Lucas Oil Offshore World Championship Day 1 Results

Brazilian Teams Take Early Lead on Day One of Lucas Oil Offshore World Championship.

underwater-sailfish — Offshore World Championship

Day 1 Offshore World Championship 2018

Fifty-one teams of elite saltwater anglers released 78 billfish on Monday, day one of the 2018 Lucas Oil Offshore World Championship. Just three of the billfish were blue marlin. Usually plentiful marlin and sailfish were thin in the waters off of Quepos, Costa Rica, a globally recognized hotspot for Pacific sailfish and blue marlin.

DAY 1 Release Video of the Day

Day 1's release video of the day from the 2018 Offshore World Championship. Check out this release from Team Barbados International Fishing Tournament aboard Maverick Yachts' Geaux Fly.

Two blue marlin releases, worth a hefty 500 points each, allowed Team Bermuda Billfish Blast to tie for second place after day one. A total of 75 sailfish (200 points), one other blue marlin, two dorado and one yellowfin tuna rounded out the day's catch count. The top dorado, a 46.8-pounder, was caught by Juan Manuel Cobar de La Hoz, of Team 35th International Sailfish Tournament (Costa Rica).

Team Torneio de Pesca de Santo Andre (Brazil) completed the day in first place with 1,200 points from six sailfish, edging out three other teams with 1,000 points each. Team Torneio de Pesca de Santo Andre (Brazil) fished aboard Epic, a 36-footer, captained by Michael Alligood. Epic leads the top boat category after day one.

Teams Torneio Marlin do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Bermuda Billfish Blast and Torneio De Peixes De Bico (Brazil) all scored 1,000 points on day one of the Offshore World Championship. Both Brazilian teams each landed five Pacific sailfish to earn their points. Angler Juan Cabrera Pena, of Team XXV Torneo De Pesca De Aturo Puerto Calero (Spain), landed the only other blue marlin on day one, aboard the 45-foot Viking Top Notch.

The top three anglers after day one fishing were Roman Ursic, of the Team International Qualification Competition BGF Offshore Challenge; Rich Van Camp, of Team Casa de Campo International Blue Marlin Classic; and Fernando Pesoa, of Team Torneio de Pesca de Santo Andre. All three anglers each landed three sailfish for a total of 600 points apiece.

At the end of the day, the event's 240 anglers—representing 51 international tournaments and more than 30 countries—were in good spirits during the dockside social on the gorgeous waterfront lawn at Marina Pez Vela.

The second day of the tournament starts Tuesday morning, with lines in at 7:30 a.m. Two more days of competition follow on Wednesday and Thursday. Final awards for top teams, anglers and boat captains—plus prizes for heaviest fish—will be presented during the awards gala on April 20 at Marina Pez Vela.

The Offshore World Championship is the world's premier saltwater fishing championship and has been held in Costa Rica since 2013.

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