The 2023 Islamorada SailFly Tournament, held in January and sponsored by Papa’s Pilar, saw seven out of the 10 boats catching and releasing a sailfish on fly. This year’s Grand Champion was team Triple Threat, winning for the second time. Brew Ha Ha was runner-up, while third place went to Kalex.
The tournament started out differently with ballyhoo, which normally covers the reef this time of year, held up due to green water in Florida Bay. The algae bloom water moved to Long Key and 7-Mile Bridge, blocking the ballyhoo from coming through to the reef. As a result, there was not a lot of bait on the reef for the fish to chase in the shallow water, as conditions were perfect for slow trolling live ballyhoo in the deeper water.
Capt. Matt Rabenstine and angler Jon Mueller on the Triple Threat boat, out of Ocean Reef, called in a hookup at 8:15 a.m. A few minutes later, they had the release and removed the fly for a total of 150 points. They were awarded the trophy for the first fly removed and top angler, sponsored by Papa’s Pilar.
Capt. Craig Brewer, on his 23-foot Sea Craft Brew Ha Ha, called in a hookup at 9:31 a.m. Shortly after they were able to release and remove the fly for a total of 150 points. Later that afternoon, Capt. Alex Adler on his boat the Kalex got his team on the board, with angler Dan Fields getting a release and removing the fly for 150 points.
Day two started out a little bit slower for some, but others were in the right place at the right time. Capt. Benny Spaulding, with his boat the Play Baby and angler Gary Marsh, called in a hookup at 10:15 a.m., and after a solid fight at the boat, they were able to release and get their fly back for 150 points. Around the same time, the Morgan Mae boat with Capt. Scott Stokey and angler Capt. Tim Klein were hooked up for over an hour with a big sailfish. That fish took them way offshore during the fight and was not making it easy like some of the smaller fish that had been caught. At 11:35 a.m., Klein got his fish to the boat and was able to remove the fly on the 60-plus pound sailfish, giving him that additional 100 bonus points. Capt. Charlie Schobel on the Tackle Center boat was next, calling in a hookup at 1:35 p.m. and it was a doubleheader. They knew they needed both fish; while his first angler, Steve Wells, fought the first fish, his second angler, Tom Moore, was continuing to tease the second fish for the double hookup. Unfortunately, they were not able to get both, but they did land one of the two and remove the fly for 150 points.
Capt. George Stellar on the Crisdel boat called in a hookup at 2:24 p.m. for his angler Frank Chriscola. They made quick work of the fight and got the nail knot for 50 points, but were unable to get the fly for those additional 100 bonus points. They won awards for catching the last fish in the tournament.
At the end of day two, the Islamorada Sailfly competitors raised 39 Sailfish, teased 21 and had 11 bites with four fish being caught. The 2023 Islamorada SailFly saw 73 sailfish raised, 42 sailfish teased, 25 sailfish bites, and seven sailfish caught on fly.
The 3rd annual Casa Vieja SailFly is scheduled for Nov. 29 through Dec. 3, fishing three days at the Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala. Follow @islamoradasailfly on Instagram or islamoradasailfly.com to learn more.
