Fishing Tourney Excites Kids, Adults
By Janice Vilchez, The Miami Herald
Jun. 11–Kingfish and dolphin weren’t the only things participants in the Blue Water Fishing Classic Tournament found lurking in the water Saturday.
Steven Nelson, 13, of Cutler Bay hooked a 7-footer — of sorts.
“Uncle, I think I caught a big fish,” Steven said, noticing the tip of his fishing rod bent about 90 degrees. He was one of 14 kids on the boat Hurricane that launched from Haulover Marina.
Steven’s catch turned out to be an algae-covered fishing rod. Nevertheless, he was still proud of his “catch” and said he will clean it up and mount it in his room.
Steven’s cousin, Tionne Slouffman, 12, a seventh-grader at Palmetto Middle, hooked a big catch but let it go after her shoulder began hurting from reeling it in. All the kids who participated received a Marlin trophy.
“That’s the beauty about these kids; it’s not catching the fish that matters,” said Steven’s uncle, Thomas Paige, 44, a plumber for Miami Metrozoo. “As long as they have a rod in their hand and they’re out in the water, they are just as happy.”
The fifth annual tournament, hosted by the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department, launched from six marinas and the Miami Outboard Club at Watson Island. They included participants at Black Point Marina, Herbert Hoover Marina at Homestead Bayfront Park and Matheson Hammock Marina.
Categories included junior, amateur and professional anglers. There was a total of $30,000 in cash and prizes.
The combined weight of the three largest fish caught by each participant determined the winner. The dolphin wahoo, blackfin tuna and kingfish were the species that qualified.
Mark Vidal, 54, of Hollywood and his nephew Miguel Vidal, 28, motored out to deep waters in the Sandra Jean, a boat named after Mark’s wife.
“There were a lot of fish out there today,” Vidal said.
Despite the choppy waters, they managed to hook three kingfish and two dolphin. They lost a kingfish that weighed about 40 pounds after fighting with it for 20 minutes. The barnacles on the boat bottom cut the line, Vidal said. “It was like a washing machine,” Vidal said of the water.
At Haulover, Mike Milz, 20, of Miami Beach and his crew won the $1,500 first-place prize, and Vidal won $750 for second place, said manager Michael Dmytriw.
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