Great Swordfish Trip on Last Mango

October 22, Last Mango anglers hooked seven, landed four, and released one. Not a bad night of fishing. If you are looking for a charter, check out our Charter Boat members. They know where the fish are, and how to catch them. Click on Charters on our Home Page, call them up, and schedule a trip.

(Contributed by Tris Colket, www.lastmango-charters.com)

Stuart Sailfish Club Reestablishes Old Club Tradition

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1st Pin-Property of Curt Whiticar-Circa 1949

2nd Pin-Property of Max & Sally Glassburn-Circa 1980

3rd Pin-Property of MJ Grell - 2007

(Click on each to enlarge.)


Dating back to the 1940’s, the Stuart Sailfish Club has taken a leadership role in marine conservation. As early as 1941, the Club and its early members encouraged the release of sailfish. In fact, Curt Whiticar, when he wasn’t building boats or fishing, designed the first gold sailfish release pin to be awarded to those who released their catches. (From our website Home Page, see “About SSC”, then “Our History”, then “History of Release Buttons”.)

As recently as the 1980’s, the Club issued pins, although it’s unclear whether the tradition was continuous or whether it stopped and started up again. At some point, the awards were discontinued, because the cost of gold and the pins became too great for the Club to sustain.

Now, thanks to the interest and generosity of one of our current members who offered to underwrite the cost, the tradition has begun again. Club records were researched going back five years (as far as our records go on this issue), and at our Annual Awards Dinner on November 10, Andy Kubiak and Neil Subin awarded thirteen Club Members solid gold pendants recognizing at least 25 releases. They are:
Mary Jo Grell ...............Ian Wichers
Sky Wichers ................Rudy Polselli
Joe Lehner ..................Marshall Busha
Tommy Holder .............Vance Strausburg
Mark MacDonald .........Fritz Grell
Michael O’Neill ............Donnie Holder
Lorraine Francis

Guidelines for earning a Release Pendant are:
1. The Club will award a Pendant to any Member who achieves a total of 25 billfish releases during his/her tenure as a Member. Only those releases recorded with the Club as part of its annual release tournament are eligible, and all rules of that tournament apply. (Rules may change from time to time.)

2. Those Members who achieve release totals exceeding 25 are eligible to have a small diamond added to the pendant, each diamond representing the next increment of 25 billfish releases.

3. The Club will recognize and award these with a certificate which makes them eligible for the next level.

4. Pendants and diamond certificates will be awarded two times per year to those reaching increments of 25 releases during that period of time.

5. The Pendants will be provided by the Club, while any additional diamonds are paid for by the member angler.

2007 Members Tournament & Awards Dinner

125 members attended the 2007 SSC Annual Awards Dinner at Miles Grant Country Club. Members elected and installed new officers and board members, and Andy Kubiak, Tom Wichers, and Neil Subin presented Club awards for the tournament and annual awards. All enjoyed a great meal served by the gracious staff at Miles Grant.

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Fishing for the tournament, which had been delayed one week due to weather, was brutal with lots of heavy seas and few fish. But, for a few of the rugged anglers on 16 boats, there were some awards. Tournament winners were:

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Game Fish Category

1st Place Boat..................Papi Chulo

2nd Place Boat................Double Header

Bill Fish Category

1st Place Boat.................War Chant

2nd Place Boat...............Old Salt

3rd Place Boat................Dirty Laundry

Top Boat........................War Chant

Outstanding Angler.......Warren Landi

Outstanding Jr. Angler..Cody Gale

2007 Annual Club Awards - Billfish Releases

Ed Sellian Award (Sailfish caught on dead bait)....Ian Wichers, 33 Releases

Outstanding Adult Angler.......................Mark MacDonald, 31 Releases

Outstanding Junior Angler.....................Ian Wichers, 36 Releases

Member Charter Boat

1st Place...............Bone Shaker (Capt. Scott Fawcett), 60 Releases

2n Place................Finest Kind (Capt. Jake Farley), 59 Releases

Member Private Boat

1st Place.....Outlaw (Owner, Neil & Carla Subin), 69 Releases

2nd Place....Hotty Toddy (Owner, Mark & Virginia MacDonald), 62 Releases

3rd Place....Patience (Owner, Kurt Francis), 33 Releases

Adult Angler

1st Place..............Mark MacDonald, 31 Releases

2nd Place.............Michael O'Neill, 16 Releases

3rd Place..............Steve Butcher, 15 Releases

Lady Angler

1st Place..............Mary Jo Grell, 5 Releases

2nd Place.............Lorraine Francis, 3 Releases

3rd Place..............Jesse Rehe, 2 Releases

Junior Angler

1st Place...............Ian Wichers, 36 Releases

2nd Place..............Sky Wichers, 18 Releases

3rd Place...............Marshall Busha, 12 Releases

2007 Annual Club Awards - Top Catches

Adult Division

Tuna.......................Mark MacDonald, 28 lbs.

Kingfish.................Brad McClatchie, 20.5 lbs.

Dolphin..................Brad McClatchie, 41 lbs.

Wahoo..................Vance Strausburg, 44.13 lbs.

Cobia....................Lorraine Francis, 30 lbs.

Tarpon...................Barbara Clark, 80 lbs.

Snook....................Fritz Grell, 13.8 lbs.

Junior Division

Tarpon...................Sky Wichers, 80 lbs.

Wahoo...................Van Wichers, 18.3 lbs.

Cobia.....................Ian Wichers, 32 lbs.

Donna Detmer Wahoo Award....Vance Strausburg, 44.13 lbs.

In addition to these awards, a Stuart Sailfish Club tradition that was given up several years ago because of the cost, was renewed underwritten by one of our generous club members, Sailfish Release Pendants. A number of members were recognized and received gold pendants. Because of the importance and significance of this, details will be covered in a seperate posting.

To view the entire album of pictures from the Captains Meeting, Tournament, and 2007 Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner, click on Stuart Sailfish Club Pictures on our Home Page.

Members Tournament Postponed to Nov. 10

Rough seas dictated a delay in the Members Tournament to next Saturday, Nov. 10. Fishing teams can sign up until 6:00 PM Friday, Nov. 9 at the SSC office at Pirates Cove. Times remain the same. Point change is Sailfish-25 pts., White Marlin-50 pts., Blue Marlin-100 pts. All other rules remain the same. Questions...contact Char at the office.