- Capt. Rob Harris

It's no secret that Key West and the Lower Keys are an angling paradise. One only needs to look at the IGFA Record book to see the variety of species that call the Florida Keys home. As you look through the IGFA records, you'll also see a long list of Legendary Guides and Anglers who saw the opportunities that awaited the best of the best.

Names such as Captain Ralph Delph, who still lives and fishes the waters off Key West (Ralph holds more than 200 IGFA Records), Capt Stu Apte who started his guiding career in Little Torch Key, Curt Gowdy (who through his association with legendary angler and pretty good ball player Ted Williams) began fishing in the Lower Keys back when Ted was still teaching his "Bush" league guide to pole a boat. Ted's guide was Capt Stu Apte. Some other notable anglers, who you may have heard of, got their humble beginnings plying the waters off Key West and the Lower Keys, both Capt Jose Wejebe (aka "Spanish Fly") and Capt Tom Roland ("Saltwater Experience") learned their trade there. There are also the many famous events held in the Keys, including; Madfin Shark Tournament, World Sailfish Championship, The Redbone Tournament Series, Drambuie Marlin Tournament, SKA Kingfish Kickoff Event and the Key West and Lower Keys fishing Tournament just to name a few. YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF THE KEY WEST AND LOWER KEYS FISHING TOURNAMENT? Founded in 1965, the Key West Fishing Tournament is in its 46th year helping to promote sport fishing, conservation and tourism in the Key West area. Each year, anglers receive "Outstanding Angling Achievement" citations to commemorate their catch or a "Sportsmanship Award" citation for released catches. Anglers may target 44 different species from bonefish to blue marlin in nine different line classes ranging from 8 lb. to over 50 lb. as well as fly, spin and plug tackle. In an effort to promote conservation and the release of fish, the KWFT has established minimum weights in each line class to discourage the killing of smaller fish. There are also minimum lengths for some species for release citations. To promote conservation, beginning in April of 1997, the tournament no longer recognized sailfish, marlin, spearfish or tarpon killed for entry in the KWFT.

Each year, the tournament begins in March with a "Kick-Off Tournament" providing trophies, cash prizes and fishing packages including hotel accommodations and fishing on charter boats, to winning anglers. The kickoff is a two-day event based on the heaviest fish for 10 species and the most releases for 5 species. The tournament has become popular with both charter boats and local anglers. In order for their anglers to participate in the eight-month long event, charter captains are required to register their boats, however private boats and anglers do not have to register to participate in the KWFT. As of October 1st, the tournament has already documented 15 potential KWFT Record Breaking catches!

All Anglers are encouraged to fish the KWFT and it has a Division for everyone; Men, Women, Junior, Pee Wee and a Release Division. The tournament is geared towards Recreational anglers, which means that you aren't competing against Professional Guides and Captains. There's no cost involved in entering your catch, except during the Kickoff Tournament, and you can win great prizes and trophies at the annual awards dinner held in January! CAN YOU "MASTER" THE TOURNAMENT? Each year we recognize the "Master Anglers" in each division both "In-County" and "Out-of-County". This helps to level the playing field between anglers who live in the area full time and those who visit occasionally. Some hard-core traveling anglers have managed to accrue enough points toward the "Master Angler" award in just a few days of fishing. Joie Love and Michael Wolff, both from Pennsylvania have won back-to-back Master Angler Awards in the Women's and Men's Out-of-County Divisions. They have come to Key West and fished with Capt David Esquinaldo on his charter boat Quick Relief for 5 days and had banner catches! Last year (2010) alone, they combined for 5 Heaviest Records, 3 Division Records, 2 Heaviest Winners, 11 Division Winners and 104 releases! THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME LEFT! Considering that it's only October and the tournament runs until the end of November, it's obvious that there is still plenty of time to get it done. The fall certainly has some great fishing action on the horizon. There are Tuna and Dolphin in the Gulfstream, big Yellowtail and Mangrove Snapper on the edge of the reef, Swordfish in the deep water, Grouper, Muttons, Amberjacks, etc… And that's just during the month of October! November heats up even more!

To make the point of plenty of time left, anyone reading this article that submits an entry into the KWFT, write "Onshore/Offshore" on your entry for a bonus prize. In addition to being a Captain here in the Lower Keys and a writer for Onshore/Offshore, I'm also the Director of the Key West and Lower Keys Fishing Tournament and I'll make sure that your entry gets due attention. Till next month, Catch'em Up!

For more information you can look us up on the web, www.keywestfishingtournament. com or even on Facebook! Our E-Mail address is KWFT@comcast.net . Even though we're 46 years old, we're up-tospeed on staying connected!