Back for its third year, the Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament lent its most significant helping hand yet to the nonprofit Mission Fishin’ after two successful days of catch-and-release sailfish hunts.
The 2024 iteration of the tournament, running on April 18 and 19, saw 75 anglers aboard 16 boats rack up 30 sailfish hook ups, resulting in 27 successful releases and five fish tagged for research purposes. An awards banquet held at Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters concluded the festivities and awarded top teams and anglers, the vast majority of whom hail from Marathon.
Through Mission Fishin’, chosen by tournament founder Katie Lewis as the beneficiary of the tournament since its inception in 2022, proceeds will support fishing trips and other marine adventures for special needs children, foster children and their families who would not otherwise be afforded these opportunities.
Past tournaments have historically raised around $10,000 per year for the nonprofit, but Lewis said the 2024 event is on track to up that amount by about 50% when the dust settles.
“I was blown away by the crowd that night,” Lewis told the Weekly. “You could feel the generosity. I expected more than years past, but the vibe was on another level.”
Dates for the 2025 tournament are already set, with an April 24 captains meeting preceding two days of fishing on April 25 and 26.
THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE
Top Overall Team: No Slack Sportfishing, 4 releases – Captain James Platt, mate Ely Hernandez, anglers Melissa Bennett and James Platt III.
Second Place Team: Yeti or Knot, 4 releases – Captain Jared Dieguez, mate Todd Picariello, anglers Tony Palm, Jonathan Sanchez, Luca Picariello, Caden Hudson and Kevin Reid.
Third Place Team: Memory Maker, 3 releases – Captain Jon Henry, mate Casey Yaworsky, anglers Christina Henry, Alissa Keiler, Sean Marrero and Christin Selmon.
Top Male Angler: Jonathan Sanchez, Yeti or Knot, 2 releases
Top Female Angler: Alissa Keiler, Memory Maker, 3 releases
Top Junior Angler: James Platt III, No Slack, 1 release
Most Tagged Fish: Yeti or Knot, 2 tagged fish
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