlin or earn extra points by weighing larger marlin, any one of the captains was in striking distance with a few tags or one good fish.  By the end of day four, the Humdinger, Chiripa, Pacific Blue and Northern Lights all reported tagging one blue marlin each, but it was Humdinger at the top of the leader board at the end of day four with eight tags in four days.

Day Five proved to be frustrating for the teams when only one team added points to the board in the final day of the event.  McGrew Rice on the Ihu Nui made up for a no show performance on day four of the event by tagging two blue marlin on the final day of the event.  With a strong showing of seven tags in five days, it wasn’t enough to best captain Jeff Fay on the Humdinger, who despite posting a blank on day five, held on to win the event with eight tags.

This year marks eighth time the Humdinger has won the tournament in its 21 year history.

About Humdinger Sportfishing

Captain Jeff Fay has been fishing in Kona, Hawaii for giant blue marlin for over 40 years. In addition to his numerous decades of knowledge and experience he has collected in Kona, Captain Jeff Fay has operated several sportfishing charter boats for owners the world over.

Captain Fay has enjoyed a rich and successful career in the big game sportfishing community. After capturing his first “Grander” in 1972, Jeff has gone on to assist anglers on eleven marlin over 1,000 pounds worldwide. Additionally he has set numerous world records, the two most recently in Kona when Jeff assisted Debra Dunaway to her last two world records to complete her bid to be the first angler in history to hold a world record for every species of billfish in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Captain Fay is the only Four Time Winner of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament’s “Henry Chee Award” presented to the top-scoring Hawaii charter fishing captain in the tournament and has also gone on to win the Tag and Release Tournament (T.A.R.T.) 8 times in its 21 year history.

For more information about Kona Sportfishing charters on the Humdinger, visit their website at www.HumdingerSportFishing.com.

Contact:

Captain Jeff Fay

Humdinger Sportfishing

PO Box 1995

Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

(808) 325-3449