HOLIDAY ALERT !
On Thursday
November 20th, Mexico celebrates the anniversary of the Mexican
Revolution and there will be parades in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose.
It is an official holiday which means you must either give your
employees the day off or pay double time. With a minimum wage of $4.50
a day, paying double for one day wouldn't hurt, would it? The holiday
commemorates how in 1910, Francisco Madero denounced President Diaz
who kept re-electing himself, and called for a national insurrection.
He then declared himself President of Mexico. Other Mexican leaders
emerged at this time, including the famous Pancho Villa and Emiliano
Zapata. Each would eventually gain control of their regions. Zapata
fell in an ambush and was assassinated by the army. Diaz could not
control the insurrection and fled to France. Madero became President
but had lots of opponents and the country broke into different
factions with insurrection factions rampaging across the country.
Venustiano Carranza rose to the presidency and ordered Madero taken
prisoner and executed while Pancho Villa continued to run amuck
through the North. Villa was later taken prisoner and executed and
President Carranza initiated a more stable government for the country.
-Enjoy the holiday.
Bisbee's Tournament
Biggest Payout in History
With 162 boats and 876
anglers participating, the odds to win the 23rd edition of the
Bisbee's Black and Blue Marlin Jackpot Tournament are kind of slim. At
the end of the three days of fishing only nine fish made it to the
scale and three of them were under the 300 lb. minimum. The six dead
fish that were a little fatter than 300 lbs. weighed 565, 484, 444,
412, 371, and 342 lbs. each. Overall, 52 marlin were released, five
tagged and nine snuffed. Teams participating in the Bisbee hailed from
Canada, Italy, Japan, England, and Tahiti with the largest number of
teams from the U.S. and Mexico.
The first qualifier of
the first day was a 342 lb. blue marlin on board the Gato Negro, and
the excitement began. A second fish was radioed to be on board the
Señor Moment, causing heightened expectations. This blue, caught by
Steven Esrick from Aspen, Colorado, came in weighing 412 lbs. and
ended up the biggest of the day, earning the team $431,550 from the
four different jackpots. Not a bad considering that it was Steve's
first try at the Bisbee. It would remain a mystery if this would be
the overall winner, as day 2 saw no qualifying fish. If no other
qualifying fish would have been caught on the third day, Steve could
have taken home a $1.6 million check. You can bet he was getting
anxious. But on the third day of fishing, the After Midnight team
reported a fish on board but also said that they would stay out and
try their luck on a bigger one. At about four in the afternoon the Que
Sera came to the weigh station with a big one. Yep, the scale tipped
at 565 lbs. for this blue marlin and every one went aaaah, ooooh and
the cheering began.
But the tournament wasn't over. The
next boat backing up to the dock was the Mucho Loco with a very good
371 lb. blue. Next came After Midnight, the same boat that was awarded
the controversial first place three years ago after the Minerva was
disqualified. Their blue weighed 444 lbs. The Que Sera got into a
celebratory mood until someone whispered in their ear that at that
very moment there was another boat out there with a fish getting
yanked around by its lip and that it wasn't over 'til it was over.
That team was the Jackpot who fought their fish for about four hours.
And a very good looking dead blue it was, weighing in at 484 lbs. That
would end up being the second place winner. This fish received more
cheering than any other as it was caught by Leonardo Felix Ruiz and
his Mexican team which Mauro Falaschi of Da Giorgio's restaurant fame
was part of. Later on, we heard, they celebrated their second place
with mariachi, champagne, and lots of friends.
The all
catch and release teams also had a good time and good catches and some
took good money home. Here is how the money was distributed: Black and
Blue Jackpot tournament 1st place: Que Sera team, 565 lb. blue marlin
for angler Brady Bunte, Carlsbad, CA Winnings: $1,165,000. - the
biggest payout in the tournament's history. 2nd place: Jackpot team,
484 lb. blue marling for angler Leonardo Felix Ruiz, Cabo Winnings:
$108,945. They were not entered in all jackpot divisions. 3rd place:
After Midnight team, 444 lb. blue marlin for Mike Cromer, Ohai, CA
Winnings: $66,825. They were not entered in all jackpot divisions. 4th
place: Señor Moment team, 412 lb blue marlin for Steve Esrick, Aspen,
CO Winnings: $446,130 it was because they paid to get into all the
jackpots. 5th place: Mucho Loco team, 371 lb. blue marlin for Bill
Williams, Manchester, CT Winnings: $9,720. They were not in all the
jackpots.
Release division: 1st place: to El Vato team - three blue marlin
released $64,643. Angler Lewis Feuerstein, Roberto Franco, & Javier
Holschneider. 2nd place: to Molly Rose team - three blue marlin
released $22,376. Anglers John Kennedy, Patrick Sullivan & David
Weyrich. 3rd place: to Predator team - two blue marlin released
$12,431. Anglers Dan Mattausch & Andy North.
The traditional awards
dinner was held outdoors on the marina side of the mall and was
catered by Da Giorgio's restaurant. A big applause to Mauro's team as
they labored under difficult circumstances, using an empty commercial
unit of the mall to set up a kitchen of sorts. Kind of like a
gastronomic M*A*S*H unit. Da Giorgio's actually catered a sit-down
dinner for a thousand people, and pulled it off wonderfully.
In
related news, the Bisbee company recently won a round in the court
fight over who won this tournament three years ago. One team was
disqualified when a crew member touched the line, and they sued to be
reinstated as winners. The judge based his decision on the fact that
the rules that apply to the tournament were followed and dismissed the
case. A big win for the Bisbees.
-Gringo Gazette
