We all know that finishing first in high-profile billfish tournaments requires lots of skill, time, money and luck. The trophies that are awarded aren’t the pivotal reason boats turn out to compete, but it does feel right when the quality of the trophy matches the caliber of the competition.
To create awards that hold up to such standards, artists must wield the same intensity and passion that tournament teams bring to their sport. Before competitive anglers can even begin to battle billfish, trophy artists have already contended with their own. Chris Costello, Hanes Hoffman and Maru Panameño are just a few who coax billfish from wood, metal and plaster, harnessing the life buried within the medium. Bringing those fish to the surface is no easy task. It’s a grueling process, one chock-full of backstories that are often overlooked when enjoying the art of winning. We’d like to change that by going behind the scenes to see how and why these three trophy masters chose to make a living through another’s reward.
CHRIS COSTELLO
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Whether talking to him over the phone or meeting him for the first time, Chris Costello is noticeably shy. Perhaps that is because his stunning wood carvings do much of the talking for him. With rich chocolate and caramel hues, the basswood he so painstakingly carves gives way to an astounding amount of unique detail for a variety of offshore species. While he offers other types of awards in his business, , the carved-wood sculptures are Costello’s signature, with origins that can be traced back to