Kailua-Kona, HI - What is arguably the most innovative scoring format in Big Game fishing tournament circles held its own again this past weekend when the big marlin failed to show, but the fishing was fast and furious. The Crown was up for grabs up until the final moment, even though 17 teams had tagged and released 29 marlin prior to the last hour of the final day of fishing.

The Skins Marlin Derby was created 9 years ago to celebrate the folks that have the patience to fish for the very large marlin that weigh between 500 and 1,500 pounds. Kona is one of the very few fishing holes on planet Earth that can lay claim to consistently producing catches of marlin within these size parameters, and thus the first destination to launch a tournament based upon same.

Much like the world renowned golf tournament formula where a tied hole will see the purse for that hole "push" and be added to the next, organizers of the Skins created a format where only the catch of a marlin 500 pounds or better would claim a "Skin". Anything less would score points, but the purse would move ahead.

If, at the end of 3 days of fishing, no one landed a marlin besting 500 pounds, the entire purse would be awarded to the tenacious crew that scored the most points during the 3 days of fishing for big marlin. Over the course of the past 9 years, many Skins Derby's have been easy to figure out as 700 pounders and the like have claimed each "Skin" as the tournament progessed.

However, this year, the number of marlin teeming off the Kona Coast has reached a volume that even the oldest of old timers can not remember. Unfortunately for the "Skins" when this phenonmenon occurs, the concentration of marlin usually has an average weight of about 225 pounds. This size is not large enough to create any instant winners, but the sheer number of hook ups and tag and releases creates a competition that keeps anglers on the edge of their seats until the final bell because one big marlin could erase all the points that teams compiled by catching as many small fish as they could - in other words - fishing the odds that tags would take it.

This year, those of that strategy were right, and Capt. Randy Parker of the "Huntress" led his team to a winner take all of the total "Skins" purse after choosing to stick to the tag strategy and earn 250 points each, for 4 tags. His 1,000 points was good enough to quell challenger Capt. McGrew Rice on "Huntress" who chose the opposite strategy. It came close - but did not work.

Rice and company on "Ihu Nui" had the same number of fish to the boat, and both he and Capt. Parker each had a chance at a marlin that was just near the minimum weight. Rice chose to take his, came up short and earned only 100 points while Parker tagged and released his and took the guaranteed 250 points.

This simple decision separated the two skippers from $38,400.00 in the end, as Rice would have been the first to the 1,000 point mark. Had they tied, then they would have split that purse 60% and 40% with the larger portion going to Rice, but it was time to make a call, and a call was made. It just turned out that Parker made a better one.

Not that this type of competition will create problems between the two, Rice's son ended up being the champion crewman, as Oskie Rice works for Randy Parker on the "Huntress". Robert Anthony and Ron Freitas split the angling duties on their 4 marlin. Their "Skins" totalled $38,400.00

On "Ihu Nui" Sergie Devatikin and Rick Rosa teamed up on all the marlin catches for the weekend. Neither was remorseful over the choice, as they had many other chances at marlin that would have easily put them over the top, but they just wouldn't stick.

In the optional entry categories, it was another winner take all, but that was because only one marlin over the minimum weight was weighed. Capt. Doug Armfield of Lahaiana took Chad Cooke to a 443 pound marlin on the final day to claim $35,820.00 in daily money generated from optional entry categories.

Armfield was on a mission as his two young crewmen were a little more than late for evening curfew, and in fine skippers form, he told them that if they were going to soar with the eagles they were also going to wallow with the pigs. Neither was allowed to rest or sleep after a late evening of festivities, but Capt. Bligh made it pay off by finding the winning marlin. Rumor has it that after the crewmen spit shine the boat and re-tie all the tackle and swipe the bilges, they mgiht even get a chunk of the purse.

The Skins Marlin Derby was the third stop on the 6 month long Maui Jim Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series, and the third in 3 weekends in a row. The next event on the Maui Jim schedule will be the Big Island Marlin Tournament in late August, followed by the Ho'ole'a Fishing Tournament on Oahu at Labor Day, the Okoe Bay Rendezvous on the Big Island in late September and the Lahaina Jackpot just after Halloween on Maui.

The Series Championship will be a made for TV tournament held off of South Point and filmed for ESPN 2. The second event of The Maui Jim Series - the Firecracker Open - was also filmed for ESPN 2 and shall air on July 15 under "Athletes in Motion". Updates of the Series can be seen each and every Thursday morning at 6:00 AM on "Oceanwatch Adventure TV" on Fox's Outdoor Life Network.

The Maui Jim Hawaii Marlin Tournament Series is made possible by the Hawaii Tourist Authority and The Maui Jim Sunglass Company, along with tappedinto.com, Kimura of Hawaii and King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.