The Florida Swordfish Series sponsored by Southstar Development Partners kicked off in...

For Immediate Release

The Florida Swordfish Series sponsored by Southstar Development Partners kicked off in Islamorada Florida. Boats were competing for valuable points towards the overall series championship and the coveted C.R. “Randy Buck” bronze sculpture.

Southstar Development Partners will be awarding a check for $10,000.00 to the overall series champion. They will also be awarding a $5,000.00 check to the boat catching the largest fish in the series.

The Islamorada Swordfish Tournament was held August 15-17 in beautiful Islamorada, Florida. The tournament kicked off with a very nice Captain/Angler’s Meeting at the historic Islamorada Fishing Club. Everyone enjoyed a tremendous buffet while Capt. Dan Kipnis went over the rules. With the formalities finished, everyone was exciting to go fishing. Jenny; tournament coordinator, checked out the boats and sent them on their way with dinner from Dion’s Fried Chicken and plenty of Miller Chill Beer and Fiji Water. The Red Bull girls were on hand to make sure everyone was fully charged for the long night ahead.
The boats left Holiday Isle Marina under full moon skies and calm seas. Lines in at 8:00 PM. The first fish was released at 9:16 PM aboard the “Boat Center” for angler Shawn Truesdale. The rest of the night was a slow pick. The bright spot was at 10:05 PM, the “Shock and Awe” calling in a swordfish in the boat. By 3:00 AM lines out, a respectable eight fish had been caught, seven releases and one boated swordfish. At the weigh scale angler Scott Salley was all smiles as his swordfish tipped the scale at 169 lbs.

The second night of fishing was not as picturesque. Winds were blowing 15 knots and gusting to 18 knots. The crews new it was going to be a little rough getting out. Everyone was keeping an eye out for the developing tropical storm Faye. Fishing was uncharacteristically slow for Islamorada. The “Jichi” with Capt. Ricky Linder was in the right spot tallying three releases. The Kiss Country Fishing team had the only other release. Tropical Storm Faye decided to become a nuisance, causing a mandatory evacuation of all non-residents from the Florida Keys. The awards banquet had to be cancelled as all the crews packed up and left the keys.

In spite of the slow fishing and the weather everyone had a great time and is looking forward to the Miami Swordfish Tournament. The Miami Swordfish tournament is the last leg of the prestigious Florida Swordfish Series sponsored by Southstar Development Partners. The Miami Swordfish tournament is September 11-14 out of Miami Beach Marina. For more information call Rick Peeples (305)-282-1006.