LANGKAWI – The scorching heat did not dampen the spirits of local and international anglers who took part in the Langkawi International Fishing Tournament (LIFT) 2012 here yesterday.

Some 200 participants gathered from 6.45am at the Awana Porto Malai jetty to show off their skills in the warm-up event — the seaside fishing competition — which started at 8.30am yesterday.

After being absent for four years, LIFT made a memorable comeback for many first-time anglers, especially the foreign participants from Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

Jointly organised by Berita Harian, Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (or better known as TV3) and Langkawi Development Authority (Lada), the two-day event which ends today with the deep-sea fishing, offered a total of RM65,500 in cash prizes.

Winner of the seaside fishing category, Mohd Alang Jibran Abdullah, described his RM2,000 cash win as the best wedding gift.

Alang, who recently married 27-year-old teacher Ummi Hanam Zainol, caught a 1.665kg Siakap (Barramundi) fish.

“Fishing is my hobby and I have taken part in the past four tournaments before, but I always came back empty-handed.

“Today, I caught two fish and became RM2,000 richer, so, I will share it with my wife.”

Second place winner Aliff Ibrahim, from Kelantan, won RM800 for catching a 1.34kg Kuku Batu.

“This is my first time taking part in a fishing contest and I will definitely be taking part in more such contests in the future.”

The RM500 third prize went to Mohd Latif Man from Kedah.

Media Prima Berhad executive director (news and editorial operations) Datuk Ahmad A. Talib and Lada chief executive officer Tan Sri Khalid Ramli gave out the prizes.

The deep-sea fishing kicked off at 4pm yesterday with nearly 200 participants.

The tournament, which was held to promote Langkawi as a fishing haven as well as the world’s sports fishing destination, was held within a 35km radius of the island.

The top prize of RM20,000 and a trophy will be given in the team category, where the winner will be decided by those with the heaviest combined weight of five types of fish.

The runner-up will bag RM8,000, while RM5,000 will go to the third place winner.

The event highlights the abundance of fish in the waters surrounding the Langkawi archipelago and boosts the island’s claim as an international sports fishing destination.