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MARCH 12 – 14, 2010
Registration, Friday, March 12th, 6 to 8 pm
At the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort
3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, FL
BOAT ENTRY FEE OF $200.00
Fishing, Saturday & Sunday, March 13 & 14
Lines In at 8:30 am & Out at 3 pm each day
Awards Dinner on Sunday, March 14th, 7 pm
At the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort
Awards Dinner, $25.00 per person
WIN $5,000.00 in Cash Prizes
For 15 Different Species
Win $500.00 cash for:
Heaviest Dolphin,
Most Releases of:
Marlin, Sailfi sh & Tarpon
Win $300.00 cash for:
Heaviest Kingfi sh, Cobia
Blackfi n Tuna, Mackerel,
Mutton Snapper, Wahoo
Most Releases of: Permit,
Bonefi sh & Barracuda
Win $150.00 cash for:
Heaviest Mangrove Snapper & Grunt
Junior Division Heaviest Catch
(Anglers under 15 yrs. old)
KEY WEST FISHING TOURNAMENT
KICKOFF 2010 with
CONCHY JOE’S MARINE & TACKLE
1. I.G.F.A. rules and Key West Fishing Tournament rules
will apply. Rod and reel only.
2. All Marlin or Sailfi sh releases must deploy non-offset
circle hooks when using natural baits or a natural
bait artifi cial/lure combination.
3. All catches must be unassisted. Professional
captains and/or mates are ineligible as anglers.
4. NEW~‘Most Releases’ will be scored by registered
boat.
5. Entries will only be accepted from anglers fi shing on
a boat that is registered in the KICKOFF.
6. A maximum of 6 anglers may fi sh from a registered
boat on each day. This rule does not apply to
registered party boats.
7. Anglers wishing to compete for marlin or sailfi sh
releases must purchase a camera at registration
to photo the release. Cost is $5.00. Anglers do not
have to call in releases to the committee boat.
8. Fishing begins with lines in at 8:30 am each day and
will conclude at lines out at 3:00 pm each day. Lines
in and out will be called by the committee boat over
VHF 78.
9. All fi sh must be weighed in at one of the following
offi cial K.W.F.T. weighstations: King’s Pointe Marina,
Sunset Marina, Murray Marine, Sugarloaf Marina,
Cudjoe Gardens Marina and Dolphin Marina.
10. Anglers MUST complete an offi cial K.W.F.T. entry
form for weighed and released catches and deliver
the entry to a tournament offi cial at King’s Pointe
Marina, or fax entry to 305-292-4995. Entries MUST
be received by an offi cial no later than 5:30 pm each
day. Weighed catches can be transported by vehicle
to a weighstation for entry.
KICKOFF TOURNAMENT GENERAL RULES
FINAL RULES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AT
REGISTRATION ON MARCH 12, 2010
AT DOUBLETREE GRAND KEY RESORT
KEY WEST FISHING TOURNAMENT
KICKOFF 2010 ENTRY
ANGLER’S FIRST & LAST NAME,
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE
Boat Name: ______________________________
Captain: ________________________________
Address: ________________________________
City, ST, Zip: _____________________________
Home Phone: ___________________________
Cell Phone: _____________________________
PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY
To pre-register, complete entry form and mail to the
K. W. F. T., P. O. Box 2154, Key West, FL 33045.
Include registration fee of $200.00 payable to
the Key West Fishing Tournament.
PICK UP THE FINAL TOURNAMENT RULES AND CAMERA
FOR SAILFISH & MARLIN RELEASES AT THE REGISTRATION,
FRIDAY, MARCH 12th AT THE DOUBLETREE GRAND RESORT
1. _______________________________________
___________________________________________
2. _______________________________________
___________________________________________
3. _______________________________________
___________________________________________
4. _______________________________________
___________________________________________
5. _______________________________________
___________________________________________
6. _______________________________________
___________________________________________

Although the Key West Marlin Tournament was in July it has taken me this long to boil down my thoughts. I was included in a great team of seasoned anglers and crew on the REEL FAST . This boat takes it’s name seriously and I truly enjoyed being able to change fishing locations at 30+ knots.

The first day we caught a nice Dolphin that put some points on the board against one Marlin caught. The second day we changed locations and landed in the sweet spot.

In the first four minutes Scott Meister caught and brought to the boat a Sailfish , the 80# gear was kinda overkill .

Five minutes later we hooked the ONE we wanted . The Marlin had other ideas and took off and with about four minutes of line clearing , spending the winnings and general mayhem the fish straightened the hook.

What can I say the mood kinda sank , except we had another sailfish bite about ten minutes later , then nothing for the next seven hours. Marlin Fishing !

The third day we went back to our sweeet spot , however the fish did not get the memo and were somewhere else. this became obvious and the boat got to show her speed and we moved South to a secret pair of sea mounts . Quickly we were engaged with THE FISH, it jumped , looked right and was dutifully called in . It was still THE FISH right up to the moment Greg Sage wired the fish and it rolled on its side and transspieced on us into a BLUE SAILFISH.

And so ended our fishing in The Key West Marlin Tournament. It was a let down to not get the fish we wanted , however being in contention to the last minute and actually having the chance to win, plus a good payout in the calcuttas made for a a lot of good discussions over the next few days.

Summer may not be official but the temperature and the fishing sure feel like summer. The water temperature inside the reef is over 90 degrees and in the Gulfstream it is about 86. The fishing around Key West has been a lot less big Dolphin and a whole lot of schooling Dolphin in the just legal range. The really calm summer weather lets you see all the free jumping billfish and there are a lot. We have not caught any this week but other charter boats have. Swordfish are being caught at sundown and this makes for a nice trip that beats the midday heat . Leaving late in the afternoon and returning long before last call on Duval.

Peter and son Pete challenged us today with the scariest thing a captain can hear ” I really want to catch something big to put on my wall”. This usually makes fish run from the boat and we will be lucky if we get a bite . Just a little hint never say this in the morning on a charter in Key West.

So off we go to sea in search of a trophy. The first few hours were as expected- nada. There was a good Southeast breeze and that usually  means Dolphin so we moved out kind of deep for Key West in the winter to 600 feet. Reports from the West said a good weed line with Dolphin , I just hoped it held up for the twenty miles to the East we were fishing.

We found what appeared to be the weed line and started fishing going East . We found our first dolphin about 30 minutes into the line  and I started feeling better. Another five minutes and two more Dolphin hook up. While we are fighting these fish about a hundred Dolphin shoot straight up in the air near the weed line – a sure sign of a lurking monster.

After bringing the fish in we circle around to put out more baits with one bait rig in the water. Suddenly the water explodes and a two hundred pound Marlin is going crazy. Son Pete  is getting a crash course on how to catch a fish that weighs 10 times the class of the line, but that is his story. Thirty minutes and we have the leader for a catch and another 30 minutes to try and get my rig back. Pete was exhausted. The fish did get close and when we wired him again the leader separated and the rig was lost , but the fish was still very healthy.

The Key West Marlin tournament is coming next month and this post is a shameless solicitation for a group that would like to play. I have fished this tournament several times and come close a few times and have this feeling that this is my year. Early entry deadline is June 15th and the tournament is July 16th with a Captain’s meeting , registration , goodie bags and Calcutta arrangements. The 17th ,18th and 19th are fishing days with weigh in parties and an award banquet. Check out the link to the Key West Marlin Tournament and give me a call . We can do it !!

http://www.keywestmarlin.com/index.html