BERMUDA — July 10, 2023 — The 2023 Bermuda Billfish Blast was won by the team fishing aboard Plane Simple, a 77-foot Spencer based out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, led by Jim Jensen and Capt. Chris Weeks with mates Derek Scherz and Anibal Moya. The team’s eight blue marlin and three white marlin releases gave them a total of 4,300 points, good for first-place honors, $115,275 in prize money and an invitation to the 2024 Costa Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica.
A total of 37 boats and 218 anglers fished the 2023 Bermuda Billfish Blast, which offered a total cash purse of $506,850 plus an additional $360,000 as part of the Bermuda Triple Crown series. There were 139 billfish caught in the Blast, including 108 blue marlin and 31 white marlin over three days of fishing. All but four of the blues and all of the white marlin were released.
Plane Simple won first overall team, followed by Builder’s Choice in second, and Waste Knot in third place. Top Angler was earned by Jim Jensen on Plane Simple releasing six blues and two whites. The Top Junior Angler trophy went to Jack Ricks, releasing five blues on El Cazador, led by Capt. Paul Alderman and mate Scott Behrhorst. Laura Russell won Top Lady Angler honors aboard De-Bait-Able, captained by KJ Zeher, with three blues and two whites.
This year, the tournament added new optional jackpots including a Winner-Take-All Blue Marlin Jackpot and a new Daily Blue Marlin Jackpot, so teams are now allowed to boat one blue marlin per boat per day. As part of the Bermuda Triple Crown series, new series jackpots were also added, including the Bermuda Triple Crown Big Three Marlin Jackpot and the Heavy Hitter Winner-Take-All Largest Marlin of the series.
The tournament culminated with a beautiful gala awards banquet in the Harbourview Ballroom at the historic Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.
About the Marlin Group:
The Marlin Group is the world’s largest network of big-game fishing brands. The group publishes Marlin Magazine, the industry’s No. 1 source since 1981, and operates the Offshore World Championship in Costa Rica, Los Cabos Billfishing Tournament, Scrub Island Invitational in the BVIs, and the Bermuda Triple Crown, making it the worldwide leader for international billfishing tournaments. Marlin Expeditions, formerly Marlin University, has led anglers on educational excursions to the globe’s top big-game fishing destinations for more than 20 years. The Marlin Group is an operating unit of Bonnier LLC, an outdoor adventure company that fuels passion for fishing, boating, sailing, motorsports, hunting and travel.