The 2017 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown is in the books. Fifty boats—the most ever—released 509 fish: 462 sailfish and 47 marlin. While sailfish were in short supply this year, marlin releases exceeded the total for the last 3 years combined: 7 in 2016, 19 in 2015 and 12 in 2014 for a total of 38.
Going into Leg III of the 2017 series, Agitator led with 12,500 cumulative points. Try as they might, the competition never caught up. Agitator took the Triple Crown in a back-to-back win with a total of 15,000 points, 20 sail, 1 marlin. Team Agitator took home a check for $100,000 as Series Champion and finished the competitive year with 110 sails and 8 marlin. In 2016, Team Agitator landed 83 sails for 24,600 points to win the tourney.
Leg III Winners:
- Finishing in first, Sea Angel took home $86,000 with a total of 19 sail, 2 marlin, 2,900 points
- First Light came second, earning $51,600 for 17 sails 2 marlin and 2,700 points
- Fish Tank’s third-place finish earned a check for $34,400, totaling 2,500 points for 5 sails 4 marlin
Individual honors:
- Victor Julio Lopez, of Tranquilo, won InTheBite’s 2016 Captain of the Year, with mates Daniel Arrieto and Hansel Mendez recognized as Mates of the Year in the Sportfishing Championship, International Division. Their win marks a first, the captain and mates are costarricenses, native born Costa Ricans.
- Top Series Angler: Jonathan Henry, on Big Deal, released 4 sails and 2 marlin for 1,400 individual points.
- Top Angler of the Year: Scott Richard, Reel Screamer, 4,800 points for 23 sails and 5 marlin
- Top Female Angler of the Year: Laura Jessen, Fish Tank, 3,800 for 18 sails, 4 marlin, finishing 10th overall in a field of 310 anglers. Laura landed her first personal slam during the competition.
The Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown is the final, and many say the best, contest in the yearly sport fishing competition.
The Costa Rican mainland runs northwest to southeast, sheltering the fishing grounds from high winds. As a result, the waters off Los Sueños Resort and Marina tend to be calm, and teeming with a variety of species, making it a top sport fishing destination worldwide.