ISLAMORADA’S POOR GIRLS SAILFISH TOURNAMENT RETURNS FOR THE 36TH YEAR

a group of people posing for a picture with a pillow
The 36th annual Poor Girls Sailfish tournament returns Feb. 4-5 in Islamorada. CONTRIBUTED

An upcoming sailfish tournament is benefiting the local spaying and neutering efforts while also supporting a children’s hospital.

The annual Poor Girls Sailfish tournament returns for the 36th year on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 4-5 at the Islander Resort in Islamorada. Tournament organizer Sharon Mahoney said the tournament was started by three bartenders who worked at Whale Harbor. 

“Their boyfriends and husbands were captains or mates of fish boats. The girls always wanted to go fishing, but because of the cost of a charter trip they didn’t,” she said. 

A new tournament was born. Held during the middle of the week, Mahoney said it allowed charter boats the chance to participate without giving up paid weekend charter boat trips.

Eventually, the tournament was handed over to Clear Channel Radio. It was then given by two of the founding members to Mahoney’s Casting for Cats nonprofit some 16 years ago.

“They said, ‘If we legally give you the tournament, will you promise it will go to charity?’ I said ‘absolutely,’” Mahoney said. 

Proceeds support the continued spaying and neutering efforts in the Upper Keys to control the cat population. Mahoney has worked with other local rescues and animal clinics through the years. She estimated some 8,000 cats have been spayed and neutered among the local groups over the course of 23 years. 

“I remember driving from Plantation Key to my flower shops and I’d see several cats hit on the side of the road. You don’t see that any more, and I think it’s a product of everyone’s efforts to spay and neuter,” Mahoney said. 

A portion also goes to Shriners Children’s Hospital. Mahoney said her father was a very active Shriner Mason who often transported Keys kids to Shriners for care.

“It’s a great cause,” Mahoney said.

Registration and angler check-in will take place at the Islander Resort from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4. It’ll be followed by a kickoff party featuring appetizers and cocktails at 6 p.m. and the reading of rules at 7 p.m.

Lines will be in the water at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, and lines out will be called at 3 p.m. A dinner and awards ceremony will go from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Islander Resort. 

Visit castingforcats.org/poor-girls-sailfish-tournament/ to register and for more information, or call Mahoney at 305-304-5262.

Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy is one of the many who escaped the snow and frigid temperatures in Western New York. A former crime & court reporter and city editor for two Western New York newspapers, Jim has been honing his craft since he graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2014. In his 5-plus years in the Keys, Jim has enjoyed connecting with the community. Jim is past president of the Key Largo Sunset Rotary Club. When he's not working, he's busy chasing his son, Lucas, around the house and enjoying time with family.