Walker’s Cay’s reputation for hosting legendary fishing tournaments returned last year when owners Carl and Gigi Allen re-opened the island’s brand-new, state-of-the-art marina to a select list of anglers who took part in the first annual Walker’s Cay Invitational.
“Seeing the marina full of boats like it used to be. And seeing the smiles on the faces of people who love Walker’s as much as I do was incredibly special,” Carl Allen says of last year’s event. “But this year’s event is going to be even better.”
Allen has set a high bar for this year’s event (May 18-May 21) because last year’s tournament attracted big names like #1 ranked golfer in the world Dustin Johnson (who competed aboard his custom-built Just Chillin), overall tournament winners (who fished aboard the Bayliss 77 Wavepaver), and Walker’s own celebrity fisherman Billy Black who finished in the money in the Largest Blue Marlin category (aboard his famous Dutchess).
But he knows it’s going to be even better than last year because of all the work that has been done on the island. “We’ve made a ton of progress this year,” he says. “The enlarged and strengthened marina is spectacular. We have plenty of fuel and water. And the island is more beautiful than ever.”
Meanwhile tournament director Robert “Fly” Navarro is pretty optimistic too. “During its heyday in the 1970’s and 80’s, Walker’s was home to some of the best fishing in the southern Atlantic,” he says. “All the greats were there and you knew you were fishing against the best,”
Many of the best teams in the world are list of boats that will be competing this year.And according to Allen this year’s tournament is not only building on the success of last year. It’s also building on the memories, stories and love of the Bahamas that make Walker’s so special. Allen also hopes the tournament will bring some well needed recourses back to the Bahamas too.
“While Hurricane Dorian was devastating for much of the northern Bahamas, it’s a bump in the road compared to the pandemic,” says Allen. “We need to do our part to help get people back to the Bahamas so we can help these people continue to recover and also move forward. The Second Annual Walker’s Cay Invitational is a key part of bringing people back to the Bahamas that will lead to better days ahead.”
Want to help? Purchase the official Walker's Cay Invitational shirt and a donation will be made towards the Teachers Fund, benefiting our neighbor's children on Little Grand. With each purchase, a $10 donation will be made to the fund.
Thank you to all of our Walker's Cay partners!
Follow along with tournament updates on our social channels or by downloading the Walker's Cay Invitational app for real-time leaderboard updates!
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