Campers’ skills will be put to the test and improved upon to target more impressive game fish. This week will include lessons from and fishing alongside Pro Staff, Captains, and IGFA World Record Holders. IGFA camps are usually all Catch and Release but not this week! Campers who catch a legal fish on the drift boats can keep it and learn what the next steps are including how to filet and cook their catch.
In the 10th year of the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR), the IGFA will be deploying satellite tags to study billfish migrations and diving behavior at major tournaments around the world. Teams sponsoring tags will be supplied with the necessary equipment to deploy their own satellite tag on marlin, sailfish, or spearfish species and will be provided a comprehensive report of the results from their tagged billfish. Each tag will also be entered into the competition to see which billfish travels the farthest in 2021-2022.
Information from the IGMR is used to better understand the ecology of marlin, sailfish, and spearfish; leading to improved conservation and management of billfish resources in our world’s oceans.
If you are interested in deploying satellite tags on billfish species in your area please contact IGFA Conservation Manager Bruce Pohlot at [email protected].
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) will celebrate the 2020 IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame Class on September 11, 2021, at the Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Aquarium & Museum in Springfield, Missouri.
In recognition of their extraordinary contributions to recreational angling around the world, The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has named five more fishing greats to the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
Elected unanimously by the IGFA Board of Trustees, the new class will join 131 legendary anglers, scientists, conservationists, writers, and fishing industry leaders whose contributions to sport fishing are forever preserved and celebrated in the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. This class will take their honored places alongside fishing luminaries, including Isaak Walton, Michael Lerner, Francesca LaMonte, Zane Grey, Mary Orvis Marbury, Ernest Hemingway, Ted Williams, Bill Dance, Mark Sosin, Lee and Joan Wulff, Flip Pallot, Alfred C. Glassell Jr., Kip Farrington, and Curt Gowdy, just to name a few.
The new class includes pelagic game fish researcher Dr. Barbara Block; famed billfish angler and conservationist Jose Campos; marine conservationist Ken Hinman; legendary Australian angler Patrick Gay; and fly fishing extraordinaire Dave Whitlock.
IGMR Billfish Tagging Event – 40th Master Angler Billfish Tournament
In the 10th year of the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR), the IGFA will be deploying satellite tags at the 40th Master Angler Billfish Tournament in association with the Balboa Angling Club to study billfish migrations and diving behavior at major tournaments around the world. Teams sponsoring tags will be supplied with the necessary equipment to deploy their own satellite tag and will be provided a comprehensive report of the results from their tagged billfish. Each tag will also be entered into the competition to see which billfish travels the farthest in 2021-2022.
Information from the IGMR is used to better understand the ecology of marlin, sailfish, and spearfish; leading to improved conservation and management of billfish resources in our world’s oceans.
Tag sponsorships are deductible as a charitable contribution. Checks should be made payable to IGFA. IGMR Representatives will be available to instruct anglers on how to deploy tags. Written tagging instructions will also be provided.
The winning fish is the billfish traveling the furthest distance (point to point) from where it was tagged and released. Stanford University researchers will determine the winner.
The Sponsoring Club whose marlin travels the furthest will receive an engraved MABT Great Marlin Race Trophy. Also, should the MABT winning marlin be the overall winner of the IGFA Great Marlin Race (the marlin whose tag travels the furthest of all IGMR races in a given year), the sponsor’s name(s) will be engraved on the IGMR Perpetual Trophy which is displayed at IGFA Headquaters.
If you are interested in deploying satellite tags on billfish species in your area please contact Bob Kurz, IGFA Trustee [email protected], phone 949 521-2473 or JD Doughty,
[email protected], 949 723-0883.
The 2021 IGFA Permit Invitational
September 28 – October 1, 2021
The IGFA Permit Invitational is a premier fly fishing tournament held annually with the goal of creating a competitive atmosphere to celebrate a world-class inshore game fish, the sport of fly fishing and to promote the ethics and programs of the IGFA.
We are excited to hold this premier event out of the Stock Island Yacht Club in the Lower Florida Keys, from September 28 – October 1, 2021. All proceeds from the IGFA Permit Invitational will benefit the IGFA’s conservation programs and initiatives.
The IGFA hosts an online auction to coincide with the annual IGFA Permit Invitational. Anglers from around the world can bid on world-class fly fishing trips, tackle, artwork, and more! All proceeds from the IGFA Permit Invitational and the online auction go to support the IGFA’s conservation programs. To support this fundraising effort please consider donating an item, trip or service to the IGFA Permit Invitational. For more information contact IGFA Marketing Director Jack Vitek at [email protected] or call 954-927-2628.
The online auction begins on Monday, September 27, 2021, and ends on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
The Tommy Gifford Award is named for one of the greatest saltwater charter skippers of all time, and recipients are selected through a rigorous process conducted by the Legendary Captains and Crew Committee chaired by Captain Skip Smith. Join us in congratulating the 2020 Tommy Gifford Award recipients:
For table sponsorship opportunities please click here and for more information, please contact IGFA at [email protected] or 954-927-2628.
The 2021 IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open
November 12 – 14, 2021
This exclusive two-day tournament will take place during prime swordfish season in the famed waters off Southern California, the birthplace of big game sportfishing! The tournament is open to the public and will include three tournament weigh stations: San Diego, Newport Beach, and Oxnard, making this truly accessible to anglers throughout Southern California.
The entry fee for the IGFA SoCal Swordfish Open is $300 per angler, when paid before September 1, 2021. After September 1, 2021, the entry fee per angler increases to $350.
Your registration fee covers your tournament angler bag, as well as food and beverages at the awards ceremony on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
Guest tickets to the awards ceremony can be purchased at a fee of $75/ticket. The deadline for purchasing guest tickets is November 6, 2021. Guest tickets will not be available at the door. To purchase guest tickets, please contact IGFA at [email protected] or 954-927-2628.
Anglers/Teams are responsible for chartering or providing their own boats for the tournament.
Angling enthusiasts from around the globe will gather at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, on Saturday, January 29, 2022, to attend the 38th Annual IGFA International Auction. Guests will bid on exciting trips, artwork, tackle, jewelry, and more to support the IGFA’s initiatives in the fields of conservation, youth education and angler recognition. The evening begins at 6:00 pm with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Dinner will commence at 7:30 pm with the close of the silent auction and the start of the live auction.
For more information please contact IGFA at 954-927-2628 or [email protected].