Alabama Man Named Master Angler in Key West Fishing Tournament

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Ted Dasher may live in Birmingham, Ala., but he spent significant time fishing Florida Keys waters in 2011. For achievements including releasing eight sailfish, Dasher was named the 2011 Key West Fishing Tournament men’s division out-of-county master angler at the tournament’s Jan. 28 awards ceremony.

Fishing with Captain Chip Veach on the Super Grouper and Captain Brian Bennett on the Short Hop, Dasher also earned awards for catching the division’s heaviest black grouper at 19.89 pounds, heaviest mutton snapper at 20 pounds and a division-leading 31-pound blackfin tuna on 30-pound test line.

Veach earned top overall guide honors in the tournament’s general division, as well as recognition for guiding his anglers to the most releases at 164 and most winning fish at 18.

Dasher’s daughter Laurie Dasher of Los Gatos, Cal., was named the women’s division out-of-county master angler. She scored her division’s heaviest amberjack at 46.12 pounds, red snapper at 14 pounds and kingfish at 31.8 pounds, as well as an 8.44-pound mangrove snapper that set a divisional weight record. Laurie Dasher fished on Veach’s Super Grouper, Bennett’s Short Hop and Captain Tyson Veach’s Super Grouper III.

The men’s in-county master angler was Bob Harvey of Key West. Among other accomplishments, he racked up the most releases with 110, including 41 barracuda and 53 dolphin.

Mark Hyatt of Sugarloaf Key, Fla., took top honors in the unlimited division and caught an amberjack that tipped the scales at 82.5 pounds.

Longtime tournament participant Skyler Robinson of Ocean Beach, N.Y., was named junior out-of-county master angler and took top honors in the plug division. The 13-year-old’s achievements included catching his division’s heaviest bonefish at 4.8 pounds, mangrove snapper at 4 pounds, permit at 10 pounds and sea trout at 4.4 pounds.

Elissa Giacobbi of Key West was named women’s division in-county master angler, with catches including division-leading black grouper, cobia, ladyfish and mutton snapper. Her 9-year-old son, Preston Giacobbi of Key West, earned the title of peewee in-county master angler. Among his catches were a 35.5-pound cobia, 42.5-pound shark and a kingfish that weighed more than 37 pounds.

Peewee out-of-county master angler was Matthew Poldy of Oakhill, Va., a tournament veteran despite being only 9 years old. In addition, he scored the most releases in his division with 77.

The 2011 Key West Fishing Tournament drew 1,249 entries from 639 anglers.

The 2012 tournament begins with a kick-off challenge March 16-18 and continues through November 30, with anglers competing to catch more than 40 species of fish.