It’s been quite a year for us at Main Attraction. With spring arriving in the Florida Keys, sailfish season is still going strong. We have just a few more tournaments on the calendar before we officially transition to the highly anticipated mahi season.
On Thursday, March 26th, Team Headin’ South led by our own Captain Marty Lewis met at Dante’s in Key West to start the Key West Sailfish Tournament. Thursday focused on the kickoff meeting and planning, then two days of intense fishing, and finally the awards banquet on Saturday night.
The team collected their tournament swag, enjoyed a meal together, and chatted with other anglers, wishing everyone good luck. Afterward, they went to bed early, knowing a big challenge awaited them.
Day One: The 60-Pound Surprise
When the crew woke up on Friday, the conditions were manageable with 3-foot seas and a northeast wind. They did have to deal with a west current, which isn’t great for sailfishing. Still, everyone in the tournament faced the same water, so they had to make the best of it.
The morning started off slowly. They tried kite fishing, but no sailfish showed up.
As they settled into the routine, something near the boat caught their attention. At first, they thought it was a shark, but soon realized it was a huge Cobia swimming right up to the back of the boat!
Everyone on the boat sprang into action. First mate Robbie threw out a live bait, but it moved too quickly for the fish to follow, so he stunned the bait to slow it down. Amid the excitement, their cameraman Jon put his GoPro in the water to get some footage, and the Cobia even tried to eat the camera! When Robbie got the bait in front of the fish again, it took the bait right away and the fight was on.
Alex Lewis and Danny Lombardo teamed up to gaff the fish and pull it over the rail. Even though Cobia wasn’t a category for the “meat fish” prizes, this one was a huge catch at 59.7 pounds.
The Afternoon Surge
The sailfish finally showed up at 12:17 PM. Suddenly, the team had three fish on at once, with Danny, Ariel, and Alex all fighting their own. It was hectic, but they worked together smoothly. Mate Robbie managed to leader all three fish for successful releases.
The team kept up the pace in the afternoon. Mark Busch released one fish, and then JW Drott landed two more, one at 2:17 PM and another at 3:09 PM. By the time “lines out” was called at 4:00 PM, they had a solid start with six releases.
Day Two: Grit and Tough Luck
The conditions on day two were similar, but the action started earlier. By 9:30 AM, Mark had his first release. Alex followed with two quick releases at 10:51 AM and 11:05 AM. Then Ariel hooked a tough fish that he fought for over an hour, finally releasing it at 2:23 PM.
Of course, tournament fishing doesn’t always go perfectly. The team caught 4 out of 9 sailfish that day, losing a few just to bad luck. They had three sets of doubles: on the first, both fish got off; on the second, Alex landed one and lost the other; and on the third, both were lost.
It’s tough to talk about the fish that get away, but it’s just part of the sport. Sometimes a sailfish hits hard and starts jumping before it really takes the bait, and there’s not much you can do. We want to be honest about this because even the best teams lose fish. It just happens.
The Result
This podium finish wasn’t just about two days on the water. Team Headin’ South has been placing in tournaments all season long, and like all those other times, this finish was the result of months of hard work: catching and feeding bait, building cages, getting the boat ready, and respooling reels.
When everything was over, we were proud to see them earn 3rd Place with a total of 10 releases.
We want to send a huge congratulations to all the winners:
- 1st Place: Team Roughshot (12 releases)
- 2nd Place: Team One Up (10 releases)
- 3rd Place: Headin’ South (10 releases)
At Main Attraction, we feel honored to have our crews fishing alongside some of the best teams the Florida Keys has to offer. A special thank you goes out to Brice Barr and his team for organizing such a fantastic event; they did an outstanding job, and we know firsthand that it takes a massive amount of work behind the scenes to make a tournament run that seamlessly.
Our own Co-owner, Katie Lewis, knows all about that effort as her annual tournament is set to kick-off next week! It follows a similar format: a kickoff on Thursday, two intense days of sailfish action, and an awesome banquet with great food and a huge raffle to raise money for charity. Both Team Headin’ South and the Main Attraction teams will be out there competing, along with a deep field of other talented teams. We will be sure to let you know how the action unfolds!
Check out MarathonSailfish.com for more on Katie’s tournament. If you’re looking to fish with our fleet, head over to the contact page or call 305-289-0071 to secure your trip with Katie!
