RIP - SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN LOSES A GAME FISHING PIONEER

The Trinidad and Tobago Game Fishing Association (TTGFA) has lost one of it’s founding members and former Secretary, Sid Johnson.

When he passed away due to illness on November 6th 2009 it came as a great shock to the Game Fishing fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago as Sid has been involved in many ways for the betterment of the sport in the Southern Caribbean region. Sid was a part of the TTGFA management committee from inception in October 1986 to 2007.

Sid always advocated conservation efforts in the region and was concerned about the long liners and industrial trawlers operating in these waters. He lobbied against these practices in the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad and was included as a member of the task force which produced a document that was presented to the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet to assist in dealing with these matters.Sid’s passion for conservation led him to taking several photographs of Taiwanese large scale pelagic driftnet boats seen at National Fisheries in Sea Lots,Port Of Spain, Trinidad and sent them to the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA). These photos were later published on the cover of the New York Times. This feature article turned out to be the first time that a conservation story was featured on their front cover. Through this effort one of the biggest coalitions was formed by conservationists of which Sid was an active member. As a direct result of this the United Nations banned large scale pelagic drift net fishing and Sid received an individual conservationist of the year award from the IGFA based on his involvement.

Another award was given to him by the Billfish Foundation for individual of the year in 1991. These accolades were showered on him as his work for the TTGFA and fisherfolk in general continued. He was part of a Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet appointed committee that was formed to deal with foreign fisheries and related matters. A few years later he was able to work with the North Coast Fisherfolk to stop trawling in the Gulf of Paria and restrict them to no more than 2 miles off Trinidad’s North Coast and no further than Saut d’eau (an Island just off Trinidad’s North Coat) during the months of February to November.

Sid will always be remembered as being the Southern Caribbean Pioneer of Billfish tag and release fishing. He also was instrumental in having the Institute of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Division in Trinidad and Tobago conduct samples of fish caught in various local tournaments. At the time of his passing he held a cabinet appointed post on the National Monitoring Committee on Foreign Fishing and related matters and was also a member of the Trade and Industry Fish and Fish processing team of the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister’s Vision 2020 committee.

Article by Steven Valdez.

Legend of the Month - Pirate of the Caribbean.

Captain Gerard “Frothy” De Silva, (Capt. Frothy, as he is known), started his love affair with the sea at the age of 6, and he would constantly plead with his mother to take him fishing in his tender years.

In his teens, Capt. Frothy was also an avid surfer. In his early twenties, he was a member of the Trinidad & Tobago National Team for 5 years and the National Champion at one time; he was also a semi-finalist in the Orchard International Classic in Barbados.

In his final year at school, he was asked by his teacher what he wanted to do when he left school, his response was – “I want to be a fisherman”. This, of course, caused the class to erupt with laughter as most of the answers coming for the other students were – Doctor, Lawyer, etc.

He has always known who he was and what he wanted to do – and that was to fish. After leaving school at 17, he worked for 8 years as a hook-and-line commercial fisherman off the coast of Trinidad.

In 1988, in his mid twenties, Capt. Frothy moved to the sister island - Tobago to set-up a charter fishing operation, Hard Play Fishing Charters.

Today, Hard Play Fishing Charters is a well established business in the sport fishing world, with clients from all corners of the globe coming to try their luck at Tobago’s game fishing grounds with Capt. Frothy.

He has been successfully competing on the Caribbean tournament circuit for many years in events in Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada and Martinique.

Capt. Frothy and his team have won the Spice Island Billfish Tournament - 7 times, the Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament - 4 times, the Trinidad & Tobago Game Fishing Association Tournament - 5 times and the St. Lucia Billfish Tournament - once.

Furthermore, on many occasions, Capt. Frothy and his team have also placed 2^nd & 3^rd in these events.  It should be noted that all of these tournaments are conducted under IGFA rules. Capt. Frothy is probably the Caribbean’s most successful tournament fisherman.

Apart from these Caribbean circuit events, Capt. Frothy and his team have won the prestigious Ernest Hemmingway Tournament in Cuba.

In 2003, they won 2^nd place in the Rolex/IGFA Tournament of Champions in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He has also qualified to participate in these Rolex/IGFA Tournaments on several occasions.

In 1999, Capt. Frothy became an IGFA representative for Tobago. He can boast of over 1,000 billfish releases over the course of his career and is a true advocate of conservation in the Caribbean. He has been given a great talent and enjoys sharing his knowledge with anyone willing to learn about fishing.

Capt. Frothy is the founder and President of the 14 year old Tobago International Game Fishing Tournament which takes place in Charlotteville, Tobago in the month of March/April each year. www.tgft.com

Due to his knowledge of the sea, Capt. Frothy has saved more than a few divers who have gotten into trouble off the coast of Tobago. He has been called at all hours of the day and night to rescue divers, and is usually able to know exactly where to find the divers hours later, because of his knowledge of the ocean currents.

Capt. Frothy met his wife - Teija, a Swedish national, when she came to work for a Scandinavian tour company in Tobago in 1991. She has been the driving force behind the Hard Play Fishing Charter operation and exposed Capt. Frothy to a whole new world of fishing in Europe. He has fished in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Madeira. He became particularly fond of Fly Fishing in the lakes and soon mastered it, while developing his own technique.

He worked on Charter boats in Madeira with some of the Big Game Fishing Legends for two summers. Here, he got a taste of the “grander” action that Madeira has to offer, when the fishing vessel, on which he was aboard, landed a 1008 lb. Blue Marlin in 1995. Capt. Frothy fulfilled a life long dream in 2008 when he and his wife purchased the fishing vessel Pesca Grossa in Madeira.

Over the years, Capt. Frothy and the Hard Play Charter operation have developed a well know reputation in the world of sport fishing. He has been featured in many fishing publications such as SaltWater Sportsman, Marlin, and several European magazines and fishing television fishing shows, including Mark Sossins ESPN in 1998 and Matt Hayes – Total Fishing. He was also featured on the Norweigan television show – Bedo in 2002; and in 2003, he was featured on the Swedish television show – Fiskedrag by Mikael Odell and Johan Broman.

He has clients who travel from Europe and America to fish with him annually. Over the years, his clients have included famous names such as Koffi Annan (the then Secretary-General for the United Nations), Queen Latifa, Gladys Knight and Basdeo Panday (the then Prime Minister of T&T).  Jimmy Buffet also wrote a small chapter “Looking for Captain Frothy” in his book – “A Pirate Looks At Fifty”, relating the lengths to which he went to try to fish with Capt. Frothy, who was out of the country at the time.

*** Minuites before publishing this article, we Caribbean Waterman recieved word that Capt. Frothy and his crew executed a dramatic victory at the Barbados Game Fishing Association International Tournament by fighting a fish after lines up, bringing it to scale and racking up enough points to take the main prize.  This is the type of performance that has become quite typical of this Pirate of the Caribbean, known for stealing away the first place prizeware in exciting fashion.  Frothy is a True Caribbean Waterman Legend, and with 2 solid victories in CW Challenge 2009 / Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit Events, he is well on his way to pioneering victory in the CW Challenge and securing a second consecutive SCBC title!

Legend of the Month - Billy the Kid!

LEGEND OF THE MONTH – CHAMPION OF JAMAICAN SURFING!

If Anthony Wilmot, better known as Billy Mystic, had not ever learned to swim or had never fallen in love with the ocean, his musical talent and accomplishments would have been enough to dub him a legitimate Caribbean Legend. During his 30+ years of playing reggae music as the leader of the world renowned band Mystic Revealers, he has rubbed elbows with the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, and produced timeless classics like Album “Space and Time”.

Yet, there is a side to Billy that many of his fans may never have the opportunity to understand; Billy Mystic is a Champion of Jamaican Surfing and a True Caribbean Waterman Legend. Billy fell in love with the ocean from as young as a kid, and has transformed this love into a personal mission to develop, promote, and protect the sport of surfing in Jamaica.

The Ultra Talented Musician has used his skills to traverse into television and film in the past, however, perhaps the best use of his fame and good musical fortune has been helping to generate interest for the Jamaican Surfing Association, of which he was a founding member in 1999, and is currently the president.

In Just 10 short years, Billy has really put Jamaican surfing on the Map. The JSA has attracted a number of sponsors since their inception in 1999. Prestigious international companies such as INSIGHT clothing, QUASHI surfboards, XTRAK deck pads, MAGMA wax, BODY GLOVE wet suits, OAM surf accessories, REEF Footwear, RED BULL, FREESTYLE watches and COPA Airlines have all bought into the Jamaican surf image, sponsoring the JSA and individual surfers.

More recently, the Jamaica Surfing Association has attracted a sponsorship deal from top footwear company IPATH. The contract which will run for two years in the first instance with a value in excess of a million Jamaican dollars per year includes cash, travel and product support, photo incentives as well as a percentage on sales of a specially designed JSA Shoe to be released in 2010.

“This is wonderful news for the JSA” said JSA President Billy Wilmot. “This shows that our work of legitimizing Jamaica as a surfing nation through competing at major regional and international events as a way in which to attract international sponsors is paying off”.

Mr. Wilmot went on to say “After taking part in the World and Pan Am surfing Games, the industry’s top surf magazines sent crews to Jamaica and did articles on the Jamaican surf scene. Potential sponsors started to notice us and the next thing we knew we were getting calls from well respected surf industry brands”

The majority of the exposure was made possible by the exploitation of Billy’s great image and persona, combined with the effective utilization of years of hard earned contacts, all for the greater good of the surfers of Jamaica. Fathering a hand full of kids that love the ocean just as much as the man himself, it’s not hard to understand why he is so driven to provide an avenue to the relatively juvenile sport to advance in the island.

A recent 2-page Advertisement for INSIGHT brand in Surfing Magazine that featured the Wilmot family, along with fellow dreadlocked Caribbean surfer Jason Apparicio, is testament to the great impact and success Billy has enjoyed thus far. One of Billy’s sons had this to say about his father’s influence:

“Surfing has existed in Jamaica for almost 50 years, and for the first 40 years or so Jamaica’s surfing culture was like a bubble, the inside of which was virtually unknown to the world. It was an inside that didn’t really care for the world’s attention because we have a little paradise here that could have remained a beautiful secret, for who knows how long? My brothers and I started surfing in the late 90’s. We surfed for the first couple years watching surf movies from the early 80’s and late 70’s. We were living in a freeze frame.

Anthony ‘Billy’ Wilmot is the man who broke that bubble. He is the champion of modern Jamaican surfing. He lead the charge that created the Jamaica surfing association in 1999, with the vision of creating a future for young surfers and to guide the development of Jamaican surfing, which I have come to realize is quite unique. Since its inception the Jamaica surfing association has had many great successes. It continues to create that future for young surfers (still driven by the determination of Billy).

Many youths from rural areas have had the opportunity to travel to international events representing their country, and are now regarded heroes in their communities. Surfing is now seen as a great opportunity, whereas before it was just a pass time that was even considered a waste of time by some. There are now many more surfers involved in the sport, especially amongst the youngest group. When we were kids, we were the only surfers in our age group on the south coast, and there was another very small group of young surfers on the north coast. Presently we have a separate series for the many groms that surf now.

Billy is also a champion in the water. When we started out, he was the best surfer on the island, and we’ve heard stories and have seen old film footage of him surfing in Puerto Rico, charging just like the surfers in those old videos we grew up watching. Up until today there are few barrels to match the ones he used to get at Zoo on those big days. And we’ll never forget Zoo’s last ride.”

Billy’s contributions to Caribbean culture, both through his Music and Love of Surfing, make him a true Caribbean Waterman Legend.  Keep an eye out for the Wilmot offspring too, dominating the Caribbean competitive surfing arena!  But don’t worry, competitive or not, with Billy’s crew it’s good vibes all the time!

* Thanks to Inilek and Anthony Wilmot to contributing content to this article.

Legend of the Month - The Old Man and The Sea!

HUGH ‘HJ’ GRANSAULL

Legendary Caribbean Watermen rarely ever get the recognition they deserve.  Perhaps it’s because there aren’t sufficient lasting mediums to document their achievements and preserve them for forthcoming generations.  During an interview with Hugh Gransaull last year, “HJ”, as he is affectionately known by his friends and family, mentioned that it had always been a dream of his to develop a sport fishing “Hall of Fame” in Trinidad, to represent the Caribbean Anglers.

Looking around his home, I thought to myself that all he would need to do is put a sign on his front door and he would be well on his way to having an incredible Sport Fishing Museum, stacked with interesting photographs and memorabilia.   But jokes aside, this dream of his became one of the driving inspirations that led me to develop caribbeanwaterman.com .  I realized that the internet was the ultimate way to bring recognition to the foundation years and great achievements of the pioneers of Caribbean water sports.

And so, It is very fitting that the inaugural article of the “Legend of the Month” feature be dedicated the most decorated and accomplished sports fisherman to ever come out of Trinidad and Tobago, perhaps even the Caribbean.  Like many sporting legends of the Caribbean, HJ is perhaps more recognized for his achievements internationally than he is locally and regionally, a trend that CW is committed to doing its part to balance.

Falling in love with the ocean from a young age was very normal for an island boy, but Hugh’s passion for the ocean soon became an obsession. Fishing and free diving progressed from being past times to being any-possible-times! Yet in these early years, the 40’s and 50’s, the water sports industry was in its incipient stage and the available gear was “primitive”, so to speak. 

Hugh, and good friend Harold Stauble, imported the first spear fishing equipment into Trinidad from France, and almost immediately began to modify them in the machine shop to be able to handle local game fish.  (Can you imagine being the first person with a speargun down the islands?)

Years later, after becoming a well established businessman in the booming oil industry of San Fernando, Hugh took his sport fishing  calling to another level and began travelling to International Game Fishing Tournaments.  He started the Trinidad and Tobago Anglers Club, and was invited to be a founding member of the British West Indian Anglers Team.

HJ would participate in Tournament s in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Nova Scotia each year, almost religiously! This was long before the conservation movement began, and he would regularly have his photograph taken next to multiple game fish at the tournament weighing in stations.  HJ was actually at the inaugural Spice Island Billfish Tournament, currently celebrating its 40^th anniversary this week,   and multiple subsequent Grenada tournaments.

A lifetime member of the Bermuda International Game Fishing Club, Hugh would take members of the Trinidad and Tobago Anglers Club annually to participate in their light tackle tournament.   Yet the highlight of HJ’s sport fishing career came in September 1971 in Nova Scotia during the International Tuna Cup Matches.

After being invited and attending for about 3-4 years, Hugh had yet to boat his first Giant Blue Fin Tuna and his patience was wearing thin.  Especially since he had been onboard the vessel while his team mates had angled a couple beasts in the past.  His determination never waived, and during what was set to be the last running of this tournament due to government restrictions on fisheries, Hugh and fishing partner Louise de Verteuil experienced a day on the sea that dreams are made of.

They received a double header hookup and began fighting the two fish at the same time.  Their lines got crossed and when they eventually freed, Louise transferred to another boat in an effort to avoid a reoccurrence, and hopefully be able to land both fish.   Eventually Louise lost his fish and transferred back to help Hugh with his battle, which eventually took four and a half hours.  A fight like this is hard enough with today’s advanced equipment, like a body harness and a padded fighting chair, so his battle on a solid oak seat and little back support was one of marvel.

It took the help of another boat to eventually get Hugh’s Giant Blue Fin Tuna into his boat, and when it eventually made it to the scale, the 991lb. fish would not only be a long lasting world record, but it also inspired the International Tuna Cup Matches to be run for one more year and landed Hugh Gransaull in the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) “Hall of Fame”.  To add to the magnitude of this achievement, when the IGFA inspected HJ’s equipment, they identified a weak point in his nylon line that had chaffed with the crossing of the Louise’s line, that when tested was well below the certified breaking strength of its original rating.

Now in his 80’s, the “old man” is still sharp as a tack and spends at least two days a week fishing, swimming, and sipping on rum-punch down the islands.  He is extremely generous in many ways, but the most valuable thing you will ever get from him is his golden advice, which he loves to give freely…about almost anything.  When asked what he would tell a young angler about being a successful sport fisherman he said “once that fish is hooked, don’t stop winding that reel until the fish is in the boat, and show no mercy once the battle is on!”

Hugh “HJ” Gransaull is a True Caribbean Waterman, and our “Legend of the Month”!