- Team Liquid celebrates their derby win. (photo by Tom Twyford)
- Top derby angler H. Wesley Schwandt battles a sailfish aboard the Griffin. (photo by Willie Howard)
- Team Reel Easy fishing on day one of the derby. (photo by Willie Howard)
Liquid Rallies To Win 79th Sailfish Derby
By Tom Twyford
West Palm Beach, Fla. – Capt. Art Sapp and his crew aboard Liquid demonstrated the rewards of a change in game plan during this year’s Silver Sailfish Derby, the world’s oldest sailfish tournament. The Hillsboro-based team bested a field of 36 other boats in the Jan. 7-8 contest that has been hosted by the West Palm Beach Fishing Club since 1935.
“I’ve fished a lot of tournaments, but it’s the derby that I have always wanted to win the most. This has been a long time coming and is really special for us,” said Liquid team member Keith McDonald.
Prior to the start of this year’s tournament, sailfish action had been extremely slow. A week of summerlike weather was great for tourists, but bad for those seeking sailfish. Hopes rose when a cold front pushed through south Florida a few days before the tournament. Rough seas, temperatures in the high 50s and a northerly wind shuffled the deck offshore and filled derby anglers with anticipation.
A foggy day with 5- to 7-foot seas and a healthy northeast groundswell greeted the fleet on the first day. Team Reel Captivating, led by Capt. Tore Turney, jumped to an early lead registering the first fish of the derby and several others soon after. They would finish the day with six releases, along with Good Call, led by Capt. Matt Alligood.
It soon became clear the best bite was in the northern reaches of the tournament boundary. Reel Easy, captained by Derby veteran Chip Sheehan, ended up taking top boat honors with seven releases on the first day. Boats reported seeing lots of bait and clean water offshore the Stuart area. The heavyweight fish on the first day was a 26.3-pound cobia landed by angler Mike Donohue, of Wilmington, Del., aboard the Griffin with Capt. John Adams at the helm. Unfortunately, the short-lived drop in temperature did not yield the action most anglers were looking for. A total of 68 sails were released the first day of fishing, with 30 of 37 registering at least one release.
Nearly every boat headed north on the final day. Seas had subsided considerably, but a significant groundswell remained. For the dozen boats at the top of the leaderboard, it was anybody’s tournament to win.
“When the fishing is slow, it doesn’t take many fish to climb up the scoreboard in hurry. A double or a triple can shoot you to the top,” said WPBFC chairman Pete Schulz from Fishing Headquarters tackle shop in Jupiter.
Schulz was right on the mark. Several boats moved up the leaderboard on the second day, among them were Goin’ Raptor, led by Capt. Will Sabayarac; last year’s derby champs Wrenegade, captained by Jim Garner; Lady Lane, led by Capt. Robert ‘Fly’ Navarro; and 2010 derby champs team Double Take, led by Capt. Mike Laufle. Double Take angler Mike Causley would end up earning the Top Daily Angler Award with three releases on time.
Also rising to the top on day two was team Liquid. After only two sails the first day, Liquid deviated from their plan early into the final day.
“When the wind dropped out, we had trouble flying the kites. In fact, we never caught a single fish off the kite the second day. We were seeing fish, but just couldn’t get the bites,” said Capt. Art Sapp. “So we decided to switch it up and start chasing the bait sprays and free jumpers we were seeing.”
The change to run-and-gun sight casting paid off. Team Liquid finished the day with nine releases, claiming the Top Daily Boat award and earning the title derby champions.
With 11 sailfish releases in the tournament, Liquid won the Top Boat Overall Trophy. Joining them in the derby winner’s circle was Second Place Boat Overall Reel Easy with 10 sailfish. Third Place Overall was Griffin with eight releases on time and Fourth Place Overall was Good Call with eight releases.
The Top individual angler was H. Wesley Schwandt, of Wilmington, Del., fishing aboard the Griffin. Schwandt released five sailfish to win the coveted Mrs. Henry Rea Trophy, one of the crown jewels in the world of competitive billfishing. Second Place Angler Overall was 16-year-old Timmy Maddock, Jr., of Pompano Beach aboard the Reel Easy. Third Place Angler Overall was Good Call team member Mark Wodlinger, of Naples, with four releases. Fourth Place Angler Overall was Erik Waldin, of Palm Beach, fishing on Wrenegade with four releases. Sasha Lickle, of Palm Beach, also aboard the Wrenegade, posted two individual releases to claim the Top Lady Angler Trophy.
Mike Simko, of Palm Beach Gardens, fishing aboard the Captivating landed a 36.5-pound cobia to win the Grand Champion Weight Fish Trophy. Capt. Will Sabayrac guided the Goin’ Raptor to the Top Small Boat Trophy. Capt. Tore Turney and team Reel Captivating took home the Top Tag Team Trophy by tagging four sailfish with Billfish Foundation tags. Their first sail tag had been dipped in the cremated ashes of former WPBFC member Jim Gill, whom Tore had guided to derby wins in 2003 and 2007.
For more information on the WPBFC and the Silver Sailfish Derby, visit www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.