Tournaments

2022 Fish Heads of Stuart
"Quickie"
Sailfish Tournament
DEC. 15th - DEC. 17th

Hard to believe but the 2022 Quickie will be the tenth year of our tournament. While the Quickie has traditionally been the kickoff event for the Treasure Coasts’ Sailfish tournament season, we are changing things up a bit for the tenth anniversary of the Fish Heads Quickie. For 2022, the Quickie will  be the last of the three winter tournaments in 2022. Ground Zero for the Quickie is Sailfish Marina in Stuart, FL with all of the events held on property, “under the Tiki” just outside of our tackle shop.

The Quickie is a fun, easy-to-fish tournament.  Simple Rules.  Stiff Competition.  Party Atmosphere.  We hope you will Join us for the tenth anniversary of the Fish Heads “Quickie” Sailfish Tournament. 

2022 Fish Heads of Stuart
"Quickie" Sailfish Tournament
Summer 2023
Fish Heads of Stuart
Summer Slam
&
One More Bite
Sailfish Challenge

Check back for additional info on our 2023 Sailfish and KDT (Kingfish/Dolphin/Tuna) Tournament Summer Dates - TBD

The 2020 Fish Heads “Quickie” was fished by eleven boats… not our biggest turnout by any stretch, but given it was 2020, we were thrilled to even have had a tournament.  The 2020 “Quickie” did provide our first-ever All Ladies Team fishing on the Game Changer, who ended up taking Third Place.  

We also experienced a nail-biter of a finish.

Day 1 of the “Quickie” saw the Champagne Lady, captained by Josh Chaney, release their first sail fish at 8:39am…. just nine minutes after Lines-In was called.  According to Captain Josh Chaney, when they pulled back the throttles to get ready for lines-in, they had a free-jumper off the rigger, and he wasn’t alone.  The fish was hooked within a minute or two of lines-in, and after that first release, they found the rest of that pack and released a double at 8:50am.  

Not a bad start to the day.  

By the end of Day 1, Champagne Lady had released seven sails, but Captain Mike Brady on the Lo Que Sea was literally right on their heels with seven releases of his own.  The Game Changer, our All Ladies Team, with Captain Bryce Garvey at the helm, was sitting in Third Place with five releases.

Day 2 saw the Champagne Lady take another early lead again, and by 10:30am was up by three fish… a great position to be in when competitively fishing a tournament.  

However, the Lo Que Sea wasn’t done.  By 1:15pm they caught and released their fourth of the day, taking the lead away from the Champagne Lady.  It was a long afternoon for Captain Josh, watching his lead slip and eventually overtaken by the Lo Que Sea…. all while literally fishing right next to them.  

With about an hour and a half left until lines-out, Captain Josh made the tough and gutsy call to pick up the lines and ran away from the fleet.  Captain Josh ran south for 45 minutes, not knowing if this gut-call was going to pay dividends… or if he was going to regret the call.

The crew of the Champagne Lady reset their lines, and had their work cut out for them.  One fish wasn’t going to do the trick, as the Lo Que Sea had them beat by time… Josh needed two for the lead.  

Around 3:10pm, they hook a single and Josh turns the boat attempting to entice another bite.  As the single was jumping and dumping line off the reel, Josh kept the boat in the turn and as if on cue, a second fish swipes at the bait, they dump the bait to the sail, and line starts ripping off the spool.  

The potentially winning fish comes tight and Josh and crew now have to fight and release a double in order to take the lead.  At 3:17pm, Josh calls in a release for the first fish, and now all attention turns to the second fish.  

Captain Josh and crew of the Champagne Lady take their time and carefully play the fish… at 3:21pm, the mate grabs the leader, Josh calls in the second release and retakes the lead.  

With only nine minutes left in the tournament, the Champagne Lady overtook the Lo Que Sea, earning the first place finish in the 2020 Fish Heads of Stuart “Quickie” Sailfish Tournament.

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