KAILUA-KONA — Dreams came true for Team Foxy Lady on Saturday at the 21st annual Huggo’s Wahine Fishing Tournament.
KAILUA-KONA — Dreams came true for Team Foxy Lady on Saturday at the 21st annual Huggo’s Wahine Fishing Tournament.
Riding aboard Foxy Lady, the three-member team of Nicolette Palacol, Danni Bean and Gabby Lovell were enjoying a little nap time when a pair of blue marlin decided to interrupt the peace and quiet, leading to a special day for all involved.
While the smaller of the two marlin would break loose, Palacol quickly awoke from her slumber and jumped in the fighting chair.
She realized the monster waiting on the other end of the line when the fish suddenly jumped out of the water, casting a large shadow.
“As soon as the fish started jumping we saw how big it was so we started fighting,” Palacol said. “Reeling it in, I was wondering who was going to have more stamina, me or the fish. Gabby was holding the back of my seat down because I felt like I was going to go right out of the chair. It was incredibly strong. It was amazing.”
While the fish was fierce, it was no match for Palacol, and with her team cheering her on during the 46-minute fight, she reeled in the 780-pound blue, which allowed Team Foxy Lady to claim the top prize at this year’s tournament.
Coming from a sound sleep, Palacol said she had no problem waking up for the fight.
“The adrenaline rush was amazing, trust me,” said said with a laugh. “We were all in awe with how big the fish was.”
In total, 400 participants on 66 teams competed in the one-day event, which kicked off early in the morning at Kailua Bay.
The fishing action got off to a fast pace, with the first strike coming just 12 minutes after lines hit the water. An hour and a half into the tourney, four blue marlin had already been tagged and released with a minimum catch requirement of 300 pounds.
The Foxy Lady anglers hooked up at 9:34 a.m., but waited a few hours before bring the fish to the scale at Honokohau Harbor.
By the time fishing was halted at 4 p.m., 27 marlin were tagged and released and two were boated, though only the 780-pounder would meet the minimum weight requirement. Also caught were three spearfish, three ono and two ahi.
Plaid to the Bone finished second, while fishing aboard Illusions. They released two blue marlin before any other team. Rounding out the top five were Water Warriors, Wild West Marlin Darlins and Sassy Saloon Slayers.
In the ahi division, Annabel Jenkins Moore took the top spot, fighting a 143.5 pound tuna for 20 minutes aboard Bite Me 6. Carol Holmbot boated the top ono at 22.5 pounds on board Reel Time.
This year’s tournament was a huge success in the eyes of tournament director Sue Vermillion, who noted the vast age range of the female anglers this year.
“We had a really great group of ladies of all ages,” Vermillion said. “It was really heartwarming for me to see some of the older ladies come back, with their daughters and even granddaughters, who haven’t fished the tournament in 10 years. It was also good to see some of the younger teams doing well, and even catching the winning fish.”
The annual benefit tourney is held each July as a fundraiser for Family Support Hawaii and as an opportunity for women to go fishing. This year the teams competed for over $30,000 in prizes, while $10,000 was once again donated to the tournament’s charity. Over $160,000 has been donated to local charities over the tournament’s 21 year history.