The 48th Annual Don Hawley Invitational
Fly-Fishing Tarpon Tournament
Islamorada, Florida Keys
The tournaments, had relatively consistent daily fishing compared to some previous years and pulled in a total of 119 releases for the week. Aside from two afternoons of dodging storms, the Tournament lucked out and had a great week after some major tropical winds threatened the area just days beforehand. The best fishing took place on the first and last days of tournament, bringing in 36 and 30 fish, respectively. Afternoon lightening lowered the releases to 14 on Day 2, then 18 fish on Day 3, and 21 releases on Day 4. Ocean tarpon fishing proved more difficult than the backcountry during the week. Locating where the fish are is one of the biggest talents that Guides bring to the team. The Don Hawley attracts some of the best fly anglers from around the world who are all competitive and passionate about catching the silver king.
The Don Hawley was the first tarpon tournament to stop the killing, in 1987, of tarpon. Anglers receive 1000 points for each fish measuring four feet or more caught and released on 12lb tippet, in accordance with International Game Fish Association rules. The Grand Champion title is awarded to the Angler and Guide with the most fish caught and released during the five-day competition. In addition to other awards, Grand Champion names will be added to the Perpetual Trophy showcasing the names of all past champion anglers and guides. The perpetual trophy resides at Florida Keys Outfitters in Islamorada, Florida.
Angler L. Mark Weeks from Tokyo, Japan and Nampa, ID and his Guide, Captain Andy Thompson, won the Grand Championship with 18 releases. This marks the second time the team will have their names added to the historical perpetual trophy. Weeks said, “Five days feels like a lifetime in these tournaments, particularly when you’re getting chased off the water by thunderstorms and are neck-in-neck with several of the best teams to the bitter end. Lucky for us, Andy knows how to find fish and is a wonderful coach when it comes to catching them.”
Coming in second place was Angler Evan Carruthers from Maple Plain, MN and his Guide, Capt. Greg Dini with 16 releases. They earned second place just last year, but this year added an additional 6 releases to their results from the previous year. Third place was won by Angler Rich Garcia from Islamorada, FL and his Guide, Luis Cortes with 15 releases. Scott Christian and his Guide, Chad Huff, earned the High Point Day award with a whopping 8 releases on the first day.
Subsequent days 2, 3, and 4 only had 4 releases each day as the daily high point, earned by L. Mark Weeks and Capt. Andy Thompson, Julian Robertson and Capt. Rob Fordyce, and Rich Garcia and Capt. Luis Cortes, in that order. The final day brought 5 releases as the high point day, won by L. Mark Weeks and Capt. Andy Thompson by time.
The Annual Don Hawley Invitational Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament began in 1974. Proceeds benefit the Guides Trust Foundation, which assists Florida Keys Guides in times of hardship and provides scholarships to Florida Keys students interested in the marine sciences. Next year’s tournament will take place June 5-9, 2023. For more information on the Don Hawley Tarpon Tournament, the Guides Trust Foundation, our esteemed sponsors, or to apply for the tournament’s waiting list, please visit: www.guidestrustfoundation.org