ROCKSTAR BREAKS RECORDS

Costa Rica's largest and richest tournament rolls on

Representing 16 different nations, a record fleet of 94 boats and 553 anglers descended upon the central Pacific Costa Rican community of Quepos for the seventh annual Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament, which also offered the largest prize purse of any event in Central America at $1.3 million. With a hot bite underway just offshore, the participants were treated to an exceptionally exciting and action-packed weekend of fishing, live music, food, and fun.

By the call for lines out on Day One, Capt. Ben Horning and Team Galati/Fish Tank held down first place with 25 sailfish and 2,500 points. Clay Time was second with 2,400 points, and Nsatia Bill was third with 2,100 points. Meanwhile, Capt. Lance Hightower and his team on Vaquero, the winners of last year's Rockstar, managed to tally just 11 sailfish releases on the first day, but also scored a pair of blue marlin releases for angler Kristina Warshauer. Vaquero would land in eighth place, but as the event unfolded, those two marlin would become crucial in the final standings.

Lady anglers took center stage in this event, with several proving an enormous difference in their team's overall standings. By the end of the tournament, lady anglers would hold three of the top 10 angling positions, including the top overall angler.

The second day of the two-day tournament started much like the first, with the radio alive with billfish release calls. In fact, not even a full minute went by at any time during the tournament without a billfish release. As the day wore on, the top eight teams jockeyed for position and traded places several times, battling it out until the very end. With time running short just before lines out at 4 p.m., Team Galati/Fish Tank held a slim margin at the top of the leaderboard.