Upper Keys Community

CASTING FOR CATS BACKCOUNTRY TOURNAMENT ENTERS 23RD YEAR

October 14, 2024

Casting for Cats file — The 23rd annual Casting for Cats Backcountry Tournament returns Oct. 18-19. CONTRIBUTED

Sharon Mahoney’s love for fishing and cats led to a ladies one-day backcountry Casting for Cats tournament in 2001.

Now in its 23rd year, the fishing event returns with new features, bigger prizes and a new formula to raise critical funds for animals in need. Set for Oct. 18-19, the Casting for Cats Backcountry Tournament is back at the Islander Resort in Islamorada.

“We are reinventing the whole tournament and letting men fish. Two women can fish or a man and a woman can fish. You can hire a guide or the guide can be your partner,” said Mahoney, a lifelong Keys resident and founder of the Casting for Cats. “And anglers ages 15 and older can now join.”

Over the years, Mahoney’s nonprofit worked with other small organizations to rescue, spay and neuter cats in the Keys. She’s worked closely with Margie Schwartz’s Whiskers and Paws Forever of Monroe County, and together they’ve held clinics, spayed and neutered and found homes for thousands of cats.

“It’s something that didn’t happen before we formed these little organizations,” Mahoney said.

Tournament proceeds will go to support the spaying and neutering of cats in Keys. Mahoney said she’s worked with the Upper Keys Veterinary Hospital on spaying and neutering.

“They all have done tremendous work,” Mahoney said.

Left, Margie Schwartz, Whiskers and Paws Forever of Monroe County, and Sharon Mahoney, Casting for Cats founder, have worked to address the feral cat population in the Keys. CONTRIBUTED

Sign-in for the tournament and a goodie bag pickup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18 from 6-9 p.m. at Islander Resort. A reading of the rules will start at 7:15 p.m. Last-minute registration will go from 6-7:45 p.m. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served during the kickoff.

Angler sign-ins will take place Saturday, Oct. 19 from 6:30-7:15 a.m. at Lorelei. Lines are in the water at 7:30 a.m. with lines out by 3:30 p.m. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the dinner and awards at 8 p.m. at Islander Resort.

The tournament features three divisions, bait, artificial and fly. Division winners must catch at least one of the five major species, snook, redfish, tarpon, bonefish or permit.