Publication Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2004

Fishing’s in their blood
Lewises capture many titles in Shell tourney

The three members of the Lewis fishing family set out in three directions with three different game plans early Saturday morning at the start of the sixth annual Leon Shell Memorial Billfish Tournament.

Even though they went their separate ways, all were successful in the end.

Marty Lewis, at the helm of the Main Attraction, won first place with six sailfish releases, while Reece, his older brother on the Natural, won second place, and dad, Morris, on the Main Attraction II, won top dolphin and tuna catches.

“The Morris family guys are incredible fishermen,” said Walt Thomas of Key Colony Beach, who fished with Reece and was named the top angler of the tournament. “They’re legends in the Keys fishing tradition.”

Seventy-two anglers on 22 vessels caught and released 31 sailfish in the one-day tournament named for Capt. Leon Shell who died of cancer in 1997.

Organizer Allen Benas said in all reckoning, this was the most successful of the six tournaments so far: More anglers entered, more fish were caught and more money ($5,000) raised for Hospice of the Florida Keys.

The Shell tournament is the largest offshore tournament based in the Middle Keys.

As the 22 vessels headed out the patriarch of the Big Pine Key fishing clan, Morris Lewis, decided to head east to Islamorada to try to cash in on the hot sail fishing action reported all week long at spots such as the Tarpon Hole and reefs like Alligator and Conch.

Older brother, Reece, 31, stayed in familiar waters off Big Pine and Little Torch keys where he lives. As skipper of the Natural, Reece consistently finds excellent fishing action off the Lower Keys. But in his sojourns east, to Marathon or the Upper Keys, he does just as well. In January, he won the Presidential Sailfish Tournament fishing off Islamorada.

Younger brother, Marty, who runs his dad’s old boat, Main Attraction, out of Key Colony Beach Marina, chose to go “out front,” that is, off Marathon and Key Colony Beach, spending most of his time off Marker 20.

“Everyone else went west or east, but I stayed put,” said Marty. “Late in the afternoon, the day before, we caught a triple off Key Colony Beach, so I thought this might still be the place.”

It was. After catching bait fish near Sombrero Light, Marty pointed the bow of the Main Attraction toward Marker 20 where, in about 150 feet of water, he spotted a free-jumping sailfish, a beacon.

Mate Jamie Platt dropped in the baits, and in five minutes, anglers Bruce Connelly and Paul Skill were fighting a double.

It would be their first of three double-header hook-ups. In all, the Main Attraction team hooked up about nine and released six to win top team. Connelly and Skill each caught two sailfish. All three anglers who placed for the top angler award — Thomas in first, Connelly in second and Skill in third — caught two sailfish each. The order was determined by time. (Two other anglers on the Main Attraction caught a sailfish each to total six on that boat.)

Marty Lewis didn’t move around much after his first double header, except to troll live baits.

But dad, Morris, moved.

Once he got to Islamorada, he saw the water was not as clear and blue as it had been, and the sailfish bite had slacked off.

“It was a mistake,” said Morris. “Marathon was the place to be.”

After hearing his son’s success on the marine radio, Morris picked up his baits and “came barreling back down here.”

He fished off the Red Can in 160 to 200 feet, caught another sailfish and the prize-winning dolphin and tuna.

Meanwhile, Reece Lewis started the day like gangbusters by catching a double just a few minutes after “lines in.”

“The two fish were crossing lines and jumping all over,” said angler Thomas, whose marine insurance company is a major sponsor of the Natural team.

The team ended with a respectable three releases.

“We’re on a roll,” said Thomas, in reference to his Shell tournament honors and Presidential win in January.

In third place, Capt. Chris Tong, winner of last year’s Shell tournament, led his angler to three releases as well. The tie was broken because the Natural team released its last fish before the Silver Queen released theirs.