The much-anticipated 3rd annual Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament kicked off on a splendid Thursday afternoon, on April 18th, 2024, at the picturesque Fairfield Inn. The tournament welcomed 16 teams comprising 75 anglers, friends, and family.

That same day, many of the tournament participants were out on the water, engaged in pre-tournament scouting or on chartered fishing expeditions. Despite concerns voiced by a few Captains regarding the lack of current, the day brimmed with anticipation. The royal blue waters hinted at promising fishing prospects.

As the teams gathered their overflowing buckets of merchandise, including hats, shirts, and drink tickets, there was excitement in the air, along with music, food, and beverages on offer. At 5:30 pm, Dianne Harbaugh briefed the teams on the rules, followed by a few words from tournament founder Katie Lewis, marking the commencement of the tournament.

DAY ONE

The following morning, April 19th, at 8 am, committee boat member Dianne Harbaugh signaled the start over the radio, sparking immediate action. Within minutes, Team Yeti or Knot and Team No Slack were already hooked onto sailfish, setting a thrilling tone for the day. Notably, 7-year-old junior angler James Platt III stole the spotlight with the first successful release, swiftly climbing the Top Male and Top Junior leaderboard while propelling Team No Slack to the top of the overall leaderboard.

15 minutes later, Memory Maker Alissa Keller released a sailfish that placed her at the top of the female angler leaderboard. Over the next hour four more sailfish would be released, one being tagged by Sundance Sportfishing to put them at the top of the Most  tagged fish leaderboard.
By 3pm, No Slack, Yeti Or Knot, and Main One were at the top of the leaderboard, respectively, with 2 releases each. With 10 minutes to go, Jonathan Sanchez released a Sailfish that propelled team Yeti Or Knot to the top  of the leaderboard, and his name was placed at the top of the Male Angler leaderboard.

DAY TWO 

Day two dawned with equal excitement, as anglers geared up for another day of thrilling competition under  clear skies and gentle winds. The first fish of the day was released by Memory Maker’s Alissa Keil further  strengthening her 1st place position on the female angler leaderboard. 

After that the bite slowed and it was very quiet for about 45 minutes so tournament founder Katie Lewis  decided to give something good to the next boat that caught a fish. Dianne announced over the radio that the  next fish released would earn a $50 gift certificate to the Brutus Seafood restaurant in town, and within  seconds team No Slack’s announce angler Melissa Bennett was called in with her second successful hookup  and release! Dianne called over the radio that a bottle of rum would go to the next team to catch a fish and just  9 minutes later team No Slack called in a double header over the radio! Angler Ely Hernandez converted one  of those bites into a successful release and won a bottle of spiced rum. Most importantly this fish moved team  No Slack into first place overall. 

With the promise of prizes adding an extra layer of excitement, eight more fish would be released that  afternoon, two of them tagged. Team memory Maker’s Alissa Keiler released her 3rd Sailfish solidifying her as  the tournament’s top female angler. 

By 3pm the fishing portion of the tournament had concluded but there was much more left to celebrate.

WINNERS

AWARDS BANQUET 

The awards banquet was held at Aquarium Encounters in Marathon, Florida, for the third consecutive year.  Katie was sure to bring back the crowd favorites, two open bars, a DJ, and fresh hand-rolled sushi and a classy take on low country boil courtesy of Brutus Restaurant & Seafood Market. Attendance was fantastic with more than 130 people including the Mayor of Marathon, Robyn Still, as well as city of Marathon Council Members.  

The Trophies were made by Gray Taxidermy again and everyone commented on how beautiful they were. Billfish Foundation’s artist of the year Eddie Forbes also attended the event providing beautiful artwork as prizes and raffle items for fundraising. This year’s raffle exceeded expectations, thanks to Donna Hart from Lower Keys Bait and Tackle, who secured a wide range of impressive prizes. Winners were delighted to receive top-quality fishing gear from Shimano, Penn, R&R tackle and Fathom Lures. Gray Taxidermy donated a Dolphinfish mount, and well-known artist RJ Boyle donated a beautiful painting. 

The event was a huge success, and the organization was able to raise more money than it had in previous years. The primary beneficiary of the funds raised is a non-profit organization named Mission Fishin’ that helps children and their families throughout southern Florida, including here in Marathon, Florida. Tony Davis, the founder of Mission Fishin’, also attended the event and expressed his gratitude to the crowd. He explained how the tournament funded the excellent work that they were doing with the schools locally in Marathon. 

Tournament director and founder Katie Lewis has already announced dates for next year April 24-26 2025!