Team Miller Tyme Wins Stock Island Marina Village King Mackerel Tournament
KEY WEST, Florida Keys – A 40.37-pound kingfish catch earned Miller Tyme top honors at the 20th annual Stock Island Marina Village King Mackerel Tournament that ended Jan. 24.
Mark Blackwell of Fort Pierce, Florida, caught the winning fish Sunday the only fishing day of the planned two-day challenge after high winds forced organizers to cancel Saturday’s on-the-water action.
Other Miller Tyme team members were Captain Doug Miller, Brian Black and Joey Casson, all residents of Fort Pierce.
Miller said the team was 65 miles west of Key West in about 100 feet of water when Blackwell hooked the fish.
According to Blackwell, it was the team’s only kingfish bite of the day.
“It was getting down to the wire to make it back when we caught the fish,” he said. “It wasnt a big sea, but it was so mixed up it was hard to run in it.”
The Under Armour Fishing Team out of St. Petersburg, Florida, led by Captain Arik Bergerman, took second place with a 39.81-pound catch. Anglers included Randy Keys and Danny Hamilton of St. Petersburg and Seth Funt and Jordan Funt of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Keys, who caught the second-place kingfish, was named the tournament’s top senior angler.
Third-place honors went to the Lost Boys team, skippered by Rich Cook of West Palm Beach, with a 33.52-pound catch. The team consisted of West Palm Beach angler John Heiser IV and Andrew Pepsny of Lake Worth, Florida.
The tournament also featured a division for anglers fishing in boats 23 feet or shorter. Its winner was the team aboard Bada Bing, led by Captain Sammy Papia of Orlando.
The tournament, a sanctioned event of the Southern Kingfish Association, attracted 51 boats.
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