Northside Sportfishing Club to Host Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament July 14

St. Thomas’s David Stuedell with his Largest Kingfish in 2018, a 45.55-pounder. (Credit: Dean Barnes)

The Northside Sportfishing Club will host the 2019 Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament – the inshore fishing tournament that offers the best prizes and attracts more participants than any other of its kind in the U.S. Virgin Islands – on Sunday, July 14, at Hull Bay Hideaway.

“We invite everyone – anglers who have fished with us for many years, newcomers, local residents and visitors alike – to fish this year or come down and enjoy the tournament’s festivities at Hull Bay Hideaway. There will be live bands, food, drink and activities for the kids. Proceeds from the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament this year will benefit the Joseph Sibilly School, Nana Baby Children’s Home, St. Thomas Rescue and the St. Thomas Civil Air Patrol, as well as provide college scholarships,” said Catherine Bryan, one of the tournament co-directors.

The Northside Sport Fishing Club via its Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament has donated nearly $200,000 to community organizations

First organized by the Club in 1987, the tournament last year attracted 167 anglers, including 30 junior anglers aboard 54 boats. David Stuedell of St. Thomas reeled in the Largest Kingfish, a 45.55-pounder, aboard the 39-foot SeaVee Silver Fox. 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 fishing will start at 5:30 a.m. and end at noon, sharp, when the weigh-in and beachside party begins at Hull Bay Hideaway. The Awards Ceremony will start at 8 p.m.

St. Thomas, particularly for its Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament, has been named one of the top 10 destinations in the world to celebrate Bastille Day, by Hotwire.com, an online travel advisor.

The 2019 Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament is sponsored by Coors Light and Captain Morgan, distributed by Bellows International; Offshore Marine, the YAMAHA, Yanmar and Volvo distributor in the Virgin Islands; NEMWIL and Red Hook Agencies Inc.; TOPA Insurance Services Inc.; Budget Marine, the Caribbean’s Leading Chandlery; Hawaiian Tropic; Scoops & Brew Gelato and Coffee Bar; and Hull Bay Hideaway.

For more information, call 998-0854. Or, visit Facebook @ Northside Sportfishing Club.