Pennsylvania Brothers Win Tarponian Invitational in Marathon

MARATHON, Florida Keys — A team of two brothers from Pennsylvania took top honors at the Tarponian Invitational that wrapped up May 10 in Marathon after three evenings of fishing.

Rusty and Ray Martz from Ambler released 16 fish for the overall win.

Taking second place with 13 tarpon were anglers Harry Scott and David McGill, both from Philadelphia.

The family of Corky, Pat and Chris Cain from Dresher, Pennsylvania, released 11 tarpon for third place.

Each year the high-energy tournament mandates that teams must fish with a different captain each evening, so no one group of anglers has an advantage with potential “hot spots.”

Teams rotated among the three major bridge channels in the Middle Keys — the Seven Mile, Long Key and Bahia Honda bridges. Because of this format, captains are awarded for the overall number of tarpon landed on their boats.

Named the first-place captain with 22 fish was Captain Jared Dieguez of Marathon. Captain John Callion, also of Marathon, tallied 18 tarpon to land the second-place captain slot.

A field of 32 anglers on 12 boats participated in the event, releasing a tournament record of 88 tarpon.

Next year’s tournament is scheduled for April 28 through May 2, 2024. For information, contact David Breznicky at 267-210-1952.

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