By Tom ‘Buzz’ Bzura, West Palm Beach Fishing Club Contributing Writer
The venerable West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) will again host the ‘World’s Oldest Sailfish Tournament’, the Silver Sailfish Derby on January 6th-9th, 2021. The prestigious offshore tradition attracts some of the best anglers, captains, and crews in the sport to the Palm Beaches each sailfish season. The tournament fleet is limited to 50 boats.
Started in 1935, this patriarch played an important role by attracting people from across the country to the Palm Beaches as a way to stimulate tourism and business at a time when the region needed it most, the years following the Great Depression. Its historical significance to our area and longstanding support of billfish conservation have been the Derby’s hallmark. Perhaps the most notable conservation contribution of the Silver Sailfish Derby is the development of the red release pennant. Today, the little red pennant is recognized around the world as a way to signify a sailfish release. The WPBFC began flying pennants in 1938 and was the first to promote the use of releases flags.
Everything from large sportfish to smaller center console boats will be represented on the water, all rigged to catch and release Atlantic sailfish. The 4-line tournament, headquartered at Sailfish Marina, has teams vying for some of sailfishing’s most coveted awards. The Derby’s top angler award is the Mrs. Henry R. Rea trophy, a magnificent silver sailfish sculpture that dates back to the event’s origin in 1935 and is sponsored by Elizabeth Richebourg Rea of Connecticut. The Rea Trophy remains one of the crown jewels in all of angling. Many awards are sponsored by families who have been associated with the event for decades.
Those who are not fishing the event can follow tournament boat standings on the Derby’s live scoreboard. The Derby scoreboard & photos can be found on the WPBFC website, Instagram & Facebook @westpalmbeachfishingclub.