There is a lot to be said for the relationship between family lineage and performance as watermen. For example, when you hear the names Tardieu or Thompson mentioned in Trinidad the first thing that comes to mind is legendary fishermen, divers, and boatmen…Watermen. The same goes for the name Aleong. Yet, though you’re born to a Great Grandfather named Winfred Aleong and a Grandfather named Roger Aleong, the innocence of childhood may leave you ignorant to the fact that you are of legendary “Caribbean Waterman” Lineage.
Isaiah with his 2 prizes!
As a youth, all you are interested in is having as much fun as possible and not having to get caught up in all the “grown-up” politics. Isaiah Aleong-Baksh does just that. Born to Sara Aleong and Mickey Baksh (both avid and successful fishermen/women in their own right), Isaiah makes the most of every waking minute, enjoying the things that the kid inside of us all wishes we could do all day. Fishing, Surfing, Hunting, Skateboarding, Rip-Sticking (the crazy two-wheeled version of a skateboard that we would consider impossible if we had not seen a 5 year old do it!), and much more.
At eight years old he has already achieved more than many. In 2008, at 7 years old, he won the U14 SATT National Championships riding inside waves and beating a group of 10-12 year olds. In 2009, he paddled to the outside in heavy 4-6ft beach break conditions to surf against a much more formidable group or 13 year olds and managed to catch 2 solid waves under his own power to take 3rd place in the same event! When the time came for prize giving his mother had to accept his medal as he was not wasting any time. He was found fishing in the Sans Souci River and catching what the locals called “The Biggest Mountain Wabeen they had ever seen!”
Isaiah at SATT Nationals 2009
But that is just the beginning! Isaiah has caught Yellow Fin Tuna, Kingfish, Snook, Tarpon, and countless other species of fish. He has been a junior angler in many tournaments and recently fished with Team Magic Lady in the TDC Tarpon Thunder Tournament. His skill and form with a Rod and Reel are that of an angler far beyond his age and experience. This kid has raw talent and an eye for spotting fish potential. But more importantly he is very persistent and enjoys what he is doing. On any given summer day you can find him at the Yacht Club, on his own, sharpening his skills and fine-tuning his techniques for each different species; catfish, mullet, brochette, snapper.
Isaiah at SATT Nationals 2009.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Isaiah is his persona. For someone with that much skill and ability, he seems un-fazed. He is genuinely humble and polite, where some would be cocky and arrogant. He is respectful and constantly seeks advice on how to improve his game. He is also extremely lucky to be constantly surrounded by family and family friends who all have great skills and knowledge to pass on to this upcoming waterman. Finally, he has real charisma and is a pleasure to be around, the kind of man you want on your boat or in your truck on any mission – you tend to forget he is just a ‘yout’!
BOLD PREDICTION – Isaiah Aleong-Baksh will be the Stand-Out Caribbean Waterman in years to come. Look out for great performances from him in Caribbean Waterman Challenge Events in the future!
Isaiah in TDC Tarpon Thunder aboard Magic Lady.
A few weeks ago a crew of Caribbean Watermen (and women) set out from Trindiad to Englishman’s Bay in Tobago for a long weekend of fishing, liming and drinking. Few of them thought the mission would get serious! However, on the last night Stuart knew better and kept his guard up. No Stanger to the massive dog tooth pag that inhabit these waters, having caught on nearly as big about 10 years before, Hutton kept his bait soaking while the rest of the crew were horizontal.
Late that night Hutton hardened up on this beast, which eventually weighed 66lbs., and faught it on a 30lbs test rod and reel. After some entertaining antics, with the lone support of his girlfreind Greer, he managed to land the great fish. Naturally, he was overjoyed, while the rest of the campers could not decide whether to be happy for him or dissappointed that they did not stick it out till the last possible opportunity!
Persistence pays! And there are more of these monsters still lurking in the Blue Caribbean Sea. This catch was very close to being a record, which only serves as incentive for avid anglers to keep at it! Well done Hutton!
A total of 109 anglers fishing on 26 boats took part in the Trinidad and Tobago Game Fishing Association (TTGFA) 2009 TDC Tarpon Thunder Tournament off Trinidad’s North/West coast on August 14th,15th and 16th .
The first session began with Brett Thompson on “D ‘Rog” catching the first fish of the tournament .He went on to catch 4 tarpons on the first day putting his team in contention for a place in winner’s row. However the tournament was made up of five fishing sessions over three days and Brett could not hold on to win the tournament as it was Michael De Freitas fishing on “Mappapie” that proved to have what it takes to walk away with the prestigious “Best Angler”prize. Brett came in second with Jonathan de La Rosa on board “Bobby Breen” taking third place honours.Michael De Freitas will now represent Trinidad and Tobago in next year’s IGFA Inshore World Championships hosted by Floriday Keys Outfitters.
Michael de Freitas hard again!
Michael’s performance assisted in giving his team, “Mappapie” victory in the best boat category. “De Jep” came in second. “Bobby Breen” took third place with “D ‘Rog” in fourth place and “Dream Catcher” coming in fifth. Suzette Aboud and Jimmy Aboud, both on board “Outcast” won best female and best junior anglers respectively.
The best foreign angler category was won by Mike Myatt of team “Barbie Doll Too”. Mike is the Chief Operations Officer of the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) and was invited by the TTGFA to experience the TDC Tarpon Thunder Tournament in order to expose the international fishing community to our waters. It may have proven to be a big success as Mike complemented the organizers and sponsors (TDC,Well Services Group of Companies,Gatorade,Carib,Evian,Real Marketing Ltd) for the sportsmanlike manner in which the tournament was conducted.
He went on to say that he has fished in all parts of the world and has never seen the type of kinship that existed between the competitors in this tournament. He insisted that in no other tournament has he seen fishermen giving away their bait to competing teams that were in need. Mike said that the spirit in which the competition was held will be one that will help in making this destination one in which anglers the world over will want to come and enjoy.
Michael and the winning crew of "Mappapie"
NB. Caribbean Waterman would like to add that a better representative for Trinidad fishing would be hard to find to represent us at the IGFA Championships. His experience and skills far exceed his age. Being a part of a solid team (Blue Fever Regulars), and consistently performing at various events, has shown the fishing fraternity that “Mikes” has what it takes to be a truely world class angler! Best of Luck Brother - Tight Lines!
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Michael and the winning crew of "Mappapie"
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Michael de Freitas hard again!
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TEAM USA WINS THE BILLABONG ISA WORLD SURFING GAMES
Pictured: The USA Team that made history today at Playa Hermosa. Pic: Watts/ISA
FINAL Team Results:
GOLD - United States – 14910 points
SILVER - France – 13280 points
BRONZE - Australia - 10996 points
COPPER - Hawaii – 10856 points
INDIVIDUAL FINAL RESULTS
Open Men
Gold: Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Silver: Cory Lopez (USA)
Bronze: Gabriel VIllarán (PER)
Copper: Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Open Women
Gold: Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Silver: Rosanne Hodge (RSA)
Copper: Sage Erickson (USA)
Bronze: Pauline Ado (FRA)
Longboard
Gold: Antoine Delpero (FRA)
Silver: Harley Ingleby (AUS)
Copper: Ben Skinner (GBR)
Bronze: Tony Silvagni (USA)
The last two days of the ISA World Surfing Games saw some good action from the Caribbean contingent; however a bout of bad luck meant that none of the island boys made it to the fourth day of competition. On Sunday, Stephan Corbin (BAR) opened the day by winning his heat with a combined 2 wave score of 10.40. Soon after Johnathan Reece (BAR), Christopher Clarke (BAR), and Shane Simmonds (JAM) got second place in their heats, advancing into the Repercharge Round 2. Che Lovelace (TNT) finished a close 3rd in his heat due to a very questionable call on the judge’s part.
On Monday, these Four Open Surfers contested in their Repercharge heats in slightly small, tougher conditions. Although none of these surfers advance, they all surfed quite well and young Shane Simmonds from Jamaica put up a valiant effort, surfing very fluid and powerfully on the small waves. He was dropped in on during his heat; however the interference call did not help his cause in passing through to the next round.
Still in the event are our Caribbean brothers from Puerto Rico, and our neighbors Venezuela, along with many other National Teams fighting for valuable team points! Keep up with the rest of the event as it unfolds at www.billabongpro.com ! Look out for longboarding from Trinidad and Barbados beginning tomorrow with a building swell. Should be very challenging and exciting.
The Caribbean Watermen who are representing the West Indian nations of Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago came up against intense competition on the first day of the World Surfing Games 2009. In the Open Men’s Division it was Che Lovelace who broke the ice, facing off with local Costa Rican hero Gilbert Brown.Brown was on fire and destroyed every wave that came his way to the delight of a large crowd of supporters present on the beach. In the end he had the 4 highest scores of the heat, and Lovelace was unable to get two solid scores to progress in the main event. Lovelace will surf again in the Repo charge Round 1 tomorrow.
Shane Simmonds of Jamaica, Simon Coles and Stephan Corbin of Barbados, and Keith Lewis of Trinidad were among the West Indian surfers who were able to beat opponents in their heat and get a third place finish. However, none of the surfers from these three countries were able to progress in the main round. They will all battle in the Repo Charge Round 1 tomorrow in a bid to advance further in the competition. Today’s highlights were WCT surfers like Jeremy Flores of France (pictured) absolutely destroying the waves, and the sell-out crowd in the thousands that came out to support the local hero’s.
The Costa Rican team did not disappoint, having all four of their open male surfers advance to the next round, either in first or second place in their heat. Look out for more great surfing action tomorrow on www.billabongpro.com !
