-Clayton Syfrett hadn’t been able to deepwater fish off the northern Gulf of Mexico coast for more than two months.
Federal fishery closures due to the Transocean/BP oil spill had prevented that.
So the Panama City, Fla., attorney decided to pilot his Contingent Sea boat 450 miles to the Florida Keys to compete for the first time in the three-day Drambuie Key West Marlin Tournament that ended July 24.
The move paid big dividends — one of Syfrettt’s anglers scored a blue marlin release Saturday to win the $25,000 top cash prize.
“They closed my fishing down,” said Syfrett. “Normally, I’d be fishing around the oil rigs for yellowfin tuna.”
Syfrett’s angler, Timothy Trase Travers of Titusville, Fla., caught the blue marlin that won the tournament.
The fish, estimated to weigh 400 pounds, bit a blue, pink and silver Mold Craft artificial lure fished on 80-pound-class tackle.
“She screamed for a good five minutes and emptied half the spool,” said Travers. “I got her back in and she put up a beautiful aerial show at the boat.”
The Contingent Sea team also included Dan Melton of Lighthouse Point, Fla.; Brett Berry of Spartanburg, S.C., and mate Tony Proctor of Key West.
St. Petersburg, Fla., angler Steve Doss released a sailfish Friday and caught a 38-pound wahoo Saturday that put his Whiskey Tango team in second place.
Brian Wenrick of Toledo, Ohio, released a sailfish Thursday on the Dream Catcher with Captain John Worton of Jensen Beach, Fla., to take third place.
The angling contest, which coincided with Key West’s annual Hemingway Days festival, attracted 35 boats and about 176 anglers, according to tournament chairman Tim Greene, who added that 2011 dates are July 20-23.By: Andy Newman – Stuart Newman As
