SOUTHERN RUN WINS SILVER SAIL FISH DERBY WITH BIG SECONDDAY
The historic tournament also comes down to the final hour of fishing
The crew fishing from Southern Run released 12 sailfish on the second day — and one in the final hour — to win this year’s Silver Sailfish Derby by just one release.
The crew aboard the 41-foot Bahama Boatworks only had five releases after the first day of the two-day tournament, held January 11-12 out of Palm Beach Inlet, Florida. Old No. 7 and Remix/
Freebird were tied, with eight releases. The turnaround on Day Two helped the Southern Run team tie the teams from
Remix/Freebird, Native Son and Reel Captivating, with 16 releases apiece. Heavy rain, strong winds and building seas challenged the fleet in the final half-hour and made kite-fishing difficult, but the Southern Run team deployed a threadfin herring off the bow on a spinning rod just to keep a bait in the water, and on the off chance, they struck gold.
A sailfish bit with just minutes remaining in the tournament, hosted by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club.
Remix/Freebird finished second, with 16 releases. The crew aboard the 42-foot Invincible placed second on time, catching its last sailfish before the Native Son team caught its 16th and final sailfish to take home third place. The Old No. 7 team also had 16 releases and placed fourth, while Reel Captivating finished fifth, with 14 releases.
The first day’s fishing was slow, with no team having more than eight sailfish releases, and a total of 142 releases for the fleet. On Day Two, four teams released at least 10 sailfish, and 175 total sails were released.
The 41-boat fleet released 317 sailfish, 47 of which were tagged. Mike Simko, of
Kite Keeper, had 10 releases, the most of any individual angler. The Silver Sailfish Derby, a sport-fishing staple since 1935, is the oldest sailfish tournament in the world.