Twenty-five anglers competed for the largest tarpon on fly June 21 – 25, 2010 from the Lorelei, Islamorada, Florida Keys.  This is the forty-seventh anniversary of the Gold Cup.  Tarpon are measured with the weight calculated by a formula. Thirty one weight fish, a minimum of 70 pounds were caught and released, and 146 tarpon a minimum of 4 feet were also caught and released.

The Grand Champion angler is Thane Morgan, of Amarillo, Texas, fishing with Captain Craig Brewer. Thane and Craig caught 3 weight fish and 18 releases for a total of 7168 points. First runner-up angler is Tom Siska of Old Saddlebrook, NJ, fishing with Captain Glenn Flutie. Tom caught 4 weight fish and 10 releases for a total of 6521 points. Second runner-up angler is two time past Grand Champion David Dalu of Charleston, South Carolina, fishing with Captain Scott Collins, catching 4 weight fish and 13 releases for a total of 6302 points. The largest tarpon, 144.5 pounds, and the most released tarpon, 18, were caught by the team of Morgan and Brewer. High Point New Angler is Camp Walker, of Vero Beach, fishing with Captain Tad Burke, releasing 7 tarpon and one weight fish. Trophies are sculptures by Roger Fowler and Jorge Martinez.  Fowler’s sculptures can be seen on his website fowlersculpture.com.

Morgan and Brewer will have their names engraved on the Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament perpetual trophy on display at the Worldwide Sportsman in Islamorada. Morgan will join such legendary anglers as five-time grand champions Glenn Flutie and Andy Mill, four-time champion Billy Pate, three-time champions Sandy Moret, Eizo Marahashi and Jimmy Bell Jr., and a list of winners that includes baseball great Ted Williams.

Brewer will join some of the pioneering guides of backcountry fly fishing whose names are
engraved on the trophy, including Jimmy Albright, Cecil Keith, Hank Brown, Nat Ragland, Jack Brothers and Stu Apte. More importantly Captain Craig Brewer, after 23 years of guiding anglers in the Gold Cup, will proudly have his name engraved on the same trophy as his father, legendary Captain Jim Brewer who was Guide to Grand Champion in the 1974 Gold Cup.

Morgan win earns him an invitation to the prestigious IGFA Inshore Tournament of Champions to be held in Islamorada July 2011 directed by Florida Keys Outfitters.

The 48^th Gold Cup tournament will be June 20 – 24, 2011. For more information contact Charlotte Ambrogio 305 942-0428 or csasun@aol.com by email csasun@aol.com.  Visit our web site www.goldcuptt.com. The proceeds of this event go to Voices for Children a Monroe County charity.

Thane Morgan                                Captain Craig Brewer

Thane Morgan                                        Captain Craig Brewer

Photos by Captain Steve Friedman