Sailfish Circuit Updates!

[OnTheFlats]

Capt. Ray Rosher fishing in South Florida with Team Costa has been kind enough to send us regular updates from the South Florida sailfish tournament season. Stay tuned for more! :thumb:

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Ray Rosher and his crew Alex Castellanos, Rob Ramirez and Charmain Rosher are fishing with anglers Capt. Rick Murphy and Dr. Bill Danko. They are fishing aboard an HMY/Viking named the Miss Costa. They are filming a 13 episode series named Sportsman's Tournament Adventures which will air in 2008.


The first two tournaments of the South Florida sailfish season have come and gone with relatively good fishing for the month of November.

The first tournament of the season was the first annual Chris King / NASCAR event titled "The Sailfish Cup" which created donations of over $125,000 to charities. Forty-three boats entered the Miami event which ironically was fished mostly off of the Broward and Palm Beach coast. Two hundred and nine sails were released in the two-day event. The fish were mostly small with many in the 10 to 20 lb range which of course are ideal sizes for quick points in any release event. The biggest challenge is keeping them attached long enough to achieve the release. Aboard the Viking 55 - "Miss Costa" we caught 6 fish in the two day event out of 8 bites. As I have said many times "if the guys down below could just get the guy up top to put them on more fish, they'd be dangerous!"

The tournament was won by the Catch One Team led by Capt. Matt Alligood, boat owner Mark Wodlinger, Trent Rogers, Dave Kairralla and Chris Black. Here are the final standings.


OFFICIAL OVERALL RESULTS

PLACE / BOAT / FISH
1 / Catch One / 14
2 / Reely Tight / 13
3 / Midnight Blue / 11
4 / Steel Magnolia / 10
5 / Wound Up / 10
6 / Que Mas / 9



The second event of our season was the second annual K-Rock Klassic / Kevin Llorente Memorial Tournament out of Grove Harbour ************************ in Coconut Grove. This tournament benefited the Hole In the Wall Gang which is a charity created by Paul Newman that to date has helped treat approximately 115,000 children with serious illnesses at no cost to their families. This was a favorite charity of Kevin and his boss, David Horowitz.

Thirty boats released 198 sailfish in the two-day event. Once again the bite was mostly up north. We caught 7 fish the first day and 5 more by 1:00 on the last day but slowly our lead slipped away simply because someone unfortunately failed to end the tournament on the right hour (for us anyway).

The Sandman team captured first place with 15 sail releases. Led by Capt. Neal Orange Jr., mates, Mike Dinnon,Chip Sheehan, boat owners, Todd and Sandra Kirkpatrick and fellow angler Jason Roe. Congrats to the Sandman Team.


Complete Standings


Rank / Boat Name / Day 1 / Day 2 / Total Pts.
1st / "Sandman" / 700 / 800 / 1500
2nd / "Qualifier" / 500 / 800 / 1300
3rd / "Rock Star" / 600 / 700 / 1300
4th / "Miss Costa" / 700 / 500 / 1200
5th / "Get Lit" / 800 / 400 / 1200
6th / "Miss Britt 43' / 600 / 500 / 1100


We are looking forward to the next tournament of the season, the Sailfish Kickoff out of Coconut Grove which is part of the Dewars Cup Series. For more information on this series which includes the Mayor's Cup tournament in January, look at www.oceanpromotions.com (http://www.oceanpromotions.com)

For more information on our travels and results check out the Costa Del Mar website @ www.costadelmar.com (http://www.oceanpromotions.com)


On a separate note, Sportsman's Tournament Adventures is planning a segment on the show featuring some of the most interesting fishing video clips and/or photos turned in by both fishermen as well as tournament committes. Give us your best action shots as well as accomplishments. If we use your video or photos on the show, you or your tournament will receive credit on the the show as well as a pair of 580 Costa Del Mar Sunglasses. Please send all photos or video clips to:

Sportsman's Tournament Adventures c/o Mike Zimmer / 6000 S.W. 80th St. / Miami,Fl. 33143

Until next time, appreciate every day, every fish and all the friends and loved ones in your life, they're all gifts! Tight Lines---Ray

[OnTheFlats]

This is the second in a series of tournament reports detailing a dozen or so tournaments on the South Florida sailfish circuit. Ray Rosher and his crew, Alex Castellanos, Rob Ramirez and Charmain Rosher, are fishing with anglers, Capt. Rick Murphy and Dr. Bill Danko. They are fishing aboard an HMY/Viking sportfishing boat named the Miss Costa. They are filming a 13 episode series named "Sportsman's Tournament Adventures" which will air in 2008.


The third tournament of our sailfish season is behind us, the FYI/Sailfish Kickoff. It was based out of Monty's ************************ in Coconut Grove (my home base). It was well attended with over 300 anglers fishing aboard 74 boats.

The Sailfish Kickoff and its sister tournament, the Mayor’s Cup, employ a cutting edge electronic scoring and leaderboard system viewable online with realtime results. Along with that, the radio calls and events are live video streamed during the tournaments. Approximately 1000 viewers monitored the event online throughout the tournament each day.

The first day of fishing saw sporadic action totaling 82 releases with a surge late in the day. Two teams battled it out atop the leaderboard, but by the end of the day, “Wound Up” kept its edge on time with 1200 points. In second place was the “Miss Britt II” also with 1200 points. Third place was “Sonny Boy” with 800 points. Nine boats were tied with 600 points (200 points per sailfish release).

The second day’s fishing was greatly improved with 135 releases. By mid-day it was anyone’s game. The “Miss Britt II” captained by Brett Wilson took the early lead, but the team kept swapping places with “Sandman,” “Wound Up,” and newcomer “RockStar.” These four boats swapped the lead eight times during the day.

As the day grew to a close, the “Miss Britt II” edged out ahead of the pack and ended up with a total of 12 sailfish releases. The 3 other teams in the pack each ended up with 10 sailfish. The three-way tie was broken by their release times. The final order was “Sandman” in second place, “Wound Up” in third, and “Rock Star” in fourth place.

Congratulations to the Miss Britt II team: Capt Brett Wilson; Mates: Jeffrey Leiderman and Nick Carullo; Anglers: Frank Villasante Sr., Frank Villasante Jr., John Burke and Alex De La Vega. Great job guys, you made me proud!

The next tournament, the Mayor’s Cup, is the second half of the Dewar’s 12 Billfish Championship Series. For full standings and photos, please visit www.sailfishkickoff.com.

For information on other events and an interactive tournament calendar, check out www.OceanPromotions.com .

Final Standings:

Pro Division:
1st--------Miss Britt II-------12 releases
2nd--------Sandman------------10 releases
3rd--------Wound Up----------10 releases
4th--------Rockstar-------------10 Releases
5th--------Crescendo------------8 Releases
6th--------Team Costa----------6 Releases

Amateur Div:
1st-----Team Brickell/GMC--3 releases
2nd----Lost Boys---------------3 releases
3rd-----Perfect Finish---------2 releases

Top Angler Overall: John Burke-Miss Britt II------6 releases

Top Female Angler: Sandra Kirkpatrick-Sandman-3 releases

Top Junior Angler: Nicole Portuondo--Bertram---2 releases


Aboard the Miss Costa, we had a great catch ratio which is usually a big factor in a good finish, but once again, if I could just put them on a few more fish... they'd be dangerous. Either way we're having fun and were enjoying the ride as well as the company.

On a separate note, the new Miss Costa just arrived in Palm Beach at the Viking Service Center for the tower installation and the final touches. It's the new 54' and we can't wait to put her to work. Come see us at one of the future events. Next up is the Silver Sailfish Derby out of Palm Beach, January 3rd, 4th & 5th. We'll be tied up at the Sailfish ************************ on Singer Island.

Until then, have fun, be safe and enjoy every day!

[OnTheFlats]

Here's the latest round of updates we just received from Ray Rosher and Team Costa....


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ABC / World Diamond Source Billfish Challenge
February 23, 2008


The Sailfish bite in the last 3 years of the ABC/World Diamond Source Billfish Challenge has been nothing short of astounding. This year, the tournament set a new record, as 71 teams posted a total of 260 releases by day’s end.

Whether it’s good timing, the right weekend, a little bit of luck or a combination of all three, hot sailfishing action seems to be the norm in this Billfish Challenge, rather than the exception. In only three days of fishing, the tournament boasts a unique one-day format, teams have combined to release a staggering tally of 694 Sailfish over the past three years. Tournament director Jamie Bunn put it best about this year’s fishing, “The bite was something that our teams will talk about for a long time to come.”

Within minutes of the 7am lines-in-the-water announcement, the releases began to pour in to the tournament radio room. Doubles, triples, quads, some teams even had 6 fish on at a time. Fishing appeared to be good up and down the coastline, however, the hottest action was in the vicinity of Haulover Inlet. Fortunately, this time the “Miss Costa” was in the middle of it. I would have to say it was the hottest bite I’ve seen in a while. For about 4 hours, it was pretty hard to look around and not see someone within a few hundred yards of you hooked up. It’s great to just be in the middle of such a hot bite.

2nd through 5th place in the tournament were all decided by time. Each team had 10 releases a piece. Captain Joe Turner and his “4 Aces” team finished in 2nd, followed by “Rock Star” in 3rd, “Priceless” in 4th and “Weez in the Keys” in 5th. In the funfish division, Brian Rifkin and his teammates on “In the Box” earned an extra $9,200 for the heaviest funfish weighed in the tournament – a 43.1 pound Kingfish. The tournament paid back over $170,000 in prize money, also a new tournament record.

If you would like to fish this event next year contact them @www.bluewatermovements.com. Next year’s dates are proposed to be Feb 19th, 2009 (Registration) and Feb 21st, 2009 (fishing).

I would like to take a minute to thank all the boats that showed mercy on us, moving so we wouldn’t lose any of the fish that were stretched out on multiples. To name a few: the “Double Up,” “Double D,” “Coral C,” and the “4 Aces.” They were all class acts when it came to giving us room. I will return the favor some day.

It was a day I’ll never forget and I would like to give credit to the gang down below for making it happen: Bill Danko, Rick Murphy, Alex Castellanos, Rob Ramirez and my boss lady, Charmain. I have to give extra credit to Rob who, less than two months ago, underwent major knee surgery and had to make at least three trips to the bow when we were stretched out - you guys were great!


1st Place – Miss Costa – 16 releases
2nd Place – 4 Aces – 10 releases
3rd Place – Rock Star – 10 releases
4th Place – Priceless – 10 releases
5th Place – Weez in the Keys – 10 releases

Next it’s the Bob Lewis tournament www.billfishchallenge.com. It looks like it might turn out to be a good bite. Until then, tight lines!

[OnTheFlats]

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Silver Sailfish Derby
January 3-5, 2008


The New Year in the sailfish tournament season is usually kicked off by the Silver Sailfish Derby and this year was no exception. January 2nd marked the kickoff party and captain’s meeting and hopes were high for the 51 boats entered into the event. Conditions were similar to the tournament two years earlier which produced 958 sailfish releases. After the first day, Mike Riseley aboard his new 36’ Contender, “X Generation,” with Doug Konz, Kyle Smith and Joe Ferdulle, were leading with 6 fish. It was one of the coldest days I have ever spent in the tower. The winds were averaging in the mid 30 knot range out of the northwest and the temperature was 35 degrees at the dock with a wind chill of 27 in the morning. I lasted about 5 hours in the tower until I had a brain freeze rivaling any ICEE drinking race I ever won as a kid. I saw a couple of fish from the tower but none of them bit and we ended the day with only 2 fish. The weather kept several boats at the dock and the count at the end of the day was 73 fish.

The second day drew a crowd to the south of Lake Worth Inlet where the X Generation was fishing the day before. Unfortunately, conditions were not good and the bite was best off of Juno. After the day was done, Ryan Higgins and his gang aboard the “Viking 60” were on top with 13 sailfish, the “Sandman” was in 2nd place on time with 13 and the Miss Britt was in 3rd with 12. The total catch was 83 for Day 2.

Day 3 was calmer and slower fishing overall. The “Sandman” was the top boat with 5 for the day and a total of 18 for the tournament. Congratulations to Todd and Sandra Kirkpatrick, Kitt Toomey, Capt. Neal Orange, mates Mike Dinnen and Chip Sheehan for a job well done. The third day resulted in 54 releases for a grand total of 210 releases for the event.

Top angler Honors and the coveted Rea Trophy went to Dave Dickerson aboard the “Miss Britt II (43’)” who was sharing angling duties with Danny Farkas. The crew consisted of my homey’s (I think that’s the new term), Capt. Brett Wilson, mates Jim Mulcahy and Jeff Liederman. They ended up with 15 releases for the tournament.

Third place was taken by the Viking cartel aboard the “Viking 60.” Their anglers were Don Gimmel, Lonni Rutt, David Wilson and Dwight Mooney. The crew consisted of Capt. Ryan Higgins, Scott Adams and Rhett Bailey with 14 releases.

Congratulations to these teams on a job well done and thanks to Tom Twyford and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club for another fun, well organized event.

For more information on this event look at www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org

Next year’s dates are Jan. 8-10, 2009

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Cheeca Lodge Presidential Tournament
January 18-19, 2008


The Cheeca Lodge Presidential Tournament is one of the nicest tournaments of the year to fish in the Keys. This year was no exception. One hundred and thirty-three anglers aboard forty-two boats participated in the two day event. The weather was beautiful this year and the fishing was good.

After Day 1, the 36 Contender, “No Mercy” with Captain and owner, Steve “Wam Bam” Cunningham was on top of the leaderboard with 13 releases, followed by “Wound Up” with 9 releases and “Which Way” with 7 releases. Total count for the first day was 127 releases.

Day 2 was a good day for kite fishing again with most of the top boats for the day flying the “rags.” The “Wound Up” ended the day on top with 8 for the day and 17 for the tournament. That team consisted of owners Warren and Janice Sands and crew Capt. John Dudas, mates Roy Huff and Brett Dudas. Second place was captured by the “No Mercy” team with 13 fish with Steve Cunningham, Rob Ruwich, Albert Castro, Mike Causley and Rick Arnold. To capture third place, the “Kalex” owned and operated by Capt. Alex Adler came on strong with 5 releases for the day and 11 for the tournament. Alex was fishing with crewmen, Jamie Allen and Bo Bagley, and anglers, Anthony DelDuca, Jim Verner, Brian Baugher and Ken Stiles.

This finish put the “Wound Up” team in the lead for the prestigious Keys Triple Crown Award which they did eventually win the following Thursday with a total of 24 for the three tournament event. “No Mercy” ended up second with 20 releases and the “Kalex” finished third with 19. Rick Arnold won the High Point Angler Award and Gold Cup ring with 11 releases. Congratulations to all of these teams for a great job against a tough field. For more information on these Keys Tournaments, look up www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com <http://www.islamoradasailfishtournament.com> . Next year’s dates are Jan 15th for the Kickoff Party with fishing on Jan 16th and 17th, 2009.

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Mayor’s Cup
January 26-27, 2008


The Mayor’s Cup was held out of my home port, Monty’s ************************ in Coconut Grove, in South Miami. Tony Albelo puts on a first class event with good food, prizes for both the professional and amateur divisions, and live, streaming updates via the internet which creates much interest off the water for those stuck at work or somewhere far away from the tournament.

A total of 68 boats participated in this year’s event capturing 157 sailfish and a blue marlin pushing 500 lbs., all on 20 lb test. After Day 1, in the professional division, the “Native Son” was in the lead with 8 fish. In the amateur division, Rudy Gomez on the “Cyberangler” was leading with 2 fish.

On Day 2, fishing was slower. In the end, in the professional division, the “Native Son” prevailed holding on to a slim lead with 10 fish. Their team consisted of owner Art Sapp, Lemar Sapp, Chuck Walker and Jamie Bunn. Second Place was captured by the crew aboard the “Gilligan’s Revenge” with owner Carlos Lopez, teammates Eric Altaba, Carlos Martinez, Adrian Levina, Mario Cantero and Joe Lorranto. In Third Place with 8 fish was the “Reel Tension” with 8 releases. Their team consisted of owner Victor Jensen, and teammates, Robbie Buckley, John Neal and Eric Castillo.

In the Amateur Division, the competition was fierce with the “Bill Collector” ending up on top with 5 releases. Congrats to owner Aris Angelo and crewmen, Scott Schomber, Travis Coleman and Carlos Camps. In Second Place was the “Plan B” owned by Mike Berkowitz, Dave Preston, Jocko Nesbitt, Raul Diaz and Raul Rotolante. In Third Place, “Cyberangler” with owner Rudy Gomez and teammates Kelly East, Robert Suarez, James Schaeffer and George Fernandez.

“Top Catch” award would have to go to the “Four Aces” team consisting of owner Peter Adrian, Capt. Joe Turner and crew Jimmy and Debbi David, Freddy David, Ignacio Quintana and Domi Adams for catching a blue marlin on 20 lb., test that was pushing 500 lbs. They had the fish on the leader several times and got some great shots on film of the fish jumping next to the boat.

Congratulations also goes to the “Wound Up” capturing the Dewar’s Cup title with a total of 17 fish for the two tournament series.

If you would like more information on the Sailfish Kickoff or Mayor’s Cup which make up the Dewar’s Cup Series, contact Tony Albelo @ www.mayorscuptournament.com.

Next year’s dates for the Sailfish Kickoff are Dec 11th, 2008 (Registration) and fishing on Dec.13th and 14th, 2008; the Mayor’s Cup are Jan.22nd, 2009 (Registration) and Jan. 24th and 25th, 2009 (fishing days).