Trophy Hunter Wins Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament; Killbox Takes the Florida Keys Gold Cup

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys — Captain Brian Cone of Tavernier, Florida, led his team aboard Trophy Hunter to the win at the 35th annual Cheeca Lodge and Spa Presidential Sailfish Tournament that ended Jan. 19 in Islamorada.

Trophy Hunter anglers Mark and Brandon Mitchell and Kenneth Padgett, all from Charlotte, North Carolina, with Travis Bennett and Andy Cone from Tavernier, landed in the Presidential winners’ circle for their eight sailfish releases.

Captain Marty Lewis of Marathon, Florida, guided his Main One/Main Attraction team of anglers to second place with seven releases. The team included Mark Busch from West Lake, Ohio; Robbie Hiro of Downingtown, Pennsylvania; Danny Lombardo from Islamorada; Alex Lewis and Ben Zdan of Marathon; and Mike Cangemi from Jupiter, Florida.

Cangemi also took home the top male anger award, releasing three sailfish before anyone else. The team’s Alex Lewis received the top junior angler award.

Third place went to team LFISH with six releases. Led by Marathon’s Captain Mike Taute, the team’s anglers were Lance and Leo Doire, Blake Alexander, James Hardin and Todd Picariello — all from Marathon — and Josh Riddle of Chesapeake, Virginia. Taute tagged four of the six sailfish caught by the team to win the Most Tagged division.

The top lady angler award went to Robin Hall of Orange Beach, Alabama, fishing aboard DirtyBoat 2.0 skippered by Islamorada’s Captain Kit Mobley.

The Cheeca Lodge and Spa Presidential Sailfish Tournament hosted 61 anglers, who caught and released 44 sailfish over the two-day event.

The Presidential was the final of three tournaments in the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship Series. Killbox claimed the grand champion award for the series and the winning captain, Cody Darby of Marathon, received the first-ever custom sailfish jacket.

Killbox scored nine sailfish releases in the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, nine in the Islamorada Fishing Club’s Captain’s Cup Sailfish Tournament and four in the Cheeca Lodge challenge for a total of 21 releases.

In addition to receiving Gold Cup trophies and a check for $13,000, the team will have its name engraved on a perpetual trophy displayed at the Tackle Center of Islamorada.

Killbox angler Clint “Digger” Rodamer from Marathon won the coveted championship ring with a total of eight releases during the series.

Second place in the Gold Cup series went to Trophy Hunter with six releases in the first tournament, five in the second and eight in the third, for a total of 19 sailfish releases.

Skipjac Fishing Team took third in the series with a total of 18 releases — eight each in the first two tournaments and two in the final event.

Money raised from the Gold Cup series benefits the Islamorada Charter Boat Association.