Tourney raises funds, begins new S.D. tradition
The question of whether San Diego really needed another fishing tournament was clearly answered last weekend. Absolutely. It was unique in concept, it raised money and awareness for research, and it honored San Diego sportfishing biggest legend, Bill Poole.
How the Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament evolves as a true test of fishing skill and reputation is still an unanswered question after its second year. However, as a fundraising event that drew a strong field of anglers and a supporters to the bayside patio of the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute on Mission Bay for the awards ceremony Sunday, it was a slam dunk success.
This year, the event got a massive shot in the arm from the sport fishing industry and the sport fishing fleet of San Diego when Ingrid Poole attached her late husband’s name to the event as a way to memorialize the legendary captain who passed away last October at age 87 and was generous to the causes of fisheries research and conservation throughout his sportfishing career.
GUNNERY SGT. MIKE
POPADITCH , a wounded warrior and candidate for Congress, addresses the
crowd. He was invited to speak by retired Congressman Duncan Hunter. It
was a moving speech that honored the late Capt. Bill Poole, who was also
a veteran, serving in WWII after Pearl Harbor.The tournament offers multiple divisions – partyboat, kayak, private boat, youth, flyfishing and if anyone’s forte was missed or you couldn’t make it due to time constraints, well, you could enter a virtual fishing tournament online. Several weigh stations were along the coast, and weights were faxed in from those weigh sites. In other words, you had no excuses for not supporting the tournament that cost between $25 (youths) and $50 a person. There were just under 200 entrants, which was an acceptable tournament, but the tournament portion itself was a little like planning a birthday bash for someone that was an excuse to have a party.
1. THE CROWD AT
HUBBS-SEA WORLD enjoyed a mix of speeches, tourney awards, displays Sea
World staff of resident animals such as this sea otter, a huge silent
auction, drawings, a lunch by the bay and tours of the Hubbs-Sea World
facility. All money will go to the research facility and hatchery
program.
2. DON KENT, Director of the Ocean Research Enhancement Program based at
Mission Bay and the Carlsbad hatchery. The Carlsbad hatchery raises
only white seabass, but the Mission Bay facility is also breeding
yellowtail, halibut and rockfish with all funding coming from the Ocean
Enhancement Stamp, donations and various grants.
3. THE TOP FINISHERS of the three divisions of the tournament who
received David Wirth carved Hawaiian hooks were, from left to right:
Peter Vasiliou of San Diego who took the private boater division with
his 50-pound white seabass he caught off Point Loma. He also won the
high angler division for his cumulative weight of his fish. Next was
Bob Fletcher of San Diego who won the partyboat division with a 26-pound
bluefin on the sportboat San Diego off the Coronados. Kurt Hoffman of
San Diego took the kayak division with a 31-pound yellowtail from La
Jolla, Rod Melchert of San Diego took second in the private boat
division with a 37.9-pound white seabass from La Jolla, and Paul Gomez,
far right, took third place in the private boat division with a
34.7-pound white seabass from La Jolla.
4. RECEIVING THE first annual Bill Poole Memorial Angling Tournament
Sportsman Award from Ingrid Poole and tourney chairman Mike Rivkin was
former Congressman Duncan Hunter, who was a champion of sportsman’s
rights was a good friend of the late Capt Bill Poole and his wife
Ingrid. WON PHOTOS BY PAT McDONELL
5. RECOGNIZED for his painting of Bill Poole and his many sportfishers
was San Diego artist Grant Christiansen and his wife Carrie by Bill
Poole’s wife, Ingrid Poole.
The real reasons for the event, for this year at least, was to support the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute at Mission Bay and its Carlsbad Hatchery—and to honor Capt. Bill Poole.
It was a helluva bayside bash. Under sunny skies on the patio of the Hubbs facility which years ago was the gourmet restaurant Atlantis, there was a silent auction, a raffle drawing conducted by radio host Pete Gray, angler awards, a fantastic barbecue lunch and a medley of awards. One of those special acknowledgements was given out by Ingrid Poole, a perpetual Bill Poole Memorial Fishing Tournament Sportsman Award. It went to retired Congressman Duncan Hunter, who was especially recognizable because he was the only person wearing a suit and tie.
“Someone tell Duncan he’s not running for anything any more,” joked tournament chairman Mike Rivkin, a former president of the Avalon Tuna Club, the man who “conceptualized” the tournament and did a fantastic job of putting together a fundraiser that over the years could evolve into the biggest tournaments in SoCal. Hunter accepted the award from Ingrid, who took great pride in presenting the award to the former congressman, Army Ranger (paratrooper) in Vietnam and personal friend of the Pooles over the years. Ingrid took special delight in recounting how Hunter invited them to a White House dinner during the Reagan Administration.
In terms of fishing awards, there were three main divisions of the tournament and top anglers won beautiful David Wirth-carved Hawaiian hooks worth $500.
Peter Vasiliou of San Diego won the private boater division with his 50-pound white seabass he caught off Point Loma on Saturday, and he also took the High Angler Award prize package for his cumulative weight of his fish. Rod Melchert of San Diego placed second with a 37.9-pound white seabass from La Jolla, and Paul Gomez finished third with a 34.7-pound white seabass caught near the Point Loma kelp.
Former DFG Deputy Director and SAC President Bob Fletcher of San Diego won the partyboat division with a 26-pound bluefin on the sportboat San Diego that fished the Coronados and Fletcher also spoke later of Congressman Hunter’s tireless support of sportfishing during his multiple terms in Washington, D.C. In the Kayak Division, Kurt Hoffman of San Diego placed first with a 31-pound yellowtail from the La Jolla Kelp area.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the event was when Gunnery Sgt. Mike Popaditch , a wounded warrior and candidate for Congress, addressed the crowd. He was invited to speak by retired Congressman Hunter. It was a moving speech that honored the late Capt. Bill Poole, who was also a veteran, serving in WWII after Pearl Harbor.
How much money was raised? I don’t have the exact figure. But it was a bunch. The Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute is a crown jewel of conservation and research for our sportfishing industry and our state. In fact, it has a world-wide reputation as it raises white seabass, halibut, yellowtail and rockfish. Since 1986 it has raised and released 1.6 million white seabass, and this past year got its long-awaited approval from the state Coastal Commission to increase its output from the Carlsbad hatchery from 125,000 fish to 375,000.
“It’s great news that we got the okay to increase it this year to 375,000, but we’re capable of raising 3 million fish a year,” said Don Kent, who has been director of the Hubbs program since it began.
I have to say, Sunday’s shindig was a classy event. It offered awareness of a great program, fundraising, some on-the-water competition open to anyone, great food, a bayside venue and a chance to annually honor a San Diego sportfishing legend as well as a great sportsman and pubic servant in Duncan Hunter. Let’s do it again next year.
Pat McDonell is editor of Western Outdoor News. He can be reached at pat@wonews.com. 
THE CROWD
