Since 2019, Main Attraction has partnered with a wonderful charity, Mission Fishin’, to host annual, cost-free fishing adventures in the Florida Keys for families with foster children or children with special needs. These families are hand-picked by the Mission Fishin organization, which initially contacted Main Attraction about these trips a few years back.

Inspired by the joy these fishing trips brought to the children; Main Attraction co-owner Katie Lewis decided to deepen her involvement. This led her to create the Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament, an annual event now in its fourth year of raising money for this wonderful cause!

This year, Katie introduced Mission Fishin’ founder Tony Davis to Cathy Warner, the Special Olympics coordinator at Marathon High School.  Cathy’s goals align perfectly with Mission Fishin’s efforts, causing Tony to graciously invite the Marathon Special Olympics team to the annual fishing trips with Main Attraction.

After some weather challenges, including high winds that caused postponements, the trips were rescheduled for October 26th. Unfortunately, this meant that Tony and his son Josh could not join in on the fishing trip this year. Josh had undergone a major surgery, and Tony would still be at the hospital throughout his recovery. Tony and Josh always have a blast on these trips; we love having them aboard. We wish Josh a speedy recovery and can’t wait to see him back with us next year!

October 26th  fell on a windy Saturday with 10-20 mph winds out of the east-northeast. These were fishable conditions, but everyone wanted the kids to feel safe and have fun. Reef fishing seemed like the best approach, so the crews did that.

On the morning of the 26th the ‘Main One’ and sister vessel ‘Main Attraction’ were prepped and ready to go.

Cathy Warner arrived at the Marathon Sailfish Marina with some of her students from the Marathon Special Olympics team. She brought Billy, Cindy, Jose, Tristen, Lilly, parents, and loved ones.  They met their Captains and boarded our 49-foot vessel, the ‘Main One,’ and our 43-foot vessel, the ‘Main Attraction.’

Captain Marty Lewis and Captain Ben Zdan hang out on the bridge with a student.

After idling down the Coco Plum canal and into the channel, the Captains got on plane and headed straight to the reef.  The crews knew they had to work fast, as most of these kids had not been on a boat before, and seasickness would be a possibility. At that point, though, the kids were already having fun. They were so excited to be on the water!

When they got to the fishing spot on the reef, it was anchors away, and the mates put the chum out immediately. The Yellowtail Snapper looked nice and hungry, which was a great sign. Many fish immediately came up from the bottom and looked like they would cooperate.

Cathy, Billy, and Cindy were on the Main One, catching Yellowtail Snapper one after the other. Captain Marty Lewis said they were getting bites almost instantly. Not only did they catch plenty of Yellowtail Snapper, but they caught a few Cobia that had swum in their chum slick.

The Cobias are strong fish that fought hard on the light tackle meant for Yellowtails. They managed to catch a few but ended up having to release them because they were shy of keeper size.

Cathy Warner had just as much fun as the kids!

Captain Steve and first mate Alex had Jose, his father, Lilly, and her brother Tristen on the second vessel, Main Attraction. They also had a ton of fun catching Yellowtail Snapper, one after the other. Both boats caught plenty in two hours, which was about all the kiddos could handle before the waves started to make them queasy.

When they returned to the marina, the crews offloaded the fish, and the kids posed for photos. Excitement was in the air as the kids exchanged fish stories while the Captains fileted fish so each participant could take some home for dinner.

The Main One anglers after a couple hours of fishing.

Any seasickness Billy felt on the trip vanished the moment he saw his Dad waiting for him at the dock. He couldn’t wait to share stories of his adventure and show off the fish he caught!

The Main Attraction crew returned to the marina soon after, having also enjoyed a successful day catching Yellowtail snapper. Once both boats were back, all the kids gathered together and took a few more photos. Filets were bagged up and portioned out so each child could enjoy. They had a great time, and so did our crews.

At Main Attraction, we donate trips each year like a recent elementary school trip, to try and give back to our community during our off-season. Not every child gets to experience being on the water or even fishing, the way we do, so we enjoy sharing that with others. Who knows, we may inspire a few future great Florida Keys fishing captains!

Katie recently published an article on the tournament site where Mission Fishin’ donated $20,000 that was raised by her event to Stanley Switlik Elementary School right here in Marathon to support the Special Olympics program. If you want to support great programs like this, visit consider donating, sponsoring, or signing up for the Marathon Premier Sailfish Tournament on April 25 and 26th, 2025!

And if you are looking for a great fishing charter here in the Florida Keys, call us; you’ll probably get to chat with Katie, and she will find you the perfect boat and trip for your group! Call (305)-289-0071 or visit our contact page for more information.