by Tom “Buzz” Bzura, Contributing Writer
Ideal sea conditions and a long overdue break from persistent rain resulted in a fantastic turnout at the 16th annual Palm Beach County KDW Classicheadquartered out of Riviera Beach Marina. Over one-thousand anglers fishing aboard 254 registered boats took to the water in pursuit of kingfish, dolphin and wahoo. The KDW Classicis hosted by the venerable West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) and the City of Riviera Beach. Proceeds support local scholarships, marine conservation efforts and youth fishing programs. It is among the largest one-day saltwater tournaments in Florida. As usual some impressive fish were caught, with many anglers returning to the dock with a fish tale to tell.
Lady angler Corie Allen produced one of the best stories in this year’s Classic. Her 35.4 pound wahoo was landed using a 5500 series Penn Spinfisher loaded with fifteen pound test line, not exactly the standard tackle used when targeting wahoo. “We switched to light tackle because we were on a school of small kingfish and we wanted to have a little fun using the lighter gear. At first we thought it might be a big bonito, kingfish or shark. But once the fish realized it was hooked it dumped nearly all the line off the reel, there was maybe 20 feet of line left. We had to chase it down to get line back on the reel. Corie did such a great job fighting the fish,” said Capt. Greg Bogdan. The fish earned Corie the first place wahoo award and the coveted title Queen of the Classicfor being the lady angler who landed the heaviest eligible weight fish.
Angler Sebastian Llanes had a story of heartbreak during this year’s Classic. After enduring an exciting battle with a monster wahoo on 20 pound test line it looked as though Team Nauti Ventureswould be high fiving all the way back to the weigh station. However, as the big fish was nearing the boat a very large hammerhead shark ruined the party when it ate the back third of the fish in one bite. The piece of wahoo that remained weighed 48 pounds. “That fish would have easily beaten the tournament record, but mutilated fish are not eligible for entry. There are a lot of sharks out there and unfortunately encounters like this are just part of fishing sometimes,” commented WPBFC Chairman and tournament weigh master Pete Schulz of Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter. After hearing the story of Sebastian’s wahoo during the awards presentations, the large crowd erupted in applause when it was announced that he would receive a complimentary entry in next year’s KDW Classicas a consolation prize.
The heaviest dolphin this year weighed 30.9 pounds and was caught by angler Sante Deliso aboard the boat More Billin. The second heaviest dolphin of the tournament, a 27.6 pound mahi, was landed by Cheyenne Davis aboard the Lil Rabbit. Each year the KDW Classic collects gender, weight and length data on dolphin caught in the tournament. The data is sent to the Dolphinfish Research Program based in Rockville, Maryland, to aid studies related to age, growth and distribution of the species. A total of 49 dolphin were sampled this year by biology students and faculty members from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Bill Cotterall, fishing aboard Black’n Blue,was this year’s big winner in the KDW Classic. Cotterall landed a 52.8 pound kingfish that took top honors in the kingfish category. He also claimed the Ande Monofilament Big Fish Bonus for the heaviest fish of the tournament. Cotterall, who traveled from Tallahassee to fish the KDW Classicwith friend Trey Lytal, also earned King of the Classichonors. While there are no cash awards attached to the King & Queen of the Classic, serious bragging rights go with the title, including their names being engraved on the KDW Classicperpetual trophy. The second heaviest kingfish this year was a 49.5 pound smoker landed by Chris Meek aboardMeek Wagon.
The top Junior angler this year was Cole Intoppa who landed a 12.0 pound dolphin aboard the Seagasm. To the delight of the crowd, Cole’s fellow team members chanted his name and lifted the junior champion high into the air when he received his trophy. Amiya Schlee, fishing aboard the Reel E Sea,landed a 10.9 pound kingfish to claim second place Junior award. To view photos and complete tournament results from this year’s tournament visit http://www.kdwclassic.com/
ThePalm Beach County KDW Classicraises money for scholarships, youth fishing programs and marine conservation initiatives conducted by the WPBFC and its charitable affiliate, the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation. “The support we receive from our dedicated team of volunteers and sponsors is what makes all this possible. We are so very grateful to have them on board. This year’s KDWwas the best I can remember,” concluded Schulz. Next year’s Palm Beach CountyKDW Classicis set for May 31st and June 1st, 2019.