The 35th annual Cheeca Lodge and Spa Presidential Sailfish Tournament kicked off at the Islamorada Ballroom with 61 anglers plus friends and family. Held Jan. 17-19, the Cheeca Lodge and Spa tournament is the final leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship.
When lines out of the water were called by the committee boat, team Trophy Hunter came out the victor with a total of eight releases. The team was composed of Mark and Brandon Mitchell of Charlotte, N.C.; and Kenneth Padgett, Travis Bennett and Andy Cone, all of Tavernier. They received Doug Berry first-place awards
Main One/Main Attraction’s Capt. Marty Lewis led Mark Busch from West Lake, Ohio; Robbie Hiro of Downingtown, Pennsylvania; Danny Lombardo from Islamorada; Alex Lewis and Ben Zdan from Marathon; and Mike Cangemi from Jupiter to a second-place finish with seven releases. Cangemi also took home the top male angler award, releasing three sailfish before anyone else. Lewis received a hand-carved Junior Angler award sponsored by Yamaha Outboards.
Third place went to LFISH with six sailfish releases. The team – Marathon anglers Lance and Leo Doire, Blake Alexander and James Hardin; and Todd Picariello and Josh Riddle from Chesapeake, Virginia, with Captain Mike Taute at the helm – tagged four of the six fish to win Most Tagged Division. The Top Lady Angler award went to Robin Hall, of Orange Beach, Ala. while fishing aboard Capt. Kit Mobley’s Dirty Boat 2.0 with one sailfish release.
The Cheeca Lodge and Spa Presidential Tournament was the final leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Series. Team Killbox won the series with nine releases in the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, nine in the Islamorada Fishing Club Captain’s Cup Sailfish Tournament and four in the Cheeca Lodge and Spa Tournament for a total of 22 releases. Along with the Gold Cup Trophies and a check for $13,000, the team will have their name engraved on the perpetual trophy that is on display at the Tackle Center of Islamorada.
Killbox angler Clint “Digger” Rodamer from Marathon won the championship ring with a total of eight releases over the course of the series. Winning Capt. Cody Darbie received the first-ever custom sailfish jacket. Second-place Trophy Hunter had a total of 19 sailfish releases. Skipjac Fishing Team took third in the series with a total of 18 releases.
“I would like to thank all the anglers, captains, mates and people who helped to make this tournament a great success,” said Bill Coteron from Cheeca Lodge and Spa. “We are looking forward to our 36th anniversary of the tournament next year.” More information is at www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com.
