However, Jim & Louis worked steadfastly to refine the rules and procedures, most of which originated from the IGFA and adapted them to suit the Grenada event. They attracted anglers from all the nearby Islands and this still remains the main support for the event to this day.

Louis Rostant’s influence on the tournament was legendary. He took the sport to its extreme by introducing 12lb line to the list of permitted line tests. Indeed, he fished on occasion with 6lb test line and hoped that others would follow. For many years during that period the tournament permitted 12, 20 and 30lb test lines. The frustrations of anglers grew and many anglers experienced “spooling” of their lines by huge fish while many others were lost through line-fatigue. Nonetheless, Louis and Jim steadfastly stood by their position to keep the event as a “light tackle” Tournament.

Jim recognized in the early ‘80’s that he could no longer continue the event and handed over the reins to a group of enthusiastic and younger associates. As a consequence the BMSIBT was born.

Change was inevitable and the new Committee tried to find ways to attract more anglers from the Region. St. Lucia’s Bernard Johnson was another of early visiting anglers of the Needham era and has continuously supported the Tournament throughout the years to this day. Whenever we look back at the very early years and Tournaments, it only reminds us how much we, as the Committee responsible for the Tournament, have changed for the better. In the early days, all the fish that were caught were brought to the scale. Anglers became more adept at learning the skill to attract and hook up to Billfish and the catch ratios increased tremendously. Billfish were caught in such large numbers that the Committee was very often overwhelmed by the task. Our records reflect that the largest number of Billfish caught in one day during the event was 92. This staggering amount would horrify conservationists today.

Nevertheless, each year the fishing and indeed the event grew bigger and better. A lay day–after the second days fishing was introduced and then a third day was added which was supported by the majority of anglers.

Upon the introduction of insured prizes for certain species of fish (six in all) the Blue Marlin and Yellow Fin Tuna records were soon broken and large payouts made.

The other activities held at the Grenada Yacht Club, which was the venue adopted by the SIBT, soon attracted lots of visitors and locals alike. The cooking, happy hour bars and general camaraderie of the anglers have made this event truly the best in the Region.