10-7 repeats as Mahi Derby champ

The boat 10-7 captained by Keith Torres seized the sweltering hot Saturday once again in the Saipan Fishermen’s Association’s 20th Mahi Fishing Derby with a 26.4-lb mahi caught off the islands’ waters.

It was third time’s the charm as the derby finally got underway after two postponements due to inclement weather, and in an awards ceremony at the Smiling Cove Marina, SFA awarded Torres and crew with the first place plaque and the $2,500 cash award.

Second place for $1,500 was the boat Gabby Jo with a 23.1-lb haul captained by Jesse Tenorio. Third for the prize of $1,000 was Sea Wind with a 21.1-lb catch captained by Marcelino Tresenio, while fourth place was Mama Loling’s 19.5-lb mahi that was captained by Cecilio Raiukiulipy, with fifth place Peska Dufus from an 18.2-lb catch.

The side bet of the biggest wahoo went to the Betty Ann with a 31.6-lb catch.

The sun-kissed Torres said in an interview after the event that the day was “superhot. Our boat was the only one with no tarp.”

As for his winning catch, he said they went through the waters off Tinian, then made their way back to Obyan and caught it somewhere in between. The fight with the 26.4-lb mahi was a quick one as it was less than 10 minutes, and when Torres saw his catch, he knew that was the biggest one he could get.

With their first place win, their boat and crew successfully defended their title after they won last year’s derby with a 26.2-lb mahi, and with that, Torres said, “we’re very lucky.”

Torres’ crew included anglers C.J. Echalico and Erick Basa. They plan to join all the upcoming fishing derbies this year.

Torres then thanked the SFA for the event despite the delays. “I know these guys worked very hard to put this all together, but we just want to thank them even though it was delayed. We’re happy that everybody went out and enjoyed it and came back safely,” he said.