Refuge reports record-breaking tarpon tournament
The 14th annual “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament on May 15 reported another record-breaking year of sponsorships, donations and anglers, raising $226,357 to support water-quality research and conservation at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel.
The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) organizes the tourney with Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille. The captain’s meeting and Silver King Awards ceremony take place at the restaurant’s Sanibel location.
“We can’t thank Doc Ford’s enough for its incredible show of support and partnership these past 14 years,” DDWS Manager of Events, Communications & Marketing Angeli Chin, who organized and led the 2026 event, said.
The tournament paid out a total of $67,600 in cash prizes to five winning teams out of 65 registered teams comprising 309 participants. Anglers hooked and released 63 tarpon catches this year.
The first-place prize of $30,420 went to Team Loaded Down, led by captain Kyle Applefield. It was the first to catch and release six fish.
“Congratulations to Kyle and his team! They now wear the coveted pink tarpon jacket,” Joe Harrity, a partner with the HM Restaurant Group — Doc Ford’s parent company — said.
The Harrity family introduced the jacket in 2017 as an added incentive for winning the tourney.
“It’s kind of like the green Masters tournament jacket in golf,” he said. “The winning team gets the honor of wearing the pink tarpon jacket each year.”
Second-place Team Salt Rock, led by captain Cody Chivas, caught its sixth fish later in day and won $16,900. In third place, captain Kyle Potts’ Team Towboat US Charlotte Harbor caught five fish and took home $10,140. Fourth-place winner Team Maastricht Engineering/Window Plus, with captain Ryan Stoa, won $6,700 with latter-caught five fish. Fifth-place winner Team Seareaper Sportfishing, with captain Chris Argiro, took home $3,380 for its five fish.
The tournament also handed out awards for female angler to Stephanie Swank with Team Costa Customs, senior angler to Aaron Black from Team Side X Side Enclosures, and amateur team to Rad Raz with captain Kyle Nifong.
“Because all boat registration fees go into the awards purse, sponsorship partners are extremely important to this tournament,” DDWS Executive Director Ann-Marie Wildman said. “They make it possible to raise vital financial support for the conservation mission of DDWS and the refuge.”
The first-of-its-kind tourney to benefit conservation and award 100% of the fees to the winners, the event began to support local professional fishing guides and connect with anglers to educate and make them part of conservation efforts.
“We are so grateful for this fundraiser, because not only does it add much-needed dollars to the ever-shrinking refuge budget after a few tough years of hurricane recovery, it also supports our conservation mission,” Southwest Florida National Wildlife Refuges project leader Kevin Godsea said. “Plus, it is an opportunity to remind anglers, both professional and amateur, about the importance of ethical and responsible fishing.”
For more information, visit dingdarlingtarpontourney.org.