Eight minutes after lines in was called, Rosalie Apostoleres released a sailfish on the Viking 50 Roenick. One minute later, Captain Casey Hunt reported a sail for her husband Nick. And team Roenick never relented, dominating the 7th Annual Viking Key West Challenge from start to finish.
Roenick covered the leaderboard and took home both Top Boat and Top Angler (also Top Lady Angler, Top Sailfish Boat, 3rd Place Angler and 1st & 3rd Sailfish Angler), with Rosalie hanging 18 flags and Nick adding six over the two fishing days. In addition to their hardware, they also walked off with a Spot Zero mobile unit and Switlik Coastal Passage Raft.
Chad Moss on Bob Moss
Game Changer, Robert Boyce’s Viking 80, had a strong Day 2 with 10 releases, sealing their 2nd Place spot in the Sailfish Release category with a total of 15 fish. Matthew Boyce claimed five of those sails and accepted the Top Junior Angler honors. Jack Sheehan and his team on the Viking 72 Manna Ray rounded out the sailfish category in 3rd Place with 11 sails.
A 52.6-pound wahoo, caught by Chad Moss on Bob Moss’ Viking 72 Sandbob, took 1st in both the angler and boat categories. David Raisbeck’s Viking 92, Raiser’s Edge, was the Top Tuna Boat, and Bill Raisbeck took Top Tuna Angler with a 24-pounder recorded at the ASEA Weigh Station.
Christi Insurance and Spot Zero
The Viking Key West Challenge, presented by Christi Insurance and Spot Zero, saw records both on the leaderboard and with a 50-boat fleet which included four Valhalla center consoles. Keeping with the “More Than Just Fishing” theme, participants enjoyed a festive Captains’ Meeting cocktail party, Welcome Dinner under the stars, lay day barbecue pool party, kid’s dock tournament, bar crawl poker run, al fresco awards dinner with a sunset view and – oh yeah – two days of awesome fishing fun. “I’ve never seen so many smiling faces and happy people,” said Viking President and CEO Patrick Healey.
Make plans to join our southernmost party next year from Wednesday April 6 through Sunday April 10, 2022. For more information visit keywestchallenge.com or email [email protected]
