Carmelita II defends Mix Classic title

Carmelita II held its own against 22 other boats and defended their title in the Tasi To Table Inc.’s 2nd Mix Classic Fishing Tournament held last Saturday in the waters off the CNMI.

Owned and captained by Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro, its crew included Alexandro Castro Jr., Carmelita Castro, Khalia Castro, and Jeremy Koshiro—who caught a total of 120.1 lbs of eligible fish that included a 104.5-lb marlin and a 15.6-lb yellowfin.

Their catch won them the $3,000 top purse, an inflatable emergency boat, a 65-qt. ice chest from Triple J, a 5-gallon bucket from YCO Hardware, a $150 gift certificate from Napa Auto Parts, a$100 gift certificate from Fishing Tackle & Sporting Goods, a $50 gift certificate from Peska Tackle and Lure, a $25 gift certificate from The Hut and McDonald’s, and another year’s worth of bragging rights.

Along with this, Carmelita II hauled in the heaviest catch of the tournament to win the side bet of $750.

Second place was Kokas captained by Manny Sablan with crew Will Dela Cruz and Robert Tenorio. Their total 55-lb catch of a 32.4-lb yellowfin and 22.6-lb wahoo won them $2,000, a 45-qt. ice chest from Triple J, a $100 gift certificate from FTSG, a $150 gift certificate from NAPA, a $50 gift certificate from Peska Tackle and lure, a $25 gift certificate from Carquest, a $45 gift certificate from The Hut, and a McDonald’s gift certificate.

Third place went to Sea Nanamu captained by Shaun Pua with crew Giovanni Mira and Cody Norita. They caught a total of 43.3 lbs with an 18.9-lb yellowfin and a 24.4-lb wahoo. Their winnings included $1,000, a 45-qt. ice chest from Triple J, a $100 gift certificate from FTSG, a $25 gift certificate from Joeten/Carquest/The Hut, and a McDonald’s gift certificate.

The boat Zephyr, captained by Stephen Pixley and crew Rex Pixley and Jason Pixley won them $750 and a 20-qt. ice chest from Triple J, a $25 gift certificate from carquest, a $25 gift certificate from Joeten Motors, and a $25 from The Hut and McDonald’s. They caught a total of 39.4 lbs from a 38.2-lb wahoo and a 1.2-lb katsu.

Fifth place went to Ruby Fishing, captained by Nicholas Wedell who caught a total of 32.7 lbs from a 15.2-lb yellowfin and 17.5-lb wahoo. They won $500, a 20-qt. ice chest from Triple J, a $25 gift certificate from Carquest, a $25 gift certificate from Joeten Motors, and a $25 gift certificate from The Hut and McDonald’s.

Sixth place went to Sesa captained by Takede Nakazata and crew Frank Pai and Kevin Diaz. They caught a 23.6-lb yellowfin and 5.2-lb mahi for a total weight of 28.8 lbs.

The Top 5 in the 2022 Mix Classic also took home trophies.

Gene Weaver, president of TTT, said that the turnout was good considering it was postponed twice due to small craft warnings.

When the tournament pushed through last Saturday, he said, “the conditions were great. A lot of fish were caught and I’m just happy we got this tournament on the way and we didn’t have to postpone it again.” He added, “there was some weather service out there but we crossed our fingers and we made it happen.”

Weaver said of the tournament, “It was challenging—not everyone caught, but hey, I heard everything was caught in the morning and not that much in the afternoon.”

He added that all 23 boats came back safely, “So that makes it a successful tournament.”

Proceeds from the tournament benefit the 501(c)3 non-profit corporation of TTT Inc. to support its continued mission for the youth programs spearheaded by TTT Inc. with the CNMI Public School System.

The TTT Mix Classic Fishing Tournament is a new tournament focusing on targeted pelagic fish species. However, in order to qualify your catch, submitting captain/anglers catch must include a combination of the qualifying pelagic species.

The qualifying pelagic species are as follows: billfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi, and skipjack tuna.

The main event sponsors were ITE, IPE, Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods, Marianas Visitors Authority, and MARPAC.

The derby shirt design and creation sponsor was Roil Soil and the other sponsors and in-kind donors were API Carquest, Saipan Ice and Water, Napa Auto and Truck Parts, The Hut, UR Tents, FJR Inc., Triple J Saipan, Inc., McDonald’s, Peska Tackle, Herman’s Modern Bakery, Skydive Saipan, and Joeten Motors.