Tagged : Sailfish

The Sailfish Challenge is leg two of a 3-leg sailfish tournament series called Quest for the Crest which attracts elite billfishing teams from all over the globe to South Florida. A $2 million purse in the midst of peak sailfishing season provides for a highly competitive layout, and teams go all-in to become deemed the #1 sailfishing team in the world.

February 19-23, the Sailfish Challenge will be hosted from three checkpoints- Government Cut in Miami, Hillsborough Inlet in Pompano Beach, and Palm Beach Inlet in Palm Beach.

The tournament also boasts a unique ‘Coin Challenge’ competition that randomly assigns teams in groups by color to see who can release the most sailfish in the tournament!

This year, the kickoff party will be at IGFA

Winter is finally here in South Florida (well, kind of), and each cold snap is bringing us closer and closer to the sailfish bite heating up. This is when a special species migrates to South Florida - sportfishing teams in the pursuit of billfish, the tournaments, and the large amount of cash that can be won (and spent) along with it. Whether you're a kite fishing team on a pampered SeaVee or playing bait-and-switch from a custom sportfish, here is the 2019-2020 line-up of sailfish tournaments in South Florida.

Dust ‘Em Off Sailfish Warm-Up

Date: November 6th – 10th, 2019

Location: Palm Beach, FL

Website: https://www.dustemoffsailfish.com/

Pirate’s Cove Sailfish Classic

Date: December 5th – 8th, 2019

Location: Pirate’s

Pictured: Waterfront Yacht Sales Professional, Capt. Michael O'Connor

The bite was scarce last weekend, but it seems to have been picking up this week due to the full moon. A few wahoo are starting to show up from the full moon and mild cold front, especially closer to the Bahamas. Around here, 150-400’ is where wahoo have hooked up along with blackfin tuna. Troll with small feathers at during lowlight for tuna, and use the small ones to catch wahoo. Another option is to pick up a local favorite Junkanoo Lure and high speed troll in a zig-zag pattern. Sailfish are also coming out of the woodwork, and kite fishing with hearty live baits like goggle-eyes or blue runners is your best bet.

Kingfish and large mutton snapper have been eating sardines