Fish From Key Largo in Jimmy Johnson Billfish Championship for Nearly $2 Million Dollar Purse

KEY LARGO, Florida Keys — Some of sportfishing’s most-proficient billfish anglers along with notable National Football League players and celebrities are expected to join two-time Super Bowl–winning coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Johnson during his namesake event on the South Florida mainland and in Key Largo, March 3-7.

Organizers of the Jimmy Johnson Fishing Championship Week are offering both the largest guaranteed purse winnings in sport-fishing history and the largest purse in Florida tournament history, worth nearly $2 million, according to organizers.

The two-day “Quest for the Ring” National Billfish Championship is set for Thursday and Friday, March 5-6. Boat teams competing for the guaranteed overall purse can fish in and around fishing boundaries that extend from Alligator Lighthouse off Islamorada to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The event’s three-location format allows anglers to fish out of Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Miami Beach Marina and Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale. Post-fishing dock parties are to be held at each host marina.

The Billfish Championship’s first-place team is to receive a cash prize and all anglers on the winning boat receive authentic, custom-designed Jimmy Johnson NBC Championship rings. Second- through eighth-place teams also are awarded cash prizes, among several other angler categories.

Johnson's friends, celebrity athletes and entertainers are set for a fun-filled day of competitive fishing in support of their favorite charities for a Saturday Celebrity Pro Am, an invitation-only event separate from the NBC.

For complete tournament information, registration and events, visit jjfishweek.com.