Jichi team member Jimmy David called it, “the hottest sailfish bite of the 2015-2016 season,” and it happened just in time for this year’s Sailfish Shootout in the Grove, hosted by tournament director Skip Smith. Capt. Gene Lebron led Jichi to victory with 25 sailfish releases in two days but the competition was incredibly tight. Cap Hinckley and his team on Fish Tales posted 15 sailfish releases on Day One to win the daily, eventually finishing in second place with 24 sailfish releases. Capt. Nick Carullo’s Fishless also scored 24 sails to place third in the tournament. Scott Robins from Weez in the Keys was the tournament’s Top Angler. The 14 participating boats released a total of 210 sailfish over the course of the two-day tournament.
