St Lucia International Billfish Tournament 2026 enters final day

Saint Lucia: The 2026 edition for Republic Bank St. Lucia International Billfish Tournament enters its final day on Saturday, September 26, along with anglers participating and getting ready for the final day competition taking place off the coast of Saint Lucia.

The tournament is being now proheld at IGY Rodney Bay Marina and is organised by the Saint Lucia Game Fishing Association as the five-day event is scheduled to take place between September 22 to 26. The event is title-sponsored by the Republic Bank.

It is considered as the prominent event in the sport-fishing calendar of Saint Lucia and contributes to the wider marine and sports-tourism activity on the island during the sporting event.

The 2026 edition for the competition adopts a catch-and-release system and centres on billfish, consisting of white marlin, blue marlin and sailfish. The program involves the registration process and the pre-tournament briefing for the Skippers, fishing days, scheduled break and the competition’s final day.

According to the official reports, the 2026 tournament is expected to report more than 120 anglers and at least 21 boat registration before the competition. However other sources inform that the number of boats registered are between 26 to 28, demonstrating the tournament’s international reach.

The participants have come from Saint Lucia and other Caribbean locations and even from Europe and North America to compete in the event. The tournament has also included the rewards for anglers who aim to break Saint Lucia’s long-running record of Billfish.

The milestone is set at capturing a 707-pound blue marlin hooked and landed by Jean-Francois Fredonic from Martinique in 1996. No one has succeeded in breaking the particular benchmark for the past thirty years, whereas, a Jeep is presented as a reward for an angler who would break the record during the competition.

The last day completion of the tournament by crews in the waters will establish the final ranking for boats and individuals. Based on the tournament standards, Lucky Penny reached the final day of the tournament with 3,000 points, then came Par Tee Time, Knot Today, Blue Fever and Zaroon with 2,400 points each. Dos Hermanos achieved 1,500 points, whereas Ruby’s Joy and Real Extreme earned 1,200 points each and Chasing Tails and Cocobel stood at 900 points.

The tournament is planned to end with a closing and reward-distribution ceremonial event at IGY Rodney Bay Marina, gathering contestants, organisers, sponsors and spectators as the final day event concludes.