RECAP: the 2025 golden fly

The first of the big Keys invitational tarpon tournaments, the 2025 Golden Fly was one for the books— with some seriously high scoring and a 162lb tarpon caught the first day. For those unfamiliar, this 3-day tournament is all about landing fish—200 points for leader touches, but 10 points per pound for fish brought to hand. And how do you measure the weight of each landed fish? it’s simple, a Texas sized zip tie, a measuring tape & a little bit of math. Those zip ties are then turned in at the end of each day for official scoring. It’s all a part of the adrenaline fueled equation that guides & anglers are faced with in the grind for the Grand Champion trophy.

Of the 15 Chittum teams that competed in this year’s tournament, 6 notched a top 10 finish.
Chittum Guide Greg Dini & his angler Evan Carruthers set the tone early on with a 162lb fish on the first day, eventually claiming the runner-up behind a 1st place ( Grand Champion Runner-Up) finish from Nathanial Linville & Ian Slater. South Carolina native Chalmers Allen and his guide Jayce Chamizo turned some heads as the young guns on the dock, clocking an impressive 4 weight fish on the final day and sneaking in to a 3rd place finish. We tip our caps to legendary Florida guide Rob Fordyce & his angler, YETI co-founder, Ryan Seiders. Winning once isn’t easy but they managed another Grand Champion finish in 2025, stacking up 6008 points- taking claim to their 2nd consecutive & 3rd overall victory in the Golden Fly Tournament since 2019.

This year’s Golden Fly action was exciting to follow- big fish and bigger numbers in arguably some of the best conditions possible. We’re thrilled for our anglers & proud to see a strong showing of Chittum skiffs in the field. See you next year in the winner’s circle !

Learn more about the Golden Fly tournament HERE.