(Photo: Out Your Front Door)
Team Sea Striker, fishing aboard a 61-foot Jarrett Bay based out of Morehead City, North Carolina, led by owner Adrian Holler with Capt. Pete Zook and mate Morris McGahey, have been coming to Bermuda for many years and will forever remember their 2022 season.
The team started strong by releasing three blues and a white marlin during the Billfish Blast, placing second in the tournament. Team Sea Striker’s consistency continued, adding three blue marlin releases during the Big Game Classic moving them to the series leader position with 3,100 points heading into the final leg. The fishing continued to be outstanding during the Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament with Sea Striker putting the finishing touches on an epic season, releasing six blues and one white marlin to earn first-place team honors in the Sea Horse tournament.
Sea Striker’s tally of 6,200 points from twelve blues and two white marlin releases for their anglers—including Rom Whitaker, Christian Bedsworth, Dave Pfeiffer, Curtis Struyk, Robbie Terry and Jim Sears—secured their victory in the 2022 Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Championship, picking up $203,000 for their accomplishments over the series of tournaments. The team received championship rings from VanMark Jewelry Designers, the Bodo Muche champion’s bronze trophy, Garmin Quatix 6 watches, AFTCO champions apparel, Bacardi spirits, the Release Marine custom trophy, Steve Goione BTC limited edition prints, King Sailfish Mounts trophies, Costa sunglasses, Yeti cooler, OluKai shoes, Penn reel, Yeti tumblers, Meater thermometer kit, Coastal Carolina cutting board and Big T custom lures.
(Photo: Out Your Front Door)
Team Auspicious, an 80-foot Viking out of West Palm Beach, Florida, with owner Joe Rahman, Capt. Edward “Cookie” Murray at the helm and mate Carl Copeland, finished in second in the Triple Crown with 5,400 points from ten blues and four white marlin releases, earning second place in the optional series jackpot worth $28,350. The total winnings for team Auspicious in the BTC series events was $65,970.
Team Plane Simple, a 77-foot Spencer based in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with Capt. Chris Weeks and mate Derek Sherz, finished third in the series with 4,600 points from nine blues and one white marlin releases. Plane Simple also participated in the optional series jackpot, winning $18,900. Their total winnings tallied $91,380.
A total of 43 teams fished at least one leg of the 2022 Bermuda Triple Crown, competing for more than $1.1 million in cash, catching 263 billfish including 190 blue marlin, 70 white marlin and three spearfish over the nine days of fishing. Six qualifying marlin over the 500-pound minimum were boated including a 529 on Triple Play, a 534 on Pescador, a 610 on Overproof, a 610 on Game Changer, a 682 on Lunatico and a 713 on Paradise One, the largest of the series. Two quality tuna were weighed including a 139-pound yellowfin on Reel Lax and a 158-pounder on Reel Quick.
Congratulations to Team Sea Striker, this year’s 2022 Bermuda Triple Crown Billfish Series Champions!
