First organized by the Club in 1987, the tournament last year attracted 166 anglers, including 26 junior anglers, aboard 40 boats. Edwin ‘Eddie’ Bryan Jr, of St. Thomas, reeled in the largest kingfish, a 30.80-pounder, from aboard the 20-foot boat, Spider. 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 Captain’s Meeting and Registration takes place on Friday, July 14, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Hull Bay Hideaway. Fishing starts Sunday, July 16, with lines in at 5:30 a.m. and ends at Noon, sharp, when the Weigh-In and beachside party begins at Hull Bay Hideaway. The Awards Ceremony follows.
In 2019, National Geographic magazine named the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament as one of the world’s ‘9 Bastille Day bashes that celebrate French Culture!’. In 2012, online travel advisor, Hotwire.com, named St. Thomas as one of the Top 10 destinations in the world to celebrate Bastille Day thanks to the tournament.
As well as being a day of fishing and fun for the whole family, the Northside Sport Fishing Club via its Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament has donated nearly $220,000 to community organizations such as the Joseph Sibilly Elementary School, Nana Baby Children’s Home, St. Thomas Rescue, and the Civil Air Patrol since the event’s inception.
For more information, call (340) 998-0854 or Email: nssfcvi@gmail.com. Or, check us out on Facebook and Instagram @ Northside Sportfishing Club.