Challenge holds off challengers, wins 60th Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle Tournament – December 12th – 15th
By Ed Killer
Photo credit: Leonard Bryant Photography
PORT SALERNO — His methodology worked to perfection as Challenge wound up winning the daily award with eight sailfish releases and the tournament’s overall award with 24. Challenge began the last day with a slim lead, but shortly after 9 a.m., the release of a doubleheader by anglers Dave Berard Jr. and Steve Butcher gave the team a small cushion. Two more catches before 11:30 staked the team to a better lead, but Hardee said he wasn’t comfortable with it. “It really was anybody’s game at that point,” said Hardee who runs Challenge for fishing charters out of Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina in Stuart. “The rain started coming in and the fishing really deteriorated. “It was a pretty big lull around midday.” Hardee steered the team inshore of where they had begun, in about 140 feet of water 10 miles east-northeast of Fort Pierce Inlet. But he said the water inshore, didn’t look right either. “I just didn’t like what I saw,” he said. “It was why I didn’t go to the spot we left off at Saturday. The water had changed overnight, which is pretty common.” Hardee went back offshore and the water looked a lot better. At about 2:15 p.m., Challenge was rewarded.
“I saw a fish come into the left teaser and then another one on the right teaser,” said James Turner, a mate aboard Challenge who spent the weekend in the tower spotting sails and as Hardee described it, directing traffic in the cockpit. “The guys cranked up the flat lines and dropped back to sink the bait and instantly got bites. As another guy cranked in the bait in the long outrigger, a fish fired up on it, too.” No one said a word until all three fish were caught and released. But then, bedlam broke out as the team realized they had probably caught enough to put the tournament out of reach. But before the day ended, Mike Fogel of Palm City, owner of the 51-foot Bertram, Challenge, caught and released his first sailfish of the day, the tournament’s last, at 3:32. Fogel was joined by anglers James Robinson of Palm City, Steve Butcher of Stuart, Dave Berard Jr. of Stuart, and mates Turner and Terry Brennan. Hardee earned the Capt. A.A. Whiticar Memorial Award for Top Captain, Turner and Brennan, the Top Mate award.
The fleet did manage a decent day of fishing, releasing a combined 63 sailfish. That gave the 16-boat fleet a respectable 212 for the weekend marking the fourth time in five years and the 12th time in its 60 years the Light Tackle Tournament has amassed more than 200 sailfish catches.
The Stuart Sailfish Club, founded in 1941, began the Light Tackle Tournament in 1955. The tournament and the club were both instrumental in spreading the catch and release ethic for sailfish and all billfish. Canyon Lady led by Capt. Mark McDevitt and with anglers James Diller, Dave Bowman, Scott Zurawski, Donald Sowers, Matt Cusamano and Jerry Owens caught seven sailfish Sunday and placed second overall with 18 sailfish. J-Hook with Capt. Dewey Price and anglers Ed Jillson, Joey Trefelner, Jon Fichtelman and Van Wichers took third with 16 overall.
The win was the first tournament victory for Challenge’s Hardee and Fogel who have fished the event together every year since 2007. “Jim is and outstanding captain with an obscenely diligent work ethic,” said Fogel who owns Fogel Capital Management. “I’m so excited we won, but we decided Sunday morning we were going to fun fish. But I’m happy for Jim, he goes at it hard every day.”
The fleet of six boats fishing the Treasure Coast Sailfish Championship completed the second of the series’ three legs and defending titleholder Showtime! remains atop the standings.
LIGHT TACKLE SAILFISH TOURNAMENT
AWARDS
Overall
1. Challenge, Capt. Jim Hardee, 24
2. Canyon Lady, Capt. Mark McDevitt, 18
3. J-Hook, Capt. Dewey Price, 16
[easy-social-share]