Gilbert Laban Wins the Grand Prize at the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament

Though the fish were not biting like how they did last year at the Bastille Day King Fish Tournament, on Sunday, Gilbert Laban managed to reel in a kingfish larger than his competitors and snag first place prize at the Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament at Hull Bay, earning himself a couple thousand dollars.

The tournament, hosted by the Northside Sportfishing Club, was first organized in 1988 and has become one of the most anticipated events of French heritage celebrations on St. Thomas. On tournament day, fishermen begin casting their lines in the water at 5:30 a.m. and have until noon to reel in the largest catch.

On Sunday, as the noon deadline approached and the fishermen were still at sea, many found their buckets and coolers empty from not having caught any fish. However, an eager crowd ready to witness the catches of the day was near the shore, waiting to see what would be brought in from the ocean and who would win the largest kingfish award.

“Last year we had a lot of kingfish. Big ones,” said David Berry, one of the founders of the tournament. “This year, not so much.”