August 2023 Tag & Release Competition Update

We can’t believe how fast this year has gone by! Our annual fundraiser is right around the corner, which means it’s time to give everyone a sneak preview on where they stand for the 2022-2023 TBF Tag & Release Competition. Listed below are current standings for top captains and anglers in each category. These standings are only reflective of the data processed as of August 15th, 2023, so make sure to submit that data if you haven’t already! If a category is missing, it’s because there haven’t been enough fish to qualify as of yet. The competition will continue to run through October 31, 2023, and TBF will accept all entries up until November 15, 2023. Please note that anyone can participate for free but you are only eligible to receive an award if you are an active member of The Billfish Foundation.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at tag@billfish.org.

To purchase tagging equipment and other TBF items (international shipping has reopened!), visit our online shop.

Here are the leaders of the international tagging competition so far this year:

  • Top Overall Tagging Angler: Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • Top Overall Tagging Captain: Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  • Top Overall Tagging Lady Angler: Camilla Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • Top Overall Tagging Youth Angler: Johan Millez – Mandelieu-La Napoule, France

In the release category of the international competition, we have the following leaders:

  • Top Overall Release Angler: Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  • Top Overall Release Captain: Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  • Top Overall Release Lady Angler: Camilla Ingram – Jupiter, Florida

Overall Winners Standings:

Top Overall Tagging Angler:

  1. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Jerry Reynolds – Macon, Georgia
  4. Patrick Nutt – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  5. Chad Beaudry – Telluride, Colorado

Top Overall Tagging Captain:

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  2. William Osche – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  3. Lance Hightower –Macon, Georgia
  4. Jerry Lanzerotti – Palm Beach, Florida
  5. Mike Sheeder – North Palm Beach, Florida

Top Overall Tagging Lady Angler:

  1. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Donna Reynolds – Macon, Georgia
  3. Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  4. Martha Macnab – Balboa Island, California
  5. Kathleen Wyatt – New Braunfels, Texas

Top Overall Tagging Youth Angler:

  1. Johan Millez – Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
  2. Ryan II Reaux – Lafayette, Louisiana  
  3. Carlota Varela – Luanda, Angola
  4. Levi Lergessner – Alyangula, Northern Territory

Top Overall Release Angler:

  1. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida 
  2. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Bo Ingram – Greensboro, North Carolina
  4. Mark Milner – Dyfed, Wales
  5. George Straub – Jupiter, Florida

Top Overall Release Captain:

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  2. Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida
  3. Stuart Simpson – Cape Verde
  4. Doug Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  5. Robert Reed – Stuart, Florida

Top Overall Release Lady Angler:

  1. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  3. Deb Foster – Exmouth, Australia
  4. Geri Christman – Fair Oaks, California
  5. Carlota Varela – Luanda, Angola

Top Overall Release Youth Angler:

  1. George Straub – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Carlota Varela – Luanda, Angola

Tagging Category Standings- Anglers

Top Tagging Angler – Atlantic

Blue Marlin

  1. Casey Roohan – Stone Harbor, New Jersey
  2. Kanmair Kleinmoedig – Curaçao
  3. Page Robertson – Wilmington, North Carolina 
  4. Carey Chen – Juno Beach, Florida
  5. Ryan II Reaux – Lafayette, Louisiana  

Sailfish

  1. Dawn Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  2. Danny Vaughan – Cutler Bay, Florida
  3. Rafeal Abohbot – Luanda, Angola
  4. Lucas Waddell – Pinecrest, Florida
  5. Luena Amaro – Luanda, Angola

Top Tagging Angler – Pacific

Blue Marlin

  1. Jerry Reynolds – Macon, Georgia
  2. Chad Beaudry – Telluride, Colorado
  3. Donna Reynolds – Macon, Georgia

Sailfish

  1. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Patrick Nutt – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  4. Jerry Reynolds – Macon, Georgia
  5. Elizabeth Stevens – Alaska

Spearfish

  1. Chad Beaudry – Telluride, Colorado

Striped Marlin

  1. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Martha Macnab- Balboa Island, California
  4. David Blackbird – Austin, Texas
  5. Bo Ingram – Greensboro, North Carolina

Top Tagging Angler – Indian Ocean

Blue Marlin

  1. Sebastien Savy – Seychelles
  2. Christine Jumeau – Seychelles
  3. Sean Darnborough – Watamu, Kenya
  4. Christopher Hill – Seychelles

Sailfish

  1. Dwayne Devanny – Alyangula, Australia
  2. Grant Kussrow –  Alyangula, Australia
  3. Jeremy Barnett – Jingili, Australia
  4. Taro Tominaga – Brighton, Australia
  5. Kieran Rogers – Victoria, Australia

Release Category Standings – Anglers

Top Release Angler – Atlantic

Blue Marlin

  1. Mark Milner – Dyfed, Wales
  2. Harris Huddle – New Bern, North Carolina
  3. Mark Faulkner – York, Great Britain
  4. Jacques Van Niekerk – South Africa
  5. Ron Kawaja

Sailfish

  1. Danny Vaughan – Cutler Bay, Florida
  2. Lucas Waddell – Pinecrest, Florida
  3. Dave Seitz – Grand Rapids, Michigan
  4. Alex Bojnanasky
  5. Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

White Marlin

  1. John Webb – London, United Kingdom

Top Release Angler – Pacific Ocean

Spearfish

  1. Chad Beaudry – Telluride, Colorado

Black Marlin

  1. Mark Davis – Malibu, California

Blue Marlin

  1. Christine Hampl – Doral, Florida
  2. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Bo Ingram – Greensboro, North Carolina

Sailfish

  1. Gray Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Camila Ingram – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Bo Ingram – Greensboro, North Carolina
  4. Joe Frazer – Corpus Christi, Texas
  5. Kristen Salazar – Pinecrest, Florida

Striped Marlin

  1. Gray Ingram – Jupiter,Florida
  2. Camila Ingram – Jupiter,Florida
  3. George Straub – Jupiter, Florida
  4. Glenn Straub – Jupiter, Florida
  5. Bo Ingram – Greensboro, North Carolina

Top Release Angler – Indian Ocean

Blue Marlin

  1. Deb Foster – Exmouth, Australia

Sailfish

  1. Ben Knaggs – Exmouth, Australia 

Tagging Category Standings – Captains

Top Tagging Captain – Atlantic

Blue Marlin

  1. Watson Caviness- Wilmington, North Carolina 
  2. Stephane Millez – Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
  3. Kolby Thorton – Orange Beach, Alabama
  4. Rich Barrett – Jupiter, Florida
  5. Igor Assad – Niteroi, Brazil

Sailfish

  1. Thomas Hinterschied – Pompano Beach, Florida
  2. Patrick Humphrey – Palm City, Florida
  3. Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  4. Shawn Albury – Tavernier, Florida
  5. Michael Samuels – Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Spearfish

  1. Vince Riera – Alcudia, Spain
  2. Stephanie Millez – Mandelieu-La Napoule, France

Swordfish

  1. Jeffrey Wilson – Galveston, Texas

White Marlin

  1. Rich Barrett – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Bill Davis – West Palm Beach, Florida
  3. Bryan Burch – Destin, Florida

Top Tagging Captain – Pacific

Blue Marlin

  1. Lance Hightower – Macon, Georgia
  2. Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii
  3. William Osche – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  4. Jose Garcia Picon 
  5. KJ Robinson – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Sailfish

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  2. William Osche – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  3. Mike Sheeder – North Palm Beach, Florida
  4. Lance Hightower – Macon, Georgia
  5. Erik Lorentzen – Beverly Hills, Florida

Spearfish

  1. Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Striped Marlin

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  2. Jerry Lanzerotti – Palm Beach, Florida
  3. Tony Araiza – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  4. Spencer Johnson – Corpus Christi, Texas
  5. Rick Carney – Delmar, Maryland

Top Tagging Captain – Indian Ocean

Black Marlin

  1. Darryn du Plessis – Victoria, Seychelles

Blue Marlin

  1. Darryn du Plessis – Victoria, Seychelles
  2. Peter Darnborough – Watamu, Kenya

Sailfish

  1. Bomber Farrell – Alyangula, Australia
  2. Ryan Kleinschmidt – Alyangula, Australia
  3. Darryn du Plessis – Victoria, Seychelles
  4. Simon Mead – Alyangula, Australia
  5. Dwayne Devanny – Alyangula, Australia

Release Category Standings – Captains

Top Release Captain – Atlantic

Blue Marlin

  1. Stuart Simpson – La Lucia Ridge, South Africa
  2. Brent Gaskill – Harkers Island
  3. Manuel Viana – Lisbon, Portugal

Sailfish

  1. Dean Panos – Pembroke Pines, Florida
  2. Doug Covin – Jupiter, Florida
  3. Richard Peeples – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  4. Roger Rodriguez – North Miami, Florida
  5. Mike Hunter – Hobe Sound, Florida

White Marlin

  1. Stuart Simpson – La Lucia Ridge, South Africa
  2. Topher Wightman
  3. Brent Gaskill – Harkers Island

Top Release Captain – Pacific

Black Marlin

  1. Jesse Hill – Burleigh Heads, Australia
  2. Darren Hayden – Cairns, Australia

Blue Marlin

  1. Jose Garcia Picon
  2. John Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  3. David Salazar – Palmetto Bay, Florida

Sailfish

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
  2. David Salazar – Palmetto Bay, Florida
  3. Chris Van Leeuwen – Antigua, Guatemala
  4. John Galvin – Falmouth, Massachusetts
  5. Jose Garcia Picon

Spearfish

  1. Tracy Epstein – Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Striped Marlin

  1. Newt Cagle – Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina 
  2. Robert Reed – Stuart, Florida
  3. Casey Carter – Cabo San Lucas
  4. Jose Avila – Cabo San Lucas

Top Release Captain – Indian

Blue Marlin

  1. Darryn Du Plessis – Victoria, Seychelles

Sailfish

  1. Ash Pittard – Cable Beach, Western Australia
  2. Darryn Du Plessis – Victoria, Seychelles
  3. Brendon Hawker – Western Australia

Youth Tag

11-12

  1. Ryan II Reaux – Lafayette, Louisiana
  2. Hunter Hujbert – Alyangula, Northern Territory, Australia

13-15

  1. Tchiza Ndo Santos

16-17

  1. Johan Millez – Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
  2. Carlota Varela – Luanda, Angola

Youth Release

 16-17

  1. George Straub – Jupiter, Florida
  2. Carlota Varela – Luanda, Angola