Find the big one

Frick & Frack leads Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo after first day.

POMPANO BEACH — After catching 222 pounds of dolphin, kingfish and blackfin tuna Friday to take the first-day lead, Frick & Frack could make history in the 52nd annual Pompano Beach Fishing Rodeo.

Frick & Frack is one of two teams to have won the Rodeo’s top boat title three times. A victory Saturday for Capt. Jimmy David and his team would give them four titles. The defending champion, Frick & Frack also won in 2014 and in 2009.

But right behind at 219.8 is Capt. Art Sapp’s Native Son, which is the other boat with three Rodeo victories, in 2003, 2005 and 2010.

Capt. Jim Oliver and his crew on Blue Moon were third at 218.2. Double Down was fourth at 213.7, which included a 44-pound king, the biggest fish of the day. QB was fifth at 195.5 on a day when seas were 4-6 feet, the north current was ripping at 4 knots and the fish were biting.

“We were hoping we had 200 pounds,” said David, whose total included two dolphin, two kingfish and two blackfin tunas caught by his wife, Debbi; a dolphin and two tunas caught by their daughter, Laurel; and a 32.8-pound kingfish caught by their son James after it ate a short kite bait.

David said their fish were caught live-baiting from Boynton Beach to the Breakers in Palm Beach while drifting in from 200 feet. They also had two small yellowfin tunas, which did not count, and hooked a giant bluefin tuna estimated at more than 300 pounds.

“We actually had two blackfins and the bluefin on at the same time,” said David, who didn’t care that the bluefin got away because his anglers caught both blackfins.

Sapp said he and his crew “fished all over the place” from 300 feet in. Native Son weighed four kings, four tunas and two dolphin.

Oliver said Blue Moon caught its four tunas and four kingfish, which included kings of 33.9 and 31.2 landed by Corey McBride, fishing goggle-eyes and sardines by Lake Worth Pier.

“We had a lot of small tunas and we had to weed through them to get the bigger ones,” Oliver said. “Our kingfish were sporadic: one here, one there, but we managed to get some nice ones.

“At least we gave ourselves a shot.”

The 22-boat fleet fishes Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The weigh-in at Alsdorf Boat Ramp Park, which is open to the public, is noon to 4 p.m., followed by live music from 5-7 and 8-10.