RECORDS SET AND HISTORY MADE AT COSTA RICA'S LARGEST AND RICHEST FISHING TOURNAMENT

FULL TOURNAMENT PHOTO GALLERY HERE

Quepos, Costa Rica: Back for it’s 9th year, the Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament never disappoints and this year was no exception. A tournament record 107 teams and 606 anglers caught-and-released an astounding 2,425 billfish and brought 11 dorado and 20 tuna to the scales, while competing for a record purse of just over $2.3 million in prize money. The Pelagic Rockstar continues to set the standard as Central and South America's largest and richest fishing competition.

After two days of tightly contested competition between some of the world’s best bill-fishing crews and anglers, Team Game Plan emerged from the record setting fleet to claim the title of Grand Champion, their 6th top 3 finish in the events 9-year history. With the win, Game Plan cemented their names in the history books, taking home the largest single team payout in billfish release tournament history at just over $1.1 million.

Tournament Stats:

• 107 Teams
• 606 anglers representing 16 different countries
• $2,349,600 in total prize money
• 2,425 billfish released with a record 1,371 releases on day one
• 2,325 sailfish, 95 blue marlin, 4 black marlin, 1 stripe marlin
• 11 Dorado with largest at 35 pounds
• 20 yellowfin tuna including tournament record 171.1 pounder
• 22.6 billfish releases per team average
• 19 different winners received checks and/or trophies

Top Team Stats:

Sonar Billfish:

•  First Place Grand Champion Billfish: Team Game Plan with 63 sailfish, 5 blue marlin for 7800 Pts and $1,161,200, Champions Trophy and team name on perpetual trophy. 2nd time Champion in tournament history, and 6 top-3 finishes in 9 years.

•  2nd Place Billfish: Team War Party with 58 sailfish, 4 blue marlin for 7000 Pts and $33,480.00, 2nd place trophy.

•  3rd Place Billfish: Team Mama Seata with 60 sailfish, 2 blue marlin for 6600 Pts and $37,080.00, 3rd place trophy.

Non-Sonar Billfish:

•  1st Place Non-Sonar Division: Team Kelly Dawn with 44 sailfish, 1 blue marlin for 4700 Pts, a 2nd place Dorado and $341,050.00, 1st place trophy.

•  2nd Place Non-Sonar Division: Team E & A with 28 sailfish, 3 blue marlin for 3700 Pts and $24,300.00, 2nd place trophy.

•  3rd place Non-Sonar Division: Team Lucky Gus with 21 sailfish, 5 blue marlin for 3600 Pts and $53,460.00, 3rd place trophy.

Game Fish Division Winners:

•  1st Place Tuna: Team Salty Canucks with a 2-fish aggregate - 171.1 lbs (tournament record) and 55.8 lbs - totaling 226.9 lbs for $107,060, 1st place trophy.

•  2nd Place Tuna: Team King of The Seas with a 2-fish aggregate - 135.8 lbs and 68.5 lbs - for 204.3 lbs total and $35,480.00, 2nd place trophy.

•  3rd Place Tuna: Team Winetime with a 2-fish aggregate - 159.4 lbs and 43.4 lbs - for 202.8 lbs total and $11,710.00, 3rd place trophy.

•  1st Place Dorado: Team Fire Fly with a 2-fish aggregate - 30.1 lbs and 28.7 lbs - for 58.8 lbs total and $84,660, 1st place trophy. Plus tuna jackpots for a grand total of $121,460.00.

•  2nd Place Dorado: Team Kelly Dawn with 35 lbs for $28,890, 2nd place trophy.

•  3rd Place Dorado: Team Massholes with 29.6 lbs for $14,110.00, 3rd place trophy.

Top Angler Stats:

•  Top Overall Champion Angler: Gaspar Hinojosa, Team Sea Senora with Capt. Sean Byers, 56 sailfish, 1 blue marlin released for 3500 Pts.

•  Top Female and Top Junior Angler: Elizabeth Arn, Team E & A with Capt. Jonathan Arn, 28 sailfish and 3 blue marlin for 3300 Pts.

Jackpot Only Winners Of Note:

•  Team Catch 23 with Day 1 Sonar $1k, $3k and $5k Marlin Only Daily Jackpots for $136,800.00.

•  Team Sea Base with Day 2 Sonar $1k, $3k and $5k Marlin Only Daily Jackpots for $136,800.00.

•  Team Another Adventure with Day 2 Dorado daily jackpots for $81,400.00.

•  Team Sea Fly/Maverick Yachts with Day 2 Non-Sonar marlin only daily jackpots for $36,000.00.

Tournament Team Payout: 

TOTAL PAYOUT: $2,349,600

*Note: Billfish Optional daily jackpots are divided into two categories, Sonar equipped and non-Sonar equipped vessels

January 9-12, 2025 – Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, Costa Rica –

Year 9 of the Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament was truly something special. 107 teams and 606 anglers from 16 different countries gathered in Quepos, Costa Rica at renowned Marina Pez Vela for what would be a record breaking and history making tournament. With adult beverages provided by Flor de Caña Rum, teams gathered for final registration and enjoyed live music and culinary offerings from F.A.D.S foods and the BBQ professionals at The Butcher Block.

With more than 100 teams competing for just over $2.3 million in prize money, this year’s tournament set new all-time marks for the number of teams participating and the total purse up for grabs. Add to that, some of the best fishing seen in Costa Rica in recent years and what transpired over two days of fishing was something remarkable.

Anticipation, excitement and hope filled the air as the fleet of 107 teams lined up for the traditional shotgun start on day one. Reports of large numbers of billfish were on everyone’s mind as tournament director Tony DiGiulian counted down to the 7:00am start, sending the teams on their way.

When the lines in/start fishing call went out over the airwaves, teams started calling in catches and releases of billfish at a history making pace that would not let up for the next 8 hours. By the time the day ended the fleet had caught-and-released a tournament record 1,354 billfish at a frequency of 2.7 releases per minute, possibly the most billfish releases ever in a single day of tournament fishing. Congratulations to tournament radio scorekeeper Alcides Alfaro and the crew from CatchStat, for scoring a history making day under tremendous pressure. This score keeping crew put themselves in very exclusive company and their performance should be applauded.

When the dust had settled after Day 1, it was team Game Plan with Capt. John Brennan at the top with 4300 Pts, followed by Sea Señora, War Party, Mama Seata and Catch 23 rounding out the top 5 in a tightly contested shootout. With the top 8 teams in the Sonar division all scoring 3000 Pts or higher, Day 2 was setting up to be an extremely competitive finish for the Sonar Boats.

Meanwhile, in the Non-Sonar billfish division, it was extremely close with team Kelly Dawn and Capt. Will Ochse leading the way after Day 1 with 2700 Pts and E & A (2600 Pts), Lucky Gus (2400 Pts) and Miss Judy (2200 Pts) closing and ready to make a move to the top for day 2.

At the scales, weighmaster Jerry Glover and the Pelagic team were ready to go in the Gamefish Divisions. Team Salty Canucks, fishing with Jackpot Sportfishing on local charter boat Good Day, made an immediate statement when they weighed what would be a Rockstar record 171.1-lb. yellowfin tuna, sweeping Day 1 daily jackpots. Team Winetime and team King of The Seas each weighed a quality tuna of their own at 159.4 and 135.8 lbs. apiece. Day 2 daily jackpots and the overall Tuna division were shaping up for a dramatic finish and a large check to be awarded to the winner.

In the Dorado division, it was Kelly Dawn taking Day 1 Daily honors with their 35-lb. dorado, followed by Fire Fly (30.1 lbs.) and Massholes with a respectable 29.6-pounder.

Day 2 brought fantastic weather, and another classic shotgun start. The fishing picked up at almost the same pace as it left off after Day 1. With the fleet averaging 2.0 releases per minute, it was an all-out battle to the finish, when the lines out/stop fishing call sounded at 4:30pm.

While two-time defending champion Fish Tank/Galati, Cha-Cha and Silly Goose all made runs at the top 3 teams in the Sonar division, in the end they could not keep pace with the Day 1 leaders. Game Plan and their 3500 Pts on Day 2, combined with their Day 1 tally of 4300 Pts, proved to be insurmountable as they finished strong and on top with 7800 points. War Party, Mama Seata, Fish Tank/Galati and Sea Señora made it interesting for 2nd and 3rd overall, with War Party and Capt. James Parker securing 2nd and Mama Seata and Capt. Ronnie Fields rounding out the top 3.

In the Non-Sonar billfish division it was Kelly Dawn and their Day 2 score of 2000 Pts that had them holding on for first overall at 4700 Pts. 2nd through 4th place in the division came down to the last minutes of fishing and saw just 200 Pts separating 4th from 3rd place and only 100 Pts, or a single sailfish release, determining 2nd and 3rd place. It was E & A and Capt. Jon Arn with 3700 Pts taking second place overall while also securing Top Female and Top Jr. Angler honors for Angler Elizabeth Arn. Lucky Gus and Capt. Simon Gonzalez finished strong and in 3rd place overall in the Non-Sonar division with a two-day total of 3600 Pts.

At the scales, it was a nailbiter with Fire Fly bringing a 147.6-lb. tuna to weigh and take Day 2 tuna daily’s and a second dorado added to their Day 1 dorado that would put them in first place overall in the Dorado division. King of the Seas added a 68.5-lb. tuna to their Day 1 tally and Salty Canucks rallied with a 55.8-lb. fish added to their tournament record Day 1 score. In the end, Salty Canucks would prevail in the overall Tuna division with a two-fish total of 226.9 lbs., followed by King of the Seas in 2nd with 204.3 lbs. and Winetime in 3rd with a two-day total of 202.8 lbs.

The Dorado division ended with Fire Fly in first with an aggregate two-fish weight of 58.8 lbs., Kelly Dawn in 2nd with 35 lbs. and Massholes in 3rd as their 29.6-lb. dorado from Day 1 held up in a slower than usual dorado bite.

Special Mentions & Highlights:

•  Congratulations to Capt. John Brennan and Team Game Plan for earning the title of Grand Champion. This team has finished in the top 3 an astounding 6 times in the Rock Star’s 9 year history. They have secured their team’s name on the Pelagic Rockstar Perpetual trophy for the second time and have finished 2nd once and 3rd three times. Simply an amazing team working together to be recognized as one of the world’s best to ever do it.

•  Congratulations to Team Salty Canucks and angler Chris Genert for setting the all-time tournament record for tuna with their 171.1-lb. yellowfin tuna caught on Day 1. This team has scored in back-to-back years with 1st place dorado honors in 2024 and now with their record-setting tuna in 2025.

•  Congratulations to our Top Overall Angler, Gaspar Hinojosa from team Sea Señora with Capt. Sean Byers. Gaspar caught-and-released 56 sailfish and 1 blue marlin for 3500 Pts. A remarkable job and accomplishment. This team was in it to the end, and we hope to see them back again next year.

•  Congratulations to Top Female and Top Jr. Angler Elizabeth Arn from team E & A with Capt. Jon Arn. It is always rare to double up on angler awards and Elizabeth proved once again with her 28 sailfish and 3 blue marlin releases for 3300 Pts, that the ladies can absolutely compete with the fellas and often times beat them.

•  A special thank you to our partners for all the added prizes and giveaways. Thank you, Shimano Latin America, for the beautiful Talica Reels for our winners and our charity raffle benefitting the Aqua Inspiration Program. Thank you Danco Pliers for your continued support and for the pliers for each team and for the 2 pair of Premo Titanium pliers for the charity raffle. Thank you BKK hooks for your contribution to our team buckets. Thank you Morita Custom Gaffs for the beautiful Gaffs we were able to award many of our winners. And a big thank you to marine artist Steve Goione for another fantastic original piece of artwork to benefit Aqua Inspiration and Jr. Achievements Costa Rica and for the special edition prints for all our teams.

•  A special congratulations to our entire fleet and thank you for making this year one for the record books. We could not continue to grow and set records year after year without your loyal and passionate support. Because of you, we achieved some major milestones this year and have entered the conversation as a top 5 tournament in the world to participate in. This year we reached the coveted 100 plus boat mark with 107 teams fishing the tournament. We set a record for largest purse in Costa Rican & Central American tournament history with $2.3 million awarded to 19 different teams. We awarded a $1.1 million check to a single winner in an all-release billfish tournament for the first time in history, something that was said could never be done. We had some of the best fishing ever and caught-and-released an amazing 2,425 billfish, which puts this tournament in the top 2 or 3 all-time catch results in bill-fishing history, for sure in a two-day fishing format. The Day 1 total of 1,371 billfish released gives us the record for the best one-day total in tournament fishing history. Congratulations again to all of you for making this a reality.

•  Saving the best for last and thanking our entire team from Marina Pez Vela. We could not do any of this without these amazing people. A special thank you goes to Estibaliz Hidalgo for everything she does for us all year long. Thank you to Alcides Alfaro and congratulations for making sportfishing history with your amazing work as our official radio scorekeeper. Thank you, Jerry Glover, for your attention to detail and professionalism as our official weigh master. Thank you, Maria, Ivy, Abigail and Carter, for making miracles happen with slip space and the way in which you run the marina. Thank you, Marina Guest Center staff Marbely, Arturo, Kendrick and Johenny. You are all simply one of the best marina management teams in the world and we are so grateful for each and every one of you.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We hope to see you all for our 10th Anniversary, January 15 – 18, 2026 at Marina Pez Vela in beautiful Quepos, Costa Rica!