Small fish, big chop, ‘huge success' at Sandestin (with TOURNAMENT RESULTS)

The fish weren’t huge, but they still brought in the big bucks.

Out of a field of about 20 boats entered in the Sandestin Celebration Fishing Tournament this past weekend at Baytowne Marina at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, top angler was Gordon H. Gill on the Never Better with Capt. Clay Dubbisson.

He released two swordfish, one white marlin, one sailfish, and weighed in a 79.6-pound swordfish and a 19.6-pound blackfin tuna. The Never Better group also won for Top Crew with the boat taking home $18,032.15 in cash awards.

To see a summary of winners by team, click here.

To see the summary of winners by award, click here

Overall, “It was a huge success,” said tournament director Shawna Meisner. The event drew some “good crowds” off and on as the weather permitted. But for the most part, Meisner said captains and anglers are “really glad we had it.”

However, the weather was a bit rough.

“It was miserable … rough, windy and not much fun at all,” said Capt. Harold Staples of the Wynsong.

“We caught a few fish,” he said. They pulled in four wahoo and three tuna.

“The bite was slow to say the least,” Staples said. “Saturday it didn’t stop raining at all, but we made it. We survived.”

The Wynsong did get in the prize money with a couple of tuna and a wahoo for a total of $21,600 in cash awards.

Local angler John Dalton was aboard the Two Buy Four with Capt. John Pugh and Capt. Harold Destin. They pulled in the second place wahoo, 44 pounds, and first place king mackerel, 15.7 pounds for a total of $2,957.15 for the boat.

“It was rough,” Dalton said. “It was raining about a 100 percent of the time.”

He said they were fishing at night for spearfish and he saw the moon and one star “that was it.

“It was an experience,” Dalton said. “It was squally and rainy the whole time.”

They were fishing about 60-miles offshore and at times the waves were “a good six-feet,” he said.

As for the fishing, “Fishing was slow,” he said, noting they were pulling lures for big fish.

Dalton said they got the wahoo on Friday and then the king mackerel on Saturday.

The biggest fish of the tournament was a 121.4-pound swordfish hauled in by Ford Torrey on the Legal Dose II with Capt. Andy Lindsey.

Legal Dose II also had the first place grouper, 18.7-pounds, caught by Van Phillips. Legal Dose II took home a total of $8,421.44.

The boat that brought in the most bucks for the tournament was the You Never Know captained by Joey Birbeck of Miramar Beach. They collected a total of $48,381.41 with a third place wahoo, 68.4 pounds; first place dolphin, 26.7 pounds; second place blackfin tuna, 19 pounds; third place blackfin tuna, 18.5 pounds; and third place for release of one swordfish and one white marlin.

The largest wahoo of the tournament was brought in by renowned-chef Emeril Lagasse who was fishing aboard the Ole Miss with Capt. Brad Benton. His catch weighed 60.3-pounds and was worth $1,285.72.

The Ole Miss also had the first and third place amberjack. A 49.8-pounder and 39.8-pounder, both caught by Chris Wilson.

Blake Roberts on the Mollie with Capt. Jeff Shoults of Destin brought in the second place amberjack, 42.7 pounds.