Conditions Always Favorable for “Get Lit”

January 29, 2012 – Coconut Grove, Florida - Sailfish have been thick up and down the coast of Florida. The conditions have been favorable for a hot bite – and hot it has been. Conditions for this year’s Sea Vee / Mercury Mayor’s Cup however, would not be perfect.   Well except for a few outstanding teams.  With winds out of the south, teams were less than enthusiastic about fishing for over $100,000.00 in cash and The Mayor’s Cup. But they all realized that all the teams were fishing the same conditions and the competition ensued.

Whether it’s a premier sailfish tournament or fishing off a pier, anglers will always be fierce competitors – it’s part of their DNA.  This weekend saw those traits play out.  There were reports of teams switching baits, switching leader color, switching kite styles and sinker weights – anything they could to get the slightest edge over the competition. “We worked harder at this tournament than any other in recent memory,” commented Peter Miller from “Get Lit.”  The first day of fishing saw 66 releases with team Sea Vee fishing aboard “Kimbuktu” leading all teams with 8 releases.  They were followed closely by “Wound Up,” “Get Lit” and “Night Prowler.”  With a slow bite, the teams were excited to hear the weather predictions for Sunday: north winds at 15-20 knots; perfect sailfish weather!

The second day of fishing lived up to the expected hype. Teams were catching doubles and triples up and down the line. The leads in each division changed several times with teams leapfrogging each other almost every few minutes.  Then midday came and it seemed as if a magical fishing switch was turned off. The fleet went almost two hours without reporting a release. Boats radio-checked many times over just to make sure they weren’t having some technical issues and that the silence was just that – silence.  Banter across the teams dominated the airwaves until the bite started up again.  Teams made big moves like “J’s Crew” and “Sandman” which each had 5 and 6 releases on Sunday. For a short time it seemed that big boat division leader “Get Lit” would be overtaken, but a final minute double-header padded their lead as they ended with 16 releases and The Mayor’s Cup. Behind them was “Wound Up” with 12 releases and Crook & Crook with 9 releases.  In the small boat division it was “Night Prowler” with 11 releases ahead of team Sea Vee on “Kimbuktu” with 8 releases. They were followed by “J’s Crew” also fishing on a Sea Vee with 8 releases. Top Female angler recognition went to Sandra MacMillan aboard “Sandman” with 4 releases.

This is the second year in a row that “Get Lit” wins The Cup and takes it back to Coral Gables’ Mayor Jim Cason.  It will sit in city hall until next year when it’s put for grabs again. For complete standings and catch-by-catch detail visit www.MayorsCupTournament.com.