Fifty compete in IWFA tournament; Ellenwood captures grand champion title

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Posted - Friday, October 30, 2009 11:01 AM EDT

Sharon Ellenwood of Tavernier won Grand Champion Angler in the 15th Annual International Women’s Fishing Association Light Tackle Tournament, catching and releasing 59 fish in three days of rough seas and tricky 20- to 30- mile per hour winds.

Dave Denkert, also of Tavernier, won Grand Champion Guide, with his six different anglers catching and releasing more than 200 fish on light tackle.

Fifty IWFA members competed in the annual tournament in Islamorada on Oct 19, 20 and 21. Using only 6-pound and 8-pound tippet, the ladies fished for tarpon, bonefish, permit, red drum, snook, jack crevalle, spotted seatrout and ladyfish.

The women drew for three different guides and three different angling partners over the three-day tournament.

Ellenwood’s 59 fish, included 13 snook and 15 redfish. She racked up 3,755 points, beating out 49 other women competing for the trophy.

Second place went to Jing Torn of Fort Lauderdale, who caught and released 37 fish, mostly on fly, for 3,730 points, and also won the top fly fishing angler award.

Third place went to Molly Fleming of Palm Beach Shores, who caught and released 58 fish for 3,640 points and also won the top artificial angler award.

Denkert, accumulated 7,650 points, with his anglers catching and releasing over 200 fish.

A total of 2,076 fish were caught and released by these 50 women, who averaged almost 14 fish each of the three days: 514 red drum, 355 snook, 210 jack crevalle, 472 trout, 516 ladyfish, six tarpon, two bonefish and one permit.

The International Women’s Fishing Association was formed in 1955 to promote women’s fishing. For more information on the IWFA, visit www.iwfa.org.

Information for this report was provided by the International Women’s Fishing Association.