2011 Sailfish Open Pays Out Quarter Million Dollars to Anglers

[Fishing Report]

2011 Sailfish Open Pays Out Quarter Million Dollars to Anglers
Clearwater, FL. (February 14, 2011) – The third annual Sailfish Open tournament and the second leg of the 2010-2011 Sailfish Pro Series concluded Saturday afternoon with a surprising result at the beautiful Hawks Cay Resort and Marina in Duck Key, FL. Twenty-six teams released 143 sailfish over two action packed days of fishing resulting in a payout of over a quarter million dollars.
In his first time fishing a sailfish tournament, team owner Mason “Trey” Brown III of The Edge battled for 1st place on Friday with 8 releases. Captain Scott Leon lead the crew to secure the win on Saturday with another 8 sailfish totaling 16 releases overall and taking home $125,240 in total winnings.
Team Viva La Vida, owned by John Cole and captained by Nick Ewal, finished in second place overall Saturday with nine releases netting $31,720 in winnings. Team Keys DizEaze captained by William Wagner, pushed their way up the standings on Saturday also releasing nine sailfish. They took home third place and $10,000 in total winnings. Other teams finishing in the money include teams Que Mas with 8 releases, Sandman with 8 releases, Reely Tight with 7 releases and De Bait Able with 7 releases. Their combined winnings paid another $75,240.
The Sailfish Open is the second leg of the prestigious Sailfish Pro Series, a season long point race including a playoff format to determine the world’s best sailfishing team. Top honors and points for the Sailfish Open leg go to Team Viva La Vida, one of eighteen teams in the Sailfish Pro Series which also includes Keys DizEaze.
In addition to a weekend of fishing at its finest, participants enjoyed VIP parties offering gourmet cuisine, top shelf hosted bars, live entertainment and a custom-made Iona Crystal trophy for the first place winner. Sponsors filled top of the line gift bags with the bags provided by Under Armour, hoodies provided by Champion, and t-shirts, hats, visors, ear bands and bags provided by Screenprint plus.