The Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament

As we all know, you just never know with fishing, especially sailfishing, if you will catch anything or not. This year, we filmed on board 'The Top Luck', captained by Glen Miller, who Julie said was a great captain. I met him at the Captain's Meeting and he was looking forward to us filming aboard his boat. He was a very personable guy and I like that. You know how some captains can be: arrogant, know-it-all types with no personality. But Glen is just the opposite and I must say, a real gentlemen and truly a great captain.

My cameraman, Chris Lewkovich had never been sailfishing before and was very excited, as was I. We arrived at Bud n' Mary's Marina the next morning at 6:00 AM and were introduced to the two anglers, George Fisher and Tevy Wellens, and the two mates. In tournament fishing, two mates are very common. You could tell that George and Tevy were experienced anglers when you spoke to them. You could also tell they wanted to win this tournament. Glen explained that they were going to catch live bait. Live ballyhoo is one of the best baits to use when you are sailfishing. Cast-netting the live ballyhoo is an art unto itself.

The Top Luck sailed away from the dock and Capt. Glen anchored the boat just north of Alligator Light which is where they would try to catch the ballyhoo. Capt. Glen and the mates chummed up the ballyhoo (this can take some time but it is truly worth the wait) and when the ballyhoo were behind the boat, Glen threw the cast-net. As he pulled the net in, you could see the trapped lively, shiny ballyhoo. The bait was placed in the livewell, and Glen cast again. The total take was two or three hundred ballyhoo in the two casts! The time was 8:10 AM.

Glen started the boat and headed to his favorite spot, three miles north of Alligator Light. As soon as the boat arrived, Glen spotted a sailfish off the stern of the boat. It was 'free jumping' as they say but the lines could not go into the water until 8:30 AM. We had ten minutes to wait, hoping the sailfish would stay up top so they could cast a bait to it at the right time. At precisely 8:30, the sailfish was still to the stern of the boat and the cast was made. Capt. Glen had positioned the boat perfectly. The sailfish immediately hit the bait but was not hooked. Another bait was cast out but the sailfish was gone.

The three other lines were set out. Two on outriggers and two on flat lines. Glen trolled the boat. Trolling is a great way to cover the area while looking for baitfish on the surface. There are many times when we saw showers of baitfish and the lines were quickly reeled and the race was on with the other boats in the area, which upon witnessing the fleeing baitfish, were also heading towards them.

The mates, Haines and Sky, cast the ballyhoo on Glen's instruction because he could see the sailfish much easier from the bridge (at times the tower). As soon as the bait hit the water, George and Tevy were given the rods and seconds later the ballyhoo and the hook were taken. Tevy' fish spit the hook but George's fish took drag and skyrocketed in the air. At times, the sailfish danced on the surface. After an hour fight, the sailfish was tagged and released. It should be noted there is an award for the most tagged fish. The tournament is strictly a release event.

About an hour later, Tevy was hooked up with another sailfish. It was hooked well and could not shake free as it thrashed it's head during leaps from the water. Tevy fought the sail like a true professional. When the fish was beside the boat, Haines tagged it before it was released. You could see the excitement in the crews faces.

Two more sailfish hit within seconds of each other about two hours later. Both fish were lost. George and Tevy did not lose their enthusiasm. Capt. Glen raced to another school of baitfish breaking the surface. The lines were cast out and another immediate hookup was made. George was back on the rod and reeled this sailfish in after a short battle. This sail was not tagged but released as soon as the mate touched the leader. That is the rule - the mate must touch the leader. However, there are many times when the leader is just out of reach of the mate and the fish is lost.

All of a sudden came a severe rainstorm which lasted about an hour. But as soon as the rain stopped, the sun came back out and the fish started biting again. Another sail was caught by Tevy and the TOP LUCK fishing team was sitting pretty good in the standings. Four sailfish for the first day of fishing. The HOW 'BOUT IT fishing team was in first place. Everyone slept great that night.

The second day was even better. Tevy and George lost a couple of sailfish but then were hooked up to a double and as they were fighting these two another sailfish hit the right rigger. George put his fish in the rod holder and tried to fight the third sailfish but it quickly threw the hook. George got right back on his first fish. Both Tevy and George had to do some fancy maneuvering of the rods while each of them went from the starboard side to the port, and back again. Tevy's fish was landed first. George's sailfish was then close enough to the boat and tagged.

This sail was going to be billed and boated for us to film and photograph. After another fifteen minute fight, the mate grabbed the bill and held on while it thrashed at the boat. It calmed down and was lifted into the boat, was filmed, photographed and then released for another angler to catch again. As most of you know, it is a fantastic feeling when you see that sailfish swim away.

Tevy fought another sail which was lost inches from the mate grabbing the leader and you could see the agony of defeat on Tevy's face as he slammed down on the transom. An hour later, George lost a fish. The fishing was hot. Glen kept chasing schools of bait and again Tevy was hooked up. The sailfish danced on the surface and came right at the boat almost jumping in it. The sail was landed and this put the TOP LUCK in second place with an hour left.

With fifteen minutes to go the HOT SHOT fishing team moved to second place (8 Sailfish) with the HOW 'BOUT IT still in first (10 Sailfish) and the TOP LUCK dropping to third (7 sailfish). The fishing ended with the teams staying in that position. What an exciting finish!

That night Cheeca Lodge held the awards banquet and when I say banquet I mean it. It's great. I knew we had a fantastic show filmed for our television show. For those who enjoy fishing you will really enjoy this tournament. There is also an outboard division for those with smaller boats. I might add that Tevy and George said they would be fishing the tournament in 1997 and they will be with Capt. Glen Miller but there are many other fine captains in Islamorada.

So give it a try. I know you will enjoy it. You may even win. For information call Julie Perrin at Cheeca Lodge at (305) 664-4651 ext. 556 or give us a call here at ADVENTURES IN FISHING (516) 929-6711. This video, SAILFISHING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS (60 min.) is also available for $29.95.

We welcome comments on this article and suggestions about subjects you would like to read about in the future. Email me at kelly@interport.net, or send your comments to ADVENTURES IN FISHING, PO BOX 531, WADING RIVER, NY 11792 or call us at (516) 929-6711.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR- Capt. Ray Kelly is a licensed USCG charter captain and producer of ADVENTURES IN FISHING, a weekly television show which aires in New York and Massachusetts. Charters are available in Shinnecock Bay and offshore out of Shinnecock Inlet for flounder, fluke, bluefish, weakfish, striped bass, tuna and shark.