Bastille Day 28th Annual Kingfish Tournament Set For July 17

ST. THOMAS — The Northside Sportfishing Club announced on Tuesday that the 28th Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament – the inshore fishing tournament that offers great prizes and attracts more participants than any other of its kind in the U.S. Virgin Islands – will take place on Sunday July 17, according to a press release.

First organized by the Club in 1987, the tournament last year attracted 210 anglers, including 33 junior anglers, aboard 63 boats.

Thierry Williams, of St. Thomas, reeled in the Largest Kingfish, a 31.55-pounder aboard the 23-foot Hanson, Oceanna. Williams took home many prizes which included $2,000 in cash. In addition, there are a dozen more prize categories that include Best Boat, Best Captain, Best Male, Best Female, Best Junior Male, Best Junior Female and other fish species such as Largest Barracuda, Bonito and Mackerel.

The fishing starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at Noon, sharp, when the beachside party begins at Hull Bay Hideaway with food, music by local bands and fun lasting right up until the Awards Ceremony.

The Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament is held in observation of the island’s French heritage. The tournament is one of the big reasons why online travel advisor, Hotwire.com, named St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands one of the Top 10 destinations in the world to celebrate Bastille Day.

As well as being a day of fishing and fun for the whole family, the Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament benefits a variety of local organizations such as the Joseph Sibilly School, My Brother’s Workshop and the Family Resource Center as well as educational scholarships.

The Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament is sponsored by Coors Light and Captain Morgan, distributed by Bellows International; Offshore Marine, the Yamaha distributor in the Virgin Islands; NEMWIL, managed in the USVI by Red Hook Agencies; TOPA Insurance Services Inc., and Budget Marine, the Caribbean’s leading chandlery.

Feature Image: Thierry Williams (center) caught the tournament’s Largest Kingfish, a 31.55-pounder, aboard Oceanna. Fellow anglers James Williams (left) and Albert Brin (right).

Image Credit: Dean Barnes.