Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28continued on page 14 'Miss Annie' Wins 77th Sailfish Derby WINTER/SPRING 2014 VOL 79, NO. 1 In This Issue... THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WEST PALM BEACH FISHING CLUB E xtreme weather conditions test- ed the 39 boat fleet fishing in the West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s 77th annual Silver Sailfish Derby held January 9th through the 11th. The tournament fleet, headquartered out of the Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, registered a total of 220 sailfish releases during three days of fishing. By com- parison, the fishing was far off the mark from any of the record setting events the fleet has enjoyed in recent years. However, the 2.0 sailfish per boat day average was an improvement over last year’s event and higher than the Derby’s historical average of 1.4 sails per boat day. “Considering the rough sea condi- tions, I’d say the catch rate was pretty good,” commented WPBFC Chairman and Derby radioman Pete Schulz. December was one of the warmest months on record resulting in lackluster sailfishing prior to this year’s Derby. However, a few days before the start of the event there was hope that a passing cold front, influenced by a Polar Vortex that had much of the country in a deep freeze, would provide the spark needed to turn on the sailfish bite. Unfortunately, the cold front was short lived and the fish never showed off Palm Beach. “The best bite during this year's Derby was from Stuart Inlet to the St. Lucie Power Plant, our northern boundary line. But the bulk of the sailfish were still north of that area. We just haven’t had any significant cold fronts this season to push big numbers of fish out of their comfort zone 2014 Derby champs, team 'Miss Annie' and further south,” said Schulz. On the Derby’s first day the fleet was greeted with what many seasoned cap- tains call ‘Victory at Sea’ conditions. A falling tide bucking a northeast swell made for extremely rough seas outside Palm Beach Inlet. Because the Derby allows boats of all sizes to participate, the tournament is a ‘captain’s choice’ event regarding the decision to fish or not fish any given day. Six boats decided to stay off the water. Two oth- ers only fished a half-day. A strong northeast to easterly wind whipped the waves up to eight feet the entire day, with some occasionally topping ten feet or more. The confused sea challenged even the biggest of boats, some over 70 feet. At the conclusion of the first day it was Lantana based ‘ProPayroll’, cap- tained by Jamie Ralph, who earned top daily boat honors with 6 sailfish releases. Teams ‘Reel Control’ and ‘Wrenegade’ finished the day with five releases each rounding out the top three positions on the leader board. ‘ProPayroll’ angler John Duval claimed the top daily angler award with 4 released sails. Andrew Stewart of Palm Beach caught the heavy weight fish on the first day. His 33.5 lb. dolphin caught aboard the ‘Anita L’ remained the heaviest fish recorded during the three-day contest and earned the Grand Cham- pion Weight Fish Trophy. “Since it was the very first fish weighed in during the tournament we were on edge for three days hoping the fish would hold up. I’m thrilled Gozdz's Springtime Snook Tips • Keep your live bait in good shape. George’s boat is rigged with oxygenated live wells. Pumping in fresh O2 helps super charge his bait and keeps them extra frisky. This advanced set up has become quite popular with tournament pros on the sailfish circuit. He says you don’t necessarily have to go to this extreme on your own boat, but be sure that you don’t overload your well and keep plenty Capt. George Gozdz of Jensen Beach has been to the Fishing Club on several occasions sharing valuable snook fishing tips. On his last visit he discussed springtime tactics for snook and tarpon in and around his backyard waters of the Indian River Lagoon. If you missed the meeting here are a few of the tips he shared… • Upcoming Club Events • Annual Award Winners • New Club Records • Member News & More! continued on page 16