Light rain may have blanketed this year’s Palm Beach County KDW Classic headquartered out of Riviera Beach Marina on June 3rd, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 236 registered teams. The KDW Classic, hosted by the venerable West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) and the City of Riviera Beach, is among the largest one-day saltwater tournaments in Florida. Despite the soggy conditions, participation was excellent and teams caught some very respectable fish. Calm sea conditions in the morning allowed boats to easily venture offshore in pursuit of kingfish, dolphin and wahoo.
One of the first fish to hit the scale this year ended up being the tournament winning wahoo, a 46-pound torpedo landed by thirteen year old Dillon Duchrow aboard the Fishician. Dillon made his fantastic catch on a Penn spinning reel, using a live sardine with mono leader from a 20-foot bay boat. Not exactly the standard approach to catching big wahoo. “We poured water on the reel because line was going out so fast we were afraid it was going to burn up. When we got the fish in the boat the mono leader was jammed in between its teeth like dental floss. It was a miracle catch. This was such a special day for us,” said Dillon’s family friend Rusty Wilkerson who was boat number 236, the last to register. It was also Dillon’s first ever wahoo. “You just can’t make this stuff up! It goes to show you that one bite, one fish is all it takes. Dillon will be telling that story for a long time. He’s a wahoo fisherman for life now!” said WPBFC Chairman and tournament weigh master Pete Schulz of Fishing Headquarters in Jupiter. The second heaviest wahoo was a 21.5 pound fish landed by Austin Burkett on Second Wind.
The heaviest dolphin this year weighed 22.2 pounds and was caught by angler Rob Svenson aboard the boat To The Point. The second heaviest dolphin of the tournament, a 13.7 pound mahi, was landed by Breeana Porcelain aboard the Strictly Business. 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 Charleston, SC, to aid studies related to age, growth and distribution of the species. Over 50 dolphin were sampled this year.
Tony Greaton, fishing aboard Seapremacy, was this year’s big winner in the KDW Classic. Greaton landed a 47.0 pound kingfish that took top honors, based on time, in the kingfish category. He also claimed the Ande Monofilament Big Fish Bonus for the heaviest fish of the tournament and the WPBFC member bonus award. In total it was a $4,500 catch for Greaton and his team. Ironically, the second place kingfish caught by Mike Oxley aboard Angler Management also weighed 47.0 pounds. Ties are broken by time of weigh in. “Tenths of a pound matter, that’s why we see a lot of people carrying their fish in insulated fish bags. They want to preserve fish the best they can,” commented Schulz. Angler John Manera aboard the Change Order, who earned the fifth place kingfish award, also took home the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County Captain’s level member $1,000 bonus award. “His membership expires tomorrow, he just got in under the wire. I guess we’ll be seeing his $20 renewal after this,” laughed MIAPBC Executive Director Chuck Collins, who presented the award.
The top Junior angler this year was lifetime WPBFC member Beau Lamb who claimed the first place trophy with an impressive 38.8 pound kingfish. It was his biggest kingfish catch ever. WPBFC member Peyton Zuloaga, fishing aboard the Soggy Bills, landed a 25.6 pound kingfish to claim second place. The third place junior angler was Logan Clevenger, fishing aboard the Sword-A-Broke, with a 19 pound kingfish. Ironically, Logan has earned the third place Junior award for three years in a row at the KDW Classic. “Three must be that kid’s new lucky number,” joked one of the tournament volunteers.
This year’s Queen of the Classic was WPBFC member Skylar Vallancourt who fished aboard Angler Management. Skylar weighed in a 30.6 pound kingfish for the top lady angler title. Tony Greaton aboard Seapremacy earned King of the Classic honors with his 47 pound kingfish. 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 Classic perpetual trophy.
This year’s tournament was dedicated to WPBFC board member and KDW Classic committee member Bud Tyska, who passed away earlier this year. “Bud was incredibly instrumental in the KDW Classic’s success. He enjoyed being a part of all the fun and felt strongly about the Fishing Club’s positive role in the community. We sure do miss him,” said WPBFC board member Donn Colee. The Palm Beach County KDW Classic raises money for marine conservation and youth fishing programs conducted by the WPBFC and its charitable affiliate, the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation. Community outreach programs like the annual Kids Fishing Days and the Rods & Reels for Kids program, marine habitat initiatives in the Lake Worth Lagoon, offshore artificial reef projects, marine research support, and scholarships at the City of Riviera Beach and at several local high schools and universities also benefit from this event. “The support we receive from our dedicated volunteers and sponsors is what makes all this possible. We are so very grateful to have them on board,” concluded Schulz. Visit KDWClassic.com to view photos and complete results from this year’s tournament.