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SAILFISH CHALLENGE
Tournament Fishing bigfish_writer PM
Captain Ray Rosher, owner Matt Neber, and anglers made 16 of 16 sailfish releases, doubling the catch of second and third place finishers. At the end of the event, Team Miss Britt Contender took home $174,310 in winnings.
Rosher is a three-time World Sailfish Champion and Raymarine Elite Level Pro Staff Member since 2004. He is partnered this season with Matt Neber, owner of the 39-foot Contender Fisharound titled Team Miss Britt Contender, rigged with a stunning complement of two Raymarine gS165 Premium Glass Bridge multifunction navigational displays at the helm and a gS95 in the tower.
“Tournaments demand the best out of everyone and every piece of equipment on a boat. Raymarine delivers what we need,” commented Rosher, the winning team’s captain.
Lead angler on the Miss Britt Contender, Stephanie Choate of Wildoceans.org, put on an amazing display of angling acumen by releasing nine of 16 sailfish. Choate was named Top Female Angler and Top Overall Angler, adding to Top Female Angler in all three legs of the Quest for the Crest series this year. Should her winning streak continue at Final Sail in Key West, she could become the first angler ever to sweep the entire series. Her teammate Matt Bierly took Top Male Angler with four sail releases. Boat owner Matt Neber caught two fish, and was leader man on many of the releases.
The Father/Son category is currently at a draw with one event left in the four tournament Quest for the Crest Series. Joe Neber’s Contender One is in a tie for third place with his son Matt Neber’s Miss Britt Contender.
By noon on Day 1, Miss Britt Contender had already released 11 sailfish between Lake Worth Pier and Palm Beach Inlet. They released two more fish in the afternoon to win the daily with 13 releases; six better than the next closest team. As it turns out, the team could have stayed home on Day 2 and still finished with enough releases to win the whole tournament, but added three more on Day 2 for the 16 fish total.
With this win, Captain Ray Rosher brings his team one step closer to wearing burgundy jackets in the Quest for the Crest 4-tournament Sailfish Championship Series.
The grand finale of the Quest for the Crest, Final Sail, takes place April 25th – 30th in sunny Key West, Florida, at the Margaritaville Resort & Marina where the next World Champion will be crowned.
Miami’s Team Miss Britt Contender takes top honors, lead angler Stephanie Choate continues winning streak