Inaka rules 6th Annual ISLA Mafuti Derby

There’s a new winner of the I Sanhalom Laguna Anglers Association Mafuti Derby as Inaka, captained by Edward C. Sablan, ruled the sixth edition with the biggest catch at 8.25 lbs last Saturday at the Smiling Cove Marina.

Inaka came out on top out of 44 boats that joined this year’s derby.

Second place was 4reel, captained by Gregory Camacho, with their 4.7-lb mafuti; third was Tom Tudela’s Sunriser with a 3.6-lb catch; fourth was last year’s first place Edward Diaz’s Nibbler with a 3.5-lb catch; and fifth was Martin Camacho’s 3.35-lb haul aboard the Carmen Santiago.

The total weight (Mike’s Cup) winner was Team RJ, captained by George Moses at 5.7 lbs.

The side bet of $360 was won by Mike Sablan’s TKK2 with an 8.55-lb haul.

During the derby, board member Dave Guerrero said they were more than happy with the turnout as they were shooting for at least 40 boats to join the derby.

As for the ISLA’s sixth derby, president Keith Kintol said, “we pay respects to one of [ISLA’s] founding fathers, Mike Sablan. Although he’s not here with us, we know he’s there in spirit… This is our sixth annual—that’s a big milestone and we most especially thank our sponsors for the opportunity to continue this tournament again.”

Sponsors of the derby include Triple J, Naked Fish, Poki Yaki, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Bridge Capital LLC, TurnKey Solutions, and more. “We are very, very thankful. For the new businesses out there, we’d love the opportunity to expose your business… This is a way to have an outlet for your business,” said Kintol.

The 7th Annual ISLA Mafuti Derby next year will most likely be around the same time again.

ISLA was established in 2018 by a group of anglers that treat fishing as a way of life. The Mafuti Derby is restricted to the waters inside the Saipan lagoon and participating boats can’t exceed 17 feet in length.