Mako-Thresher Mania at Star Island

Star Island Yacht Club hosted its second tournament of the summer over the weekend, this time with a total of $10,000 in prizes up for grabs.

The 19th Annual Mako-Thresher Mania kicked off Friday morning and concluded Saturday evening, with 200 anglers on 36 setting sail. 

Angler John Deluca on captain Charlie Mazen's "Alyssa Ann" was the only winner in the thresher category, bringing in a 247-pounder on Day 2. Deluca's catch won him a total of $5,000: $2,500 for first place and the second and third prize purses of $2,500 total.

Ron Hughes aboard "Rainbow" took home $2,500 for the heaviest mako, a 174-pound shark caught on the first day. Bob Rochetta was the captain.

The winner for second heaviest mako was Jason Walter aboard Captain Paul Stern's "Tuna Tangler." He won $1,500 having caught a 123-pound mako on the first day.

Angler Chris Gramlich pulled in a 116-pound mako to win third place and $1,000. Gramlich was aboard the "North Star" captained by Chris Broadent.

The official prize money was a fraction of the calcutta bets at each tournament, which last year Star Island estimated to be totaled at over $120,000.

Despite an overcast windy second day, hundreds of spectators crowded the marina Saturday afternoon to view the weigh-ins.

The weather apparently did not affect the normal traffic patterns of the fisherman, according to Richard Janis, General Manager of the Yacht Club.

"You always see traffic between 3 and the end [6 p.m.]. If somebody catches something they're not going to [fiddle] around, they're going to come in," Janis said.

Spectators drank at the bar, picnicked at tables by the docks, swam in the yacht club pool and soaked up what little sun they could while they waited for new vessels to pull into the marina.

Representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service were on hand to tag the fish and take samples for analysis. In past years tournaments like those on Star Island had been protested by animal activist groups and in other states shut down. In the larger June tournament scientists with the NMFS were also present.

At the end of the second day rumors circulated that one vessel had caught a monstrous thresher much larger than the prize winner, however the boat was supposedly disqualified for returning to the marina minutes after 6 p.m. But the thresher never reached the way station, leaving Deluca as the weekend's big winner.

Star Island's first shark tournament of the year took place Father's Day weekend, with the winners receiving over $50,000 total. Over 800 anglers competed in the June tournament.

In September, the it will host the White Water Sportfish Challenge, and on Columbus Day weekend the second annual Striped Bass Tournament will take place.