Master Fishing never at a low ebb in Saint-Tropez

Postponed by one day, from Saturday to Sunday, due to weather conditions, the fourth edition of the Saint-Tropez Master Fishing ended with the traditional awards ceremony at the headquarters of the Nautical Society, in the presence of Pascal Bonnet, director of the port. This was an opportunity for the organizer, Jérôme Piegts, a volunteer within the organization and more specifically dedicated to the fishing center, to congratulate himself on a fruitful day from all points of view.

" We changed the day due to the strong westerly wind and offshore seas. There was still quite a sea when we left in the morning, but it calmed down during the day and we ended up with a magnificent sea. Some fish were caught, not enough for us, we saw two sperm whales, turtles, rays, dolphins and flying fish. So quite a lot of observation on the water, which was quite pleasant."

Garbage collection

The principle of this particular type of fishing is to release all the catches, after having measured them. One very fragile species (the spearfish) is not even caught, just visually examined and filmed. In addition to the competition based on the accumulation of points according to the type of catch, the SNST has also launched a reward for the collection of waste at sea ( read elsewhere) .

A mission made a little more complicated this year due to the swell but ultimately accomplished.

In total, 18 boats representing 94 people, who begin the event with an evening at the restaurant.

Because beyond its sporting aspect and the competition, it's about sharing your passion and your anecdotes, with many regulars (since the Master is by invitation) coming from the region (as far as Menton) and even beyond (La Rochelle for example).

A record attendance that satisfied the hosts, benefiting from several local structures in financial support.

" People love to come back . When someone is missing, it's because there was a real problem ," says Jérôme Piegts.

" Little by little, we're adding more, according to demand, but we're limiting it. We want to keep the number small to promote conviviality, that's really the key word for this competition. "

With a rich equipment, including a Suzuki engine.

But the main thing, displayed during the friendly drink on Sunday evening (bringing together participants, organizers and sponsors), was to participate, to have fun while competing while preserving an exceptional environment.

The results

- Category boat powered by Suzuki engines

1st: Jalae , with two fish. Eric Bartherote's boat, belonging to the SNST and one of whose crew members is an ambassador of the Suzuki Fishing Team (Arthur Jerbillet)

2nd: Matt No VI , with a fish.

- Open Category

1st: Gosta, with three fish. Boat from Mandelieu (Alpes-Maritimes), belonging to Stéphane Millez (Pechextreme.com), partner of the Master Fishing Suzuki Saint-Tropez since the first edition and long-time friend of the SNST fishing section.

- Biggest man catch:

Stéphane Marino, crew member of the boat Gosta , with a specimen of 180 points, or a fish between 25 and 50 kg.

This one must have weighed about 30kg.

- Ocean Project Trophy (sea waste collection):

O smoz with many plastics of all kinds.

- Trophy for the most beautiful fish

Awarded by the Big Game Fishing Club of France (partner of the SNST): Stéphane Marino, given the imposing size of the fish.

- Winner in all categories

Gosta with 330 points in total.