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Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club

Jun 24, 2024

ST THOMAS — With Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club (VIGFC), every cast brings a new adventure, and every member is part of our angling family! Founded in 1963, VIGFC was led by a small group of dedicated sports fishing enthusiasts with the goal of enjoying and promoting the sport of fishing in the Virgin Islands.

VIGFC previously hosted one of the longest annually held angling contest in the Virgin Islands known as the July Open Billfish Tournament (JOBT). This tournament put the territory on the world’s blue marlin fishing map with Elliot Fishman’s all-tackle world record 845-pound blue marlin in 1968. Since then, St. Thomas has been recognized as the as the Blue Marlin Capital where captains, anglers and mates would make an annual pilgrimage to the North Drop – a roughly 12-mile stretch of undulating Caribbean seabed that offers the most consistent blue marlin fishing this side of the Panama Canal.

Today, the Club’s main goals are:

  1. To promote and encourage the sport of saltwater game fishing in the Virgin Islands and for Virgin Islanders.
  2. To promote recognition of saltwater game fishing as a healthful, relaxing and challenging sport.
  3. To encourage good fellowship and clean honest sporting instincts among its members.
  4. To instill in its members a deep awareness of the vital importance of conservation of marine life.
  5. To encourage its members to practice techniques of marine conservation and anti-pollution in the islands and elsewhere.

VIGFC has several tiers of membership available for persons and businesses anywhere in the world. Additionally, the Club hosts several tournaments throughout the year to fulfill its goal to promote the sport of fishing in the USVI. The annual Dolphin Derby Tournament is held each April with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest dolphin plus an award for best boat by total weight. The top prize for the Derby is a $25,000 cash prize for Largest Dolphin over 55 lbs. The club will host its 2024 Kid’s Fishing Tournament on Saturday, October 5th and its 2024 Wahoo Windup Tournament on Saturday, November 9th. To learn more about the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club, visit their website at www.vigfc.com.

Written by Anquanette Gaspard