$2.9 Million - Pelagic’s Rockstar Offshore Tournament Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Record 117 Boats

FULL TOURNAMENT PHOTO GALLERY HERE

Quepos, Costa Rica: The Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament celebrated its 10th  anniversary in unforgettable fashion, delivering the biggest and best edition of this iconic event to date. The sportfishing community showed up in force, with 117 boats and 659 anglers, representing 14 countries, gathering at Marina Pez Vela to compete for over $2.9 million in cash and prizes. This year’s competition was something special, marking a decade of innovation and growth and once again claiming the title of Central America’s Largest and Richest Offshore Fishing Tournament.

With entries exceeding 100 boats for the second year in a row, Rockstar has staked its claim as the world’s largest all release billfish tournament. The number of billfish released during this event has been nothing short of stunning, surpassing even the impressive size of the fleet itself. This year was no exception as some of the best and most passionate billfishing captains, deckhands, and anglers on the planet, released an astounding 2,340 billfish in just 16 hours of total fishing time. This translates to just over 146 billfish released every hour, or an incredible 2.4 releases per minute.

Radio control was humming both days, with lead scorekeeper Alcides Alfaro and the team from CatchStat proving they are always up to the challenge, and cementing their reputation as the best in the business.

When the final call of “lines out” came across the radio, Team Pura Vida stood atop the leader board, taking home the title of Grand Champion and earning $885,900 for their efforts. Six years ago, this team of friends from Tampa Bay, Florida committed themselves to competing with the best in the world of billfishing and have now officially arrived.

What a year to have their dream become a reality and we look forward to adding their team’s name to the Rockstar perpetual trophy. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all our participants for helping us reach so many milestones over the last ten years. We look forward to another decade of Rockstar history and are looking forward to seeing you for the 11th year, January 15th – 17th, 2027!

Tournament Stats:
•    117 teams
•    659 anglers representing 14 countries
•    $2,927,650 in total prize money
•    2,340 total billfish released
•    2,324 sailfish, 16 blue marlin
•    23 dorado with largest at 46.6 pounds
•    30 yellowfin tuna including new tournament record 184.7 pounder
•    20 billfish releases per team average
•    34 different winners received checks and/or trophies and prizes

Top Team Stats:

Sonar Billfish:
•    First Place Grand Champion Billfish: First time winner of the tournament, Team Pura Vida with 62 sailfish released for 6,200 points and $885,900, Champion’s Trophy, and team name on perpetual trophy.
•    Second Place Billfish: Team Fish Tank/Galati with 46 sailfish, 2 blue marlin for 5,400 points, $505,910, 2nd place trophy.
•    Third Place Billfish: Team NsatiaBill with 53 sailfish for 5,300 points and $94,530, 3rd place trophy.

Non-Sonar Billfish:
•    First Place Non-Sonar Division: Team Mainline with 3,200 points and $187,235, 1st place trophy.
•    Second Place Non-Sonar Division: Team Carolina Gentlemen with 3,200 points and $18,617, 2nd place trophy.
•    Third Place Non-Sonar Division: Team Five More Minutes with 3,200 points and $49,672, 3rd place trophy.

Game Fish Division Winners:
•    1st Place Tuna: Team Reel Randy with a 2-fish aggregate – 324.10 lbs including new tournament single fish record 184.7 lbs for $51,087, 1st place trophy.
•    2nd Place Tuna: Team Swordfish 313 with a 2-fish aggregate - 284.9 lbs for $19,743, 2nd place trophy.
•    3rd Place Tuna: Team Micco with a 2 – fish aggregate – 260.3 lbs for $6,581, 3rd place trophy.
•    1st Place Dorado: Team Dealers Choice with a 2 – fish aggregate 64 lbs for $76,287, 1st place trophy.
•    2nd Place Dorado: Team Sea Fly with a 2 – fish aggregate – 61.7 lbs for $57,263, 3rd place trophy.
•    3rd Place Dorado: Team Chunda, single fish new tournament record 46.6 lbs for $28,661, 3rd place trophy.

Top Angler Stats:
•    Top Overall Champion Angler: John Cook, Team Vaquero, with 2,800 billfish points
•    Top Female Angler: Ronette Carter, Team SeaDuction, with 2,200  billfish points
•    Top Junior Angler: Elizabeth Arn, Team E&A, with 2,000 billfish points
•    Flor De Cana Happy Hour winners:
o    Day 1: Team Good Times with 900 billfish points
o    Day 2: Team My Three Sons with 1000 billfish points

Jackpot Only Winners of Note:
•    Team Blackhawk Dorado Jackpots for $231,160
•    Team Tenacious Dorado Jackpots for $216,920
•    Team Good Times Marlin Only Total Jackpots for $102,720
•    Team Rum Runner Billfish Release Total Jackpots for 70,640
•    Team Kelly Dawn Billfish Release Total Jackpots for 59,920
•    Team Poco Ocho Marlin Only Total Jackpots for $52,480

Tournament Team Payout:

TOTAL PAYOUT: $2,927,650

*Note: Billfish Optional daily jackpots are divided into two categories, Sonar equipped and non-Sonar equipped vessels.

Special Mentions & Highlights:
•    Congratulations to Team Pura Vida for earning the title of Grand Champions in the 10th Annual Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament. This team of lifelong high school friends from Tampa Bay, Florida, started out bottom fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and decided they wanted to try billfishing. What started as a hobby, soon became an obsession. After several years of dedication and hard work, they made their first appearance in the Rockstar six years ago, with the goal of one day becoming a top tier billfish angling team and winning this tournament. Their patience and passion for offshore blue water fishing finally paid off and we are proud to crown them with our 10th anniversary Champions trophy. They have earned their place as a world class professional angling team and will be the 10th team to have their name added to the Pelagic Rockstar perpetual trophy.

•    Congratulations Team Fish Tank/Galati for their 2nd place finish. A two-time Rockstar champion, this team is a perennial favorite and regular on the awards stage at the event. Always a class act and one of the best professional angling teams in the world, they always compete and work hard to the final bell. This year they came back from 22nd place after day one, to secure their second-place overall finish and take home a check $505,910.

•    Congratulations to Team Reel Randy on setting the new Rockstar record for biggest yellowfin tuna weighed, at 184.7 pounds.

•    Congratulations to Team Chunda for setting the new Rockstar record for biggest dorado weighed in tournament history at 46.6 pounds. While they only weighed one dorado over the two-day event, it was heavy enough to take third place overall in the Dorado Division.

•    Congratulations to Elizabeth Arn for earning Top Junior honors, two years running. This young woman is no stranger to the Rockstar podium and has won both Top Female Angler and Top Jr. Angler. This was her last year of eligibility to compete as a Jr. Angler, but we hope to see her competing for Top Overall Champion Angler in the years to come.

•    Congratulations to our Top Female Angler, Ronette Carter, representing Team SeaDuction. This is Ronette’s first appearance on the Rockstar awards stage.

•    Congratulations to our Top Overall Champion Angler John Cook, representing Team Vaquero. This team has won the overall title twice, (2020 and 2022), the Top Female Angler award and has fished the tournament for eight consecutive years. We always look forward to seeing Capt. Lance Hightower and his team at the Rockstar.

•    Congratulations to David Simon and Team La Otra Vida for winning the inaugural Rockstar Sportsmanship Award. Dave and his team were chasing dolphin pods in search of big yellowfin tuna on day one when they realized they had crossed the 50 nautical mile tournament boundary. They had several weighable tunas in the box and called in to self-disqualify themselves from day one of the competition. The statement they made was a true testament to the importance of character and integrity, proving that these two values are of way more importance than winning any fishing tournament. David, you set such an important example for your fellow fishermen and women, our youth and your children and grandchildren. This team proved that it is always the right thing to do the right thing. We are so proud to give this award to such an honorable man and his team.

•    Thank you Flor De Cana Rum for supporting our event from the very beginning. This year they added some excitement to the tournament by sponsoring the “Flor De Cana Happy Hour” on both days of the event. The team scoring the most billfish release points each day between 11:00am and 1:00pm went home with a 35-year-old bottle of their finest aged rum, worth $2,000. The winners of this first time award were Team Good Times on Day one and Team My Three Sons on Day Two. Congratulations Flor De Cana Rum on 135 years in business, producing the finest rum on the planet.

•    A heart-felt thank you to all our partners that helped make this event so memorable for all our participants. Thank you, Maria and staff from F.A.D.S Foods for the coffee and breakfast set up each morning. Thank you Christian, Bill, Janet and your amazing team at Butcher Block for the amazing appetizers and dinners all week long, your BBQ is top notch. Thank you to Marine Trophies by Torogoz for once again working with us to upgrade and provide the best trophies in the biz, every year. Thank you, Shimano Latin America, for the best reels in the world, provided to our winners. Thank you, Morita Custom Gaffs, for the incredible works of art that your gaffs represent to all the teams that receive them. Thank you, Quiet Carry Knives, for providing the beautiful knife set for our Sportsmanship Award. And thanks to BKK Hooks for providing the highest quality circle hooks in the world for all our team swag bags. Thank you, Marlon and the staff, at CR Primo Custom Tackle, for all your help. Thank you Dave, Jonathan and Zach from Catchstat for your dedication and hard work from registration day, scorekeeping and right through the last video review. You all are the best. We are grateful to all of you and look forward to working together for years to come.

•    Finally, we want to say thank you to our partners and the team from Marina Pez Vela. We could not do what we do at Pelagic Tournaments without all of you. Congratulations on your 15th anniversary of growth and commitment to the recreational angling and sportfishing industry. You have made a lifechanging commitment to Costa Rica and the Quepos community. We are forever grateful and look forward to the next ten years working together.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We hope to see you January 14-17, 2027, for year 11 of the Pelagic Rockstar Offshore Tournament at Marina Pez Vela in beautiful Quepos, Costa Rica.