Extreme Kayak Battle in the Bahamas

Extreme Kayak’s Battle in the Bahamas proved to be epic

Once again, the crew over at Extreme Kayak Fishing proved why they are becoming not only the biggest offshore kayak tournament series, but the most respected. Last weekend, 33 anglers (along with 27 others) competing in the Extreme Kayak Fishing Battle in the Bahamas ferried from Port Everglades to Freeport Grand Bahama aboard the Balearia Fast Ferry.

On the morning of April 25, anglers took to the water in their yaks at 7 am loaded with live bait provided by Joe Settebrino from Hillsboro Inlet Live bait.

Extreme Kayakers line up before the 7 am start

The first day of fishing proved to be remarkable. Brian Nelli brought a 38.4 lb kingfish and a 13.7 tiger grouper to the beach. Drew Mixon logged a 32.7 king, Don Miley a 35.9 lb amberjack, and Dion Philipon had a 32.3 lb yellowfin grouper.

The second day, though, confirmed the tournament as epic when angler Joe Kraatz landed a white marlin. In a kayak. Check out the news story from NBC Channel 5 in Pompano Beach:

Of course, Kraatz’s marlin wasn’t the only billfish taken that day. As Kraatz was tied up with his white, Matt Eckert was hooked into a blue marlin that was rapidly towing him further out to sea.

Ultimately, Brain Nelli took the top prize of $5000 from Turbo USA, a superbowl ring from Joe Griffin Associates, a fish mount from Global Fish Mounts, and a trophy from Broward Plaque and Engraving. He also won the larges pelagic division with his 38.4 lb kingfish, taking another $1000 and a stand-up Paddleboard rigged for fishing by Adventure Sports out of Ft. Lauderdale and a Guy Harvey necklace. Nelli also won the Trash Can Slam with an aggregate weight of barracudas totaling 28.4 lbs. The cudas earned him a pair of Costa Del Mars and $50 worth of Yak Gear merchandise.

Second Place went to Don Miley with an aggregate total of 35.9 pounds of fish. His winnings included a Hobie Outback kayak from tournament sponsor Nautical Ventures, Costa Del Mars, and a fish mount.

Drew Mixon took third place with his 32.7 lb king; he took home a Hobie Revolution Kayak from Nautical Ventures.

Joe Kraatz ended up winning the billfish division with his white marlin, and he won the biggest dolphin division with a 18.7 lb dolphin. His win grants him guaranteed admission to the Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament Sailfish Smackdown 2015; he also won a custom live bait rod from Blue Marlin Chronicles.

Matt Eckert—now known as Marlin Matt—fought his blue marlin for 11 hours before finally touching leader and securing a legal catch. He didn’t make it back to the beach in time for the fish to count in the tournament, but he received a hero’s welcome when he finally got back in. The wonderful folks at Flamingo Bay Hotel awarded Marlin Matt a gift package of a four-day, three-night stay as a reward for his valiant angling.

Extreme Kayak’s next tournament will be Part I of the Summer Slam, to be held June 21, 2014 at Pompano beach. Be sure to register now for what is sure to be another epic tournament.

Thanks to Maria Hector and the Extreme Kayak crew for providing these great pics from the tournament.