South Florida Sailfish Series - Blog | News | Events

48 teams competed out of Coconut Grove Florida , consisting of vessels from 26 foot Center Consoles Powered  by Outboards to Battle wagon Sportfishing Yachts of over 60 feet and teams from as little of three person crews to teams of  over 10.

The first day of fishing provided a hot bite and the fish were everywhere, the winds were cranking out of the north and northeast.  From Miami Beach to Ocean Reef it was on and the fish were snapping.  Teams at both ends did great with 256 total releases for the first day of fishing; an average of 5 fish per boat.  The big boat for Saturday was “Team American” with 16 releases. The top small boat (outboard) for Saturday was “Rock Star” with 18 releases.  In the amateur division, “Frequensea” led the pack with 6 releases.       

On the second day of fishing  the wind died and the seas lessened but even under these circumstances teams posted an addition 138 releases.  The hot teams on Saturday were “High Standards” and “Wound Up” each with 10 releases.  Even with these great pushes it was not enough to catch the leaders in their respective divisions.  “Team American” maintained their lead and took home first place in the Big Boat Inboard Division. They also added prizes for Top Angler, Top Captain Ray Rosher, and Top Female Angler.  Second place in the Big Boat Division was “Wound Up” Capt. John Louie Dudas followed by “Priceless”  Capt, Steve Smithies in third.  On the small boat outboard side “Rock Star” Capt. Scott Leon took first place as they were able to hold off the big push by “High Standards” who finished in second. Third place was captured by “Kimbuktu.”  The Amateur Division was also highly contested, but in the end it was “Frequensea,” “Espresso 2 Go,” and “Vidal Communications” finishing one, two, three. 

The Islamorada Fishing Clubs’ 7^th Annual Captains Cup Sailfish Tournament was fished under calm seas by 12 boats, holding 24 anglers.  There were 36 sailfish hook-ups with 25 releases” said tournament chairman Dianne Harbaugh.   

The Grand Champion winners of the Captain’s Cup sponsored by Caribee Boat Sales, Contender Boats and Yamaha Outboards were anglers Anthony DelDuca from Naples Fl and Jimmy Verner of Orlando FL, aboard the Kalex. They also won an invitation to the IGFA offshore World Championship in the Cabo San Lucas in 2010, The Champion Captain, sponsored by Mercedes Benz Cutler Bay and winner of the coveted Captain’s Cup trophy went to Captain Alex Adler with 5 releases. The Champion Mates on the Kalex, sponsored by TIB Bank, were Matt Guthrie and Beau Bagley.

Second Place, sponsored by Ivory International and ESPN Outdoors were local anglers Kevin and Jill Clark on Wet Dream with Captain Glen Miller and mates Justin Miller, Sam Worden and Hunter Barron.  The Wet Dream released 5 Sailfish as well but they were beaten on time by 22 minutes.

Third Place, sponsored by Regan Insurance, went to anglers Mac Stone and Jamie Platt out of Marathon, FL.  The boat was The Main Attraction with Captain Marty Lewis and Mates Ariel Modero and Troy Phillipps.

“This is a world class event with loyal and determined anglers.  These folks are competitive and want the honor and recognition involved with this tournament not to mention the check for $20,000.00.”  said tournament director Dianne Harbaugh.  “We are fortunatnate to see this tournament hold it’s own.”

The Islamorada Fishing Clubs January Sailfish Tournament is scheduled for January 27^th kick off with fishing on the 28^th.  The winners are guaranteed a pay out of $25,000.00.  Space is limited and the tournament is expected to have a waiting list.  For more information and how you can get involved contact the Islamorada Fishing Club by phone at (305) 664-4735, by mail to P O Box 22, Islamorada, FL  33036, or by email fishclub@bellsouth.net. 

Islamorada Fishing Club Sailfish Tournament Dec. 10 2009 (Class 3, 12 Boats)

Wound Up Reels in a Win at the

46^th annual Islamorada Sailfish Tournament

Captain John Dudas led anglers Bill Danko of Cincinnatti Ohio, Scott Cumming from San Antonio Texas, Rob Ramirez and Alex Castellanos both from Miami Florida to winner’s circle of the 46th Annual Islamorada Sailfish Tournament.  The team released a total of 25 Sailfish over the three day event.  The Wound UP team has also won an entry into the 2010 IGFA Offshore World Championship in Cabo San Lucas.  The Wound Up released 6 fish on the first day giving them a 5^th place standing.  Day Two would be their day.  Wound Up released 13 fish, taking a commanding lead over XXX and Weez in the Keys whose two day total releases were 13 Sails each.  Wound Up would not stop there.  Day three produced another 6 fish for the Wound up guaranteeing them a front row seat at the awards ceremony.  Anglers Bill Danko and Scott Cummings each released 12 Sailfish over the three days.  Bill would take home the High Point angler trophy created by David Wirth and is the winner of the Bill Hirni Memorial trophy.         

Second place Weez in the Keys anglers Scott Robins from Miami FL, Donny Lange of Tavernier FL, Hunter Lawson of Islamorada FL, and Brett Dudas of Ft. Lauderdale FL, took home second place honors.  The team Captained by David Morris released 7 fish the first day. With the help of Mates Charlie Scoble and Ken Hinsley the team released 6 fish on the second day and 3 Sailfish on the final day.  The Weez in the Keys took home second place trophies with a total of 16 Sailfish releases.

Third place XXX said they were stuck on third.  Having a third place finish in last years event the XXX once again found themselves two fish behind second place Weez in the Keys.  “Every time we got close to catching them they would find more fish” said the XXX Captain JC Cleare.  Anglers Max Tower of Palmetto Bay FL, Reggie Rodriguez and Doug Mientkiewics from Coral Gables FL and Fulton Ivy from Key Largo FL released a total of 14 Sails.  The team released 6 on day one, 7 on day two and 1 fish on the final day.

Most Tagged fish went to the Wet Dream.  Captain Glen Miller with Mates Sam Worden and Justin Miller tagged a total of 9 fish.  Anglers Jill and Kevin Clark from Islamorada FL released a total of 13 Sailfish in the tournament.

The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the first leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship.  The Wound Up, Weez in the Keys and XXX are all participating in the Gold Cup event.  The next leg of the series is the Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament January 21^st thru the 23^rd.  The champions will be crowned at the Islamorada Fishing Clubs January Sailfish Tournament on the 28^th 2010. 

Third generation Ryan Southard, fishing with his father Robert Southard and his grandfather Robert Southard Sr. took top honors in the Junior Division.  Ryan who is from Hollywood Florida released nine Sailfish aboard the Which Way.  Second place junior angler Shawn MacMullin from Key Largo was the only angler on his dad’s boat Get the Gaff.  Shawn released 5 Sails. 

30 Boats competed in the 2009 Islamorada Sailfish Tournament with a total of 93 anglers.  257 Sailfish were released out of the 315 called in hook ups.  18 fish were tagged.  The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament is the primary fund raiser for the Islamorada Charter Boat Association.  With the help of our major sponsors Caribee Boat Sales, Yamaha Outboards, TIB, World Wide Sportsman, the donation of non-offset circle hooks from VMC, and the splendid parties put on by Whale Harbor Restaurants and Marina, the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament will continue the fight to preserve and protect the fabulous fishing in the Florida Keys.  More information on the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament can be found on the web site www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com

Islamorada Sailfish Tournament (Class 3)(30 Boats)

The 2008-2009 South Florida Sailfish Series Heavy Weight Grand Overall Series Champion is “Team Wound-Up.”
Wound-Up finished as the undisputed overall SFSS points leader with 476 total points, Team Wound-Up’s 5 best tournament finishes consisted of 2 First Place finishes, 2 Fourth Place finishes and 1 Fifth Place finish; placing them at the top of the SFSS leader board with the most overall consistent tournament finishes rarely falling out of the top 5. (in fact out of the 13 SFSS tournaments, Wound-Up fished 9, and only once did they fall out of the top ten, their 2008-09 results are as follows: Two 1st place wins; Two 4th place finishes; Two 5th place finishes; One 6th place finish; One 9th place finish and One 11th place finish)
Other notable, 2008-09 Overall SFSS Standings include, Jichi 2nd place, Qualifier 5th place, Get Lit 7th place, and RockStar 10th place, please visit: http://www.southfloridasailfishseries.com/rankings.html for complete results of the 2008-09 season.

55 Boats
Day 1: 159
Day 2: 277
Day 3: 209
Total Sailfish Releases: 645

Miami Billfish Tournament (SFSS Class 1, 55 Boats)

2009 YCMBT RESULTS

Rank/Team Name/ SFSS Points

1. Jichi - 120
2. Owl’s Nest - 112
3. Tagline - 104
4. Rock Star - 98
5. Wound-Up - 92
6. Up-Tight -  86
7. Miss Britt II - 81
8. Thomas Flyer - 76
9. Anejo - 71
10. Get Lit - 66
11. Midnight Blue - 62
12. Weez in the Keys - 58
13. Qualifier - 54
14. Zureel - 51
15. High Standards - 48
16. Bouncer’s Dusky - 30
17. Stalker- 30
18. Priceless- 30
19. Boat Center- 30
20. Fish Pig- 30
21. Fish Tales- 30
22. Team Marine Max- 30
23. Kite Hunter- 30
24. Country Cookin- 30
25. Night Prowler- 30
26. Sun Tech- 30
27. Contender One- 30
28. Snake Dancer- 30
29. Ovation- 30
30. Hard Way- 30
31. Native Premonitions- 30
32. Rodholder- 30
33. Beaver- 30
34. Sandman- 30
35. Reel Tight- 30
36. Four Play- 30
37. Capt. Harry- 30
38. Grove Girl- 30
39. Team Mar Azul- 30
40. Ti-Moune- 30
41. Hat Time- 30
42. Hostile- 30
43. Ms. Lola- 30
44. Miss Britt I- 30
45. Which Way- 30
46. Rude Awakening- 30
47. Warren Piece- 30
48. Road Builder- 30
49. Anacapri- 30
50. Don’t Matta- 30
51. Bad Company- 30
52. Kabbana- 30
53. Blue Chip- 30
54. Stress Release- 30
55. Lone Wolf- 30

23 Teams competed in the 2009 Florida Billfish Masters Tournament.
After Day One, Team Ovation took a strong lead with 6 releases,followed by Owls Nest, Jichi and Boat Center all with 3 releases. Day One ended with 31 total sailfish released overall. On Day Two, Ovation held on to the lead with 2 more releases, finishing with 8 releases to win the 2009 Billfish Masters and take the lead in the Libertad Challenge. Jichi finished 2nd with 6 sailfish releases and Boat Center held on to 3rd with 5 releases, Team Hostile threatened with 4 releases on Day 2 and finished 4th. Day Two ended with a total of 38 sailfish releases, bringing the tournament total to 69 releases.

2009 Florida Billfish Masters Final Standings & Tournament Results:
23 Boat Tournament = SFSS Class 3
SFSS Points Team
1st 100 Ovation
2nd 92 Jichi
3rd 84 Boat Center
4th 78 Hostile
5th 72 Sandman
6th 66 Wound Up
7th 61 Owls Nest
8th 56 Rock Star
9th 51 Midnight Blue
10th 45 Priceless
11th 42 Rod Holder
12th 38 Uptight
13th 34 Contender One
14th 31 Qualifier
15th 28 Get Lit
16th 10 Manhole Heaven
17th 10 Reel Life
18th 10 Weez in the Keys
19th 10 High Standards
20th 10 Rude Awakenings
21st 10 Advanced Roofing
22nd 10 Fish Tales
23rd 0 Miss Britt

Updated SFSS Overall Standings

OVERALL SFSS STANDINGS

SFSS Updated Miami Division Standings

The 2009 Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge tournament fielded 37 boats…79 releases day 1, 126 releases day 2; 205 Total Releases.