Key West Kingfish Mayhem Tournament to Challenge Teams Jan. 13-16

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Big kingfish congregate in the waters around Key West each winter and angling teams can vie to catch the largest during the 2022 Key West Kingfish Mayhem tournament.

Slated for Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 13-16, the tournament features two divisions whose participants fish on separate days.

While the pro division is open only to registrants in the elite five-leg Kingfish Mayhem Pro Series, the open division welcomes all interested teams and offers significant cash prizes.

According to the tournament website, the open division team that weighs in the heaviest kingfish, also known as king mackerel, is to take home a $10,000 first prize. The second- and third-place finishers receive $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, and cash prizes are to be presented through fifth place. 

Prize structure and award amounts are based on having a field of 40 registered boats.

Teams also can buy into optional entry categories to be eligible for additional cash awards.

The tournament schedule, located at meatmayhemtournaments.com/event/key-west-kingfish-mayhem-2022/, features a kickoff Thursday, Jan. 13, with a 4 p.m. final registration for both the pro series and open division at Oceans Edge Resort & Marina, 5950 Peninsular Ave. on Stock Island. A captains meeting follows at 7:30 p.m., with a virtual component for teams that prefer to join the meeting remotely.

Fishing is scheduled all day Friday, Jan. 14, for pro series teams and all day Saturday, Jan. 15, for those in the open tournament. Rules for both divisions mandate that each boat team can weigh one kingfish for points.

Awards are to be presented at noon Sunday at Oceans Edge Resort & Marina.

The entry fee for the open division is $500 per team. Any number of anglers can make up a team.

Event information and registration: meatmayhemtournaments.com/event/key-west-kingfish-mayhem-2022/