Anglers ‘Pole’ in a Win at Mad Dog Classic

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys — The team on board Fishin’ Pole took top honors during the Mad Dog Mandich Fishing Classic that wrapped up Oct. 8 in Islamorada.

Anglers Dominick Zannelli of Dania Beach, Fla., Larry Deddy of Coral Gables, Fla., and Islamorada residents Brian McCadie and Chad Wangen captured the $5,000 cash-and-trophy first-place boat prize. The Fishin’ Pole team brought in grouper, kingfish and snapper with a combined weight of 123 pounds.

Target species in the tournament were dolphin, kingfish, tuna, wahoo, snapper and grouper.

Hank Cusaro, aboard My-Sea-Cin, was named the tournament’s top individual angler with a winning 61.4-pound combined total of kingfish, dolphin and snapper. Cusaro is from Palm City, Fla.

Also aboard the My-Sea-Cin, Cynthia Orton of Coral Springs, Fla., caught the tournament’s top kingfish at 26.6 pounds. A 19.9-pound fish landed the top dolphin title for Rick Freeberg, CEO of the Florida Keys’ Mariner’s Hospital, who fished aboard Sea-Free.

Weekend Warrior titles for catching the top snapper and grouper were dominated by Fishin’ Pole’s Zannelli, who won both titles with his 10.3-pound snapper and 32-pound grouper.

A field of 92 anglers on 22 boats participated in the Mad Dog Mandich Fishing Classic, a fun-fish catch tournament.

According to tournament organizers, $8,000 was donated to Mariner’s.

The tournament is named after Jim "Mad Dog" Mandich, a former tight end for the University of Michigan in 1969 and the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1977. Following his NFL career, Mandich was involved in a number of business ventures and was the color commentator on Miami Dolphins radio broadcasts. He died in April 2011 following a battle with bile-duct cancer.

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