18 Jul Anglers Assemble: The Key West Marlin Tournament features skill, timing and a lot of luck
Key West Marlin Tournament chair and local conch Tim Greene, who was born and raised in Key West, always pursued fishing. So, for his birthday each year, he fittingly would purchase an entry to some of the earliest marlin tournaments, which started off at Oceanside Marina on Stock Island.
Greene, fishing aboard the Beachcomber with Captain Mike Cyr took one of the top release honors in the 1989 edition.
Over time, it became one of the largest marlin tournaments in Florida and to this day, remains one of the oldest in the Florida Keys.
In 1999, Greene and a couple of his friends revived the annual tradition, in part by securing a decade-long sponsorship with the Scotch whiskey Drambuie. These days, the Stock Island Marina hosts the marlin tournament with additional support from brands including the power drink Celsius, Key West Marine Hardware, and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
When that core group restarted the tournament in 1999, plans were made to include new ideas shared by board members like Captain Jim Sharp, an accomplished fisherman and close friend of Greene. In the past, most marlin tournaments designated awardees based on the biggest fish presented back on the dock. However, Greene, a conservationist, thought that could be changed.
The group consequently introduced a point system that made it possible for someone to pull out a win even on the final day of the now three-day tournament.
This new scoring system allocates points to determine the winning boat in the signature Marlin Division, while allowing participants who opt in to weigh one “fun” fish per category each day for prizes.
As Greene pointed out, all of these can be a real bonus. Take the dolphin prize for the largest dolphin (not bottlenose). It is valued more than most dolphin tournaments in the Keys.
“We pay out $5,000 for first place dolphin,” Greene says. “So, you could add, if you caught a blue marlin, that’s 400 points, and if you caught a 23-pound dolphin with it, then you got 23 points added to the 400. So, for the day you had 423.”
Similarly, fishers who catch one sailfish, on any given day of the event, can provide proof of releasing that sailfish for 50 points. Making it possible to build towards a high score before catching a marlin.
“Somebody asked me a long time ago, ‘Well what happens if you don’t catch a marlin over the three days?’” Greene recalls. “I said, ‘It doesn’t matter, it’s a points tournament.’ If a person has a hundred points, that’s the most points. They’re the winner.”
Blue marlins, white marlins, and spearfish all command 400 points each with other specified “fun” categorized fish typically commanding one point per pound (eg. wahoo, yellowfin, skipjack).
In 2024, Team “Don’t Blink,” comprised of Chris Hagin and Captain Billy Currie, won first place by releasing two blue marlins.
Greene reminded future anglers that it’s called fishing, not catching. The emphasis is on the pursuit that takes place in the run-up to any hauls. Marlins in particular, with their hard mouths and long beaks, may stay on the hook for considerable stretches of time before often getting away.
Greene reckons the ratio is around one catch for every two or three losses. Opening the possibility for this year’s winner to be a veteran just as much as a budding fisher.
“I’ve always said fishing, especially marlin fishing, is about 90% timing and luck and about 10% skill and knowledge.”
July 17, 2025
BY KEVIN ASSAM
Florida Weekly Correspondent
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