July 29, 2011 | Buenavista, Baja California Sur, Mexico | by Capt. Dave Lear

With the rising sun as a backdrop, 61 boats blasted off from this laid-back slice of Mexico this morning with high hopes of big fish and bigger riches. Unfortunately, even in paradise sometimes, things don’t work out according to plan.

Despite a steady bite of smaller billfish with a healthy dose of dorado and tuna thrown in, the desired big blue or black marlin failed to find a hook during the final day of the Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Tournament. Several boats reported raising money fish into the spread, only to have them lose interest and fade back into the deep. But then, as the saying goes, “That’s why they call it fishin’ and not catchin’.”

A potential David and Goliath story swept through the crowd on the beach and Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort grounds when La Bella, a 23-foot super panga, called in to radio control saying they had boated a blue marlin. Unfortunately that fish did not meet the minimum size requirement of 300 pounds.

So Sergio Aviles ended up the top stick of the day when he weighed in a yellowfin tuna that tipped the scales at 58.1 pounds. Aviles was fishing aboard Tail Chaser when he made his catch. Junior angler Daniel Fisher also scaled a nice yellowfin weighing 52.5 pounds aboard Fisherman. Ballihoo‘s tuna entry didn’t quite make the 40-pound minimum weight. Don Whittier, who scored winning tuna the first two days, countered with a 50.5-pounder.

The biggest dorado of the day was caught by John Reinhardt on Flora T II. Reinhardt’s fish registered 42.8 pounds. Gary Robbins on El Patron came in next with at 39.2 pounds. Rod Normand on Eclipse got on the board with a 37-pounder, while Mark Martin on Ana Maria weighed another bull at 36.3 pounds.

Cabo veteran skipper Sammy Talbert and his team aboard Sneak Attack made a late charge in the release division. They went three for three on blue marlin, five for nine on stripeys and one for one on sailfish during the three days of competition. The all lady team on El Dorado was also in the hunt for the first-place release trophy and held the lead for the first two days but dropped into second on the last day followed by Karma 3.

“It was flat as a pancake and beautiful out there,” Chip Wagner, owner of High ‘Em High, a 58-foot Miller custom convertible, said at the scales after lines out. “We found a lot of bait and released a small blue and a striped marlin. The water temperatures were 88 to 89 degrees. Everybody had a good time. But then the East Cape Offshore is always a great tournament, no matter what happens. How can it not be in such a beautiful spot?”

The 12th annual edition concludes Saturday evening with an awards banquet on the beach overlooking the Sea of Cortez. At sunset, of course.