b"'Miss Texas' Rallies to Derby VictoryFishing the Silver Sailfish Derby isWhat makes the captain decide to fish more than presenting lively baits in the sail- north or south? Pre-fishing and communi-fish sector of the Gulfstream; its carrying oncating with other boats helps gather intel on a tradition that many anglers have cherishedwhere the bite may be Day 1, but when the for decades. Theres a nostalgic excitementseas change and the wind switches around in the air thats unique to the Derby. As theafter the first day of fishing, perhaps just the throttle comes down to punch out Palmflip of coin could decide if they make a right Beach Inlet and spend a day offshore, par- or left turn headed offshore. Some things are ticipants know theres much more on the linebetter left up to chance. than just wintertime sails. Some of the finestOn Day 2, Capt. Matt Bierley and the Miss captains, anglers and crews took to the waterTexas, a 40 Gamefisherman, bested the fleet in early January to fish the 84th running ofwith 8 releases to claim Top Daily Boat; the the Worlds Oldest Sailfish Tournament.crews tournament accolades would not stop Crisp weather and calm seas greeted the 47there. They continuously picked away at a pod boat fleet Day 1. The first fish released in theof sails while kite fishing south out of Palm West Palm Beach Fishing Clubs (WPBFC)Beach Inlet. The commotion of each leader 2021 Silver Sailfish Derby came 14 min- grab was followed by a vigorous applause utes into the four-line event, after the 8am2021 Derby champions on theas the crew would commend each other for lines-in sounded over the VHF radio. IanMiss Texas toast their win. the successful release. There were times when Goldstein on the ShellYeah, a 37 SeaVee,theyd hook a fish right alongside another was on the rod for that first sailfish release.boat who was also soaking baits to the best A total of 196 Atlantic sailfish were released overof their ability. It must have just been the Miss the duration of the two-day tournament and 25Texas day as one fish led to another, and the sails were tagged.crew (Capt. Matt Bierley, Gregg Hemingway, Capt. Ryan McBride and the Gator One teamYork Pottratz, Chris Hodge, Paul Murray, released 8 sails to take Top Boat honors Day 1.Chris Gilbane, Freddy David, Joey Salvo and Capt. Mark Lamb and the 39 Contender, DoingTom Land) claimed their spot in the sailfishing It All/Hardway, posted 7 releases to fill in 2ndhistory books as the winners of the 84th annual place daily with 4 of those coming from the TopSilver Sailfish Derby. Adding to their 4 releases Daily Angler, Daryl Deka of Wellington, FL.from Day 1, the Miss Texas totaled 12 releases Capt. Andrew Dotterweich and the Fish Onatop their competitive colleagues. took 3rd place on the day also with 7 releases onOne aspect of tournament fishing is confirm-the 48 Viking, beat out only on time of release.ing releases via video. This entails clearly identi-The south wind was almost nonexistent thatfying that its a sailfish on camera and showing a morning but gusted around 10 knots in thesuccessful release by touching the leader. When afternoon before lines out at 4pm.the bite is on and crews are scrambling in the The 2nd and final day of the Derby wouldcockpit to make it all come together, sometimes produce 32 less fish than the previous day,essential elementsof capturing the release as the fleet recorded 82 sails. A howling west2nd Overall,on video are missed. This is an unfortunate wind switched things up, and the top crewsTeambyproduct of modern-day tournament sail-from Day 1 didnt exactly find the same bitePriceless fishing. Last year the Derby Committee had on yesterdays numbers. The Doing It All/ to disqualify a fish that was a make or break. Hardway crew started the final day with highThe Priceless, a 48 Viking, was tied with hopes and even higher expectations, success- Miss Texas at the end of the tournament but fully hooking and releasing a double. But theirhad the edge with an earlier time of release lead was short lived, as they wouldnt catchfor their final sail. The committee had to another sail after that, and finished 3rd OverallDQ one release from the Priceless on a fish with 9 releases. Team Gator One would suf- that was never seen on video and couldnt be fer a similar fate and release just one sailfishidentified as a sailfish. This resulted in a Miss on Day 2. As the old saying goes, You dontTexas win. The integrity of the Derby comes leave fish to find fish. Returning to the scenedown to upholding rules as theyre stated to where Day 1s hot bite occurred resulted in aensure all crews are complying to the same 4th Place Overall finish for Gator One with 9criteria.Video review is intended to confirm total releases aboard their 39 Yellowfin. fish, not disqualify them.It can all happen so J anuary5 - 8, 2022 5"