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HomeNewsLocal sportsNorthside Sportfishing Club Plans 2023 Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament

Northside Sportfishing Club Plans 2023 Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament

2022 Largest Kingfish Winner – (L to R) Edwin ‘Eddie’ Bryan Jr. (Largest Kingfish Winner) with Ricky Laplace and Mark Stiehler (Credit: Dean Barnes)

The Northside Sportfishing Club has scheduled the 2023 Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament for Sunday, July 16, at Hull Bay Hideaway.

“The focus, as always, will be on fishing. Yet, the fun will certainly be there too from the weigh-in to the awards ceremony. We invite anglers who have fished with us for many years, newcomers, residents and visitors alike to try their luck catching a whopper kingfish,” said Catherine Bryan, one of the tournament co-directors.

First organized by the club in 1987, the tournament last year attracted 166 anglers, including 26 junior anglers, aboard 40 boats. Edwin “Eddie” Bryan Jr. of St. Thomas reeled in the largest kingfish, a 30.80-pounder, from aboard the 20-foot boat, Spider. There are a dozen more prize categories that include Best Boat, Best Captain, Best Male, Best Female, Best Junior Male, Best Junior Female and other fish species such as Largest Barracuda, Bonito and Mackerel.

The Captain’s Meeting and Registration will take place at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 14, at Hull Bay Hideaway. Fishing will start on Sunday, July 16, with lines in at 5:30 a.m.; it will end at noon sharp when the weigh-in and beachside party begins at Hull Bay Hideaway. The awards ceremony will follow.

In 2019, National Geographic magazine named the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament as one of the world’s “9 Bastille Day bashes that celebrate French Culture!” In 2012, online travel advisor Hotwire.com named St. Thomas as one of the Top 10 destinations in the world to celebrate Bastille Day thanks to the tournament.

As well as being a day of fishing and fun for the whole family, the Northside Sport Fishing Club via its Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament has donated nearly $220,000 to community organizations such as the Joseph Sibilly Elementary School, Nana Baby Children’s Home, St. Thomas Rescue and the Civil Air Patrol since the event’s inception.

For more information, call 998-0854 or email: nssfcvi@gmail.com. Or, check the club out on Facebook and Instagram @ Northside Sportfishing Club.

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