Collins recaptures the IGFA Inshore World Championship title

Keys’ teen bows to veteran in a wild finish of “tournament of champions”

By Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications, Inc. – IGFA PR counsel

Robert Collins, Naples, Fla., who scored two, five fish slams won the IGFA Inshore World Championship as grand champion. He’s shown here with the bonefish that completed his second slam which included two snook, two redfish, two tarpon, two permit and a prior bonefish. (Photo by Capt. Larry Sydnor/IGFA)

ISLAMORADA, In-the-Florida-Keys, U.S.A. –With his guide, past title holder Robert Collins, Naples, Fla., had a game plan for Wednesday, the final day of fishing in the seventh annual IGFA Inshore World Championship.

It worked… twice.

Collins was awarded the Grand Champion title for accumulating the most points for all five targeted species beating out 27 other competitors from around the world. He had also won the International Game Fish Association tournament in 2005. Hailed as the “super bowl of inshore fishing,” the world-class catch-and-release format had the anglers stalking the surrounding waters of the Florida Keys for bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook and redfish. A field of 22 men and six women light tackle and fly anglers from as far away as Uganda, Africa, and Darwin, Australia competed in the “tournament of champions” event.

Guided by Capt. Larry Sydnor of Key Largo, Collins needed a snook and a redfish to complete the five fish slam to put him in the running among a dozen competitors still in contention after two days.

By 8:45 a.m. he had caught and released three snook off Flamingo and then just an hour later he also had three redfish.

“I was just one bonefish shy of a second slam,” he related. “Larry headed to the Atlantic Oceanside of the Keys and we searched for the fish and I finally caught one at 2:22 … just 38 minutes from the close of the tournament.”

“This tournament had all the makings of a wild finish,” said Collins with a chuckle. Both he and his guide also credited Sydnor’s wife Sharon with getting up at 4 a.m. and driving to Dade County to buy the biggest live shrimp she could for the next day of fishing after first acclimating them to the high temperatures of the Florida Bay waters.

Troy Pruitt, of Naples, Fla., garnered the runner-up grand champion award. (Photo by Adrian Gray, IGFA)

Troy Pruitt, Naples, Fla., also completed the five fish slam but fell short by one fish to compete a second one. He was awarded runnerup grand champion based on points over defending champion Joe “Pepe” Lopez, Coral Gables, Fla. who also collected a slam.

Entering the final day guided by Capt. Greg Poland, Islamorada, Pruitt needed a tarpon to complete his slam. He got three by 9:30 a.m.

“At that point I just needed a bonefish to complete a second slam. But like others in the heat of the day Pruitt came up short on that critical bonefish. “Had I got it, with my extra fish caught on circle hooks earlier it would have been a closer finish with Robert,” he laughed. “It was my second world championship and I already won a qualifier to return.”

Robert Collins, (left) the grand champion of the IGFA Inshore World Championship with to Richard Black, Tavernier, Fla., after Day Three of the IGFA Inshore World Championship Black was the artificial bait title holder. (Photo by Adrian Gray, IGFA)

Richard Black, of Tavernier,a young first time competitor to the IGFA IWC who lead in overall points through the first two days needed a tarpon and a permit to compete his first five fish slam. Black, a soft spoken 17 year old, said he and Capt. Billy Dahlberg, Islamorada, went for those two species but the only interest he got was “the bonefish and tarpon circling my bait.” Without any action he went back to a proven area in the back country for more redfish and snook adding points to his artificial division run to win that title.

David Collier, New York City, N.Y. won the fly division title capping off the final day with two permit and one tarpon on fly guided by Islamorada Capt. Chris Jones. Previously he had one snook and three bonefish on fly, just a redfish shy of a slam.

David Collier, of New York City, N.Y, won the fly division in the IGFA Inshore World Championship with the help of maximum points for catching this permit. (Photo by Capt. Andy Thompson/IGFA)

Barry Shevlin, Bay Harbor Islands won the bait casting divisions with a final day rush of a permit, a bonefish, three redfish and a snook with guide Capt. John Guastavino, Key Largo. He caught six bonefish the previous two days.

Ms.Glenda Kelley, Ft. Lauderdale was the only other angler to score a slam.

In a captain’s draw each angler was matched with a different guide for each of the three days.

The top guides based on points of their anglers were Capt. Mark Gilman, Islamorada; Capt. Chris Jones and Capt. Andy Thompson, Homestead, Fla.

Each of the anglers gained entry winning one of over 55 fly and light tackle IGFA sanctioned tournaments during 2006 held in eight countries around the world representing nearly 3,000 anglers on four continents.

Based on the scores of his trio of anglers Capt. Mark Gilman of Islamorada, Fla. was the top guide in the IGFA Inshore World Championship (Photo by Adrian Gray, IGFA)

The contestants were vying for engraved timepieces in the prestige tournament. Trophies and merchandise were awarded for second and third place divisional winners in the three categories. Point values of the fish were determined by species and the angler’s preference choice of fly fishing, artificial lure or bait.

Fishing and daily scoring originated from the World Wide Sportsman marina.

Sponsors include Mercury Outboards,  Bacardi, Costa Del Mar, G. Loomis, Hook and Tackle, Islamorada Fish Co., Islander Resort, King Sailfish Mounts, Rapala, Shimano, Stiffy Push Poles, 3M Scientific Anglers, Reel Life Art, World Wide Sportsman, Zane Grey Lounge, KD & G Sea Life Masterpieces, Redbone Gallery, Image Graphics 2000, Momoi and Daiichi.

Pasta Pantaleo is the official artist of the IWC.

The IWC is the second in a series of world wide competitive fishing events that includes the eighth annual IGFA Offshore World Championship held in May in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Capt. Andy Thompson, Homestead, Fla. finished third in the guide’s division in the IGFA Inshore World Championship based on the scores of his three anglers in the three day event (Photo by Adrian Gray, IGFA)

The International Game Fish Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. It was founded in 1939 and has members in over 125 countries. The association welcomes visitors to their 60,000 square foot IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida. The IGFA web site is igfa.org.

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