The Annual Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge continues to bill itself as the premiere billfish tournament in the South Florida area. The 17th annual event was held at the Miami Beach Marina February 25th through 28th, 2010. This year’s Captain’s Meeting got under way at the Texas de Brazil Restaurant at Miami Beach Marina. A savory medley of meats was served, which, as anyone would know who frequents this restaurant, is surely a treat! Checkout went off on Saturday morning without a hitch from “Checkpoint Charlie” on the southwest corner of the bulkhead at Miami Beach Marina. Throughout day one, conditions did not look very conducive for producing a lot of fish; however, fishing was steady throughout the day. By lines out on Saturday, “Wound Up” was leading the Inboard Division with 1800 points (18 releases) and “Advanced Roofing” heading up the Outboard pack with 1300 points (13 releases). Day two turned out to be much slower in the fishing department, but there was some shuffling on the leader board. Overall, the tournament fleet of 32 boats released a respectable 293 sailfish throughout the two full days of fishing. The total payout for 2010 exceeded $154,000.

When all was said and done, “Wound Up”, captained by John Louie Dudas, captured the title of "Top Boat" at the 2010 Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge by scoring 2200 points (22 releases). The “Wound Up” crew has been a staple around the South Florida fishing tournament scene the past few years as this is the second consecutive year they have captured the Bob Lewis title. This is following their third consecutive win of the Mayor’s Cup Billfish Tournament held in January out of Coconut Grove, FL. “What we did [Saturday] helped a lot; [Sunday] we fished south of Biscayne,” Dudas said. “What a different set of conditions [Sunday] – 180 degrees from [Saturday] – really slow. We didn’t see any fish until 11:30,” said Bill Danko, a member of the “Wound Up” crew. Second place in the Inboard Division was taken by “Sandman”, captained by Neil Orange, Jr. with 1800 points (18 releases), followed by “Team American”, run by Capt. Ray Rosher with 1600 points (16 releases). The Outboard Division was headed by first place winner “Advanced Roofing” with 1500 points (15 releases). “The Tournament was a great event, ran by great people for a good cause,” beamed Michael Kornahrens of “Advanced Roofing”. "Second place Outboard" was awarded to “Contender One”, captained by Joe Neber with 1000 points (10 releases). "Third place Outboard" went to “Rock Star”, captained by Scott Leon, with 900 points (9 releases).

The "Top Junior Angler" and the award for "Largest Dolphin" went to Tyler Claus fishing aboard “Qualifier” with 400 points (4 releases). Ridge Murphy, on “Contender One”, was a close second, also with 400 points (4 releases) based on time of their last release. "Top Lady Angler" was awarded to Vivian Garcia Pagan fishing on “Jumanji”, a welcomed new addition to the fleet. The "Top Angler" award, with an invitation to fish in the WBS Grand Championship, went to Jeffrey Fiorentino, fishing aboard the “Uptight”.

In addition to the wonderful camaraderie throughout the event, there were a few new things this year. First off was the banquet at Texas de Brazil, which was deemed by many who attended as the meeting place for the “who’s who” in the fishing world. Anglers enjoyed such perks as the Camacho Cigars bar and also bundt cakes from Dockside Market. Also new this year was online live scoring provided by Catch Stat. During the tournament weekend, there were almost 3,000 visits to the live scoring site with many users throughout the United States. There were also visits from as far away as Canada, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Venezuela, Germany, and the United Kingdom! The Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge is proud to be a part of the Miami Open Billfish Series, the Libertad Challenge, and the South Florida Sailfish Series. For a complete listing of payouts and standings please visit our website at www.billfishchallenge.com. The Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge has paid out over $1,200,000 over the past six years! We could not carry on this successful tournament without our incredible sponsors. Crook and Crook has been a long time, integral part of the Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge family and Tiger Direct/Comp USA donates much sought after electronics for our exciting silent auction.

In addition to running an exciting billfish tournament each year, the Captain Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge, Inc is also a 501 (c)(3), not for profit Florida corporation, dedicated to promoting environmental education, marine conservation and improving the health of our youth in the South Florida community. The tournament committee plans year round events with such groups as Shake a Leg Miami, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, Neat Stuff, and many, many others. The Capt. Bob Lewis organization hosted their 6th Annual Kids Fishing Challenge at Tropical Park in Miami, Florida back on November 14, 2009 that hosted over 300 little anglers ranging from 3 to 15 years old. Each angler was given a free rod and reel provided by Fish Florida, a t-shirt, lunch and bait. The Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge has many events scheduled for the remainder of the year that include the Family Fun Fest, Biscayne National Park events, events at Shake a Leg Miami, several casting seminars at the Dade County Youth Fair, and much, much more. You can find information on all of these planned events and more and also sign up for our e-newsletter “The Challenger” on our website at www.billfishchallenge.com. We have also added a button on our homepage that will allow you to donate to help the Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge & Charity reach as many kids as possible.