Joan McDonald Vernon has cast a long line of influence across sportfishing in Central America and beyond. For over two decades, she’s been the driving force behind some of the most respected billfish tournaments in the region — from laid-back “fishing rodeos” to elite international challenges — all while channeling their success into marine conservation and charitable causes. A world-record-holding angler and IGFA Hall of Famer, Vernon transformed her passion for fishing into a platform for community impact and ecological stewardship.
How Did the Presidential Challenge Series Begin?
Joan Vernon’s mission began in the late 1990s with a vision: tournaments that valued more than trophies. In 1996, she founded Sporting Traditions, the organization behind the Presidential Challenge of Central America, launched the following year. Inspired by the exceptional fishing off Flamingo, Costa Rica, which she first experienced in the 1980s, Vernon saw these waters as ripe for revival through friendly competition (source).
The Presidential Challenge quickly gained momentum, drawing anglers from around the world to countries like Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Venezuela. What made these events stand out was their mission — each tournament helped fund marine conservation and local community projects. Vernon, already a three-time Women’s Master Angler in South Florida’s MET tournament and the first woman to win its fly-fishing division, led by example (source).
Why Were Circle Hooks a Game-Changer?
In 1999, Joan Vernon took a bold conservation stance. After testing circle hooks in Guatemala, she mandated them across all her tournaments. “At the awards banquet, I told everyone that only circle hooks would be allowed from that point forward,” she later recalled. It was a groundbreaking move, reducing harm to released fish and influencing tournament standards not just in Central America but also in the U.S. (source).
What’s Special About the Flamingo Fishing Rodeo?
Vernon’s love for Costa Rica led her to launch the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo in 2016. Designed to be family-friendly and fun, the event revived Flamingo’s historic status as a sportfishing hub. Legendary anglers like Jerry and Deborah Dunaway once set IGFA records here, but the town had lost some of its fishing fame—until Vernon brought it back to life (source).
The Flamingo Rodeo, held every summer, features multiple species (sailfish, dorado, marlin, tuna) and minimal rules, encouraging participation from both locals and tourists. In 2020, when COVID-19 shut down live events, Vernon innovated again with a virtual tournament format using a catch-and-release app, tested first in Flamingo, then applied across other tournaments (source).
How Far Has the Tournament Series Reached?
Joan Vernon’s events expanded well beyond Costa Rica. The Presidential Caribbean Cup and Presidential Papagayo Cup became highlights in Venezuela, Aruba, and northern Costa Rica. To date, 85 tournaments have been hosted under her guidance. One of the most unforgettable was in 2014, when 12 boats in Guatemala released a jaw-dropping 845 sailfish and 4 blue marlin in just three days (source).
These results weren’t just impressive—they pushed forward the idea that responsible catch-and-release fishing could coexist with thrilling competition.
How Do These Tournaments Support Charity?
Vernon took the philanthropic mission seriously. In 2008, she formalized her commitment by founding the Presidential Challenge Charitable Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) organization (source). A percentage of all tournament proceeds goes directly to conservation efforts and community support.
Beneficiaries include The Billfish Foundation (TBF), where Vernon once served as Chairman (source). Early on, her tournaments contributed over $75,000 to TBF and the IGFA to support scientific research. She also initiated the Adopt-A-Billfish program, partnering with the University of Miami to fund satellite tagging of billfish, uncovering valuable data on their migration patterns.
What Impact Has She Made in Local Communities?
The charity doesn’t stop at fish. Vernon ensures that the towns that host her tournaments benefit too. In Guanacaste, Costa Rica, she partnered with Abriendo Mentes, a nonprofit that runs adult education classes, youth programs, and women’s job training. After every Flamingo Rodeo, a donation supports their initiatives, helping local people gain skills and opportunities they might not have had otherwise (source).
Additionally, she created the Capt. Harry D. Vernon Memorial Scholarship in 2000 to honor her late husband. Administered by the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, the scholarship supports graduate students in marine science. As of 2022, over $27,000 has been awarded to fund research in billfish biology and ocean conservation (source).
What Is Her Legacy Today?
Joan Vernon’s tournaments have collectively recorded more than 12,600 billfish releases, helping promote the global standard of catch-and-release sportfishing. In Costa Rica and Guatemala, the widespread adoption of circle hooks owes much to her leadership. Economically, her tournaments have fueled sportfishing tourism and helped justify national policies to protect billfish from commercial overfishing (source).
Her legacy of giving is just as strong. From research foundations to grassroots nonprofits in coastal towns, the ripple effects of her tournaments have touched thousands of lives.
Her accolades include:
- IGFA Hall of Fame (2013)
- Field & Stream’s Heroes of Conservation (2007)
- TBF’s Winthrop P. Rockefeller Lifetime Achievement Award (2021) (source)
But Vernon remains modest. “If I have a legacy, it’s to encourage everyone to fish for fun—whether in tournaments or not—for the love of fishing above all else,” she says (source).
She’s proven that a fishing tournament can be more than a weekend contest—it can be a force for good, one cast at a time.
