More Golden Fly Results: "Leave the 10-Weights At Home"

As we noted on Thursday, Tim Mahaffey won the Golden Fly tarpon tournament that was held over three very windy days in the Florida Keys this week. Mahaffey and guide Rick Murphy won with one large weight fish — approximately 130 pounds — and two releases. Mahaffey has now won all the major Keys tarpon and bonefish tournaments (he and Rick Murphy won the Gold Cup in 2006). Together, Murphy and his stepbrother Rob Fordyce have now guided winners to all the major tarpon tournaments (Golden Fly, Hawley, Gold Cup, Women’s Invitational.)
Angler Greg Smith and guide Drew Moret came in second in the tournament with one weight fish (120#) and one release. Third was Rob Luehrs with guide Kris Suplee, who recorded one weight fish (120#) and one release. Both had 1400 points but Smith caught his fish earlier in the day on day two. Angler David Dalu with guide Scott Collins got the award for most releases during the tournament.
Fighting winds that started at 15-20 knots on Monday and steadily increased to over 30 knots Wednesday, only 10 teams out of 25 released a fish, and only four weight fish were recorded. Andy Mill, who sprained his wrist playing racketball last week, produced no score, and Carlos Duncan and Rob Fordyce, who won in 2005, went scoreless as well.

(Thanks to reader Dave Dalu for the details in this story.)