34th annual Mercury Bonefish Tournament Winner

Mark Cockerham Wins Grueling 34th Annual Mercury Outboards Bonefishing World Championship

Defending champ Carl Hiaasen is second, Dan Zicari third in windiest weeklong event

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys---In one of the most physically challenging and windiest tournaments any competitor can remember, experience finally paid out for Mark Cockerham, as he won the 34^th Annual Mercury Outboards’ Bonefishing World Championship, Friday.

Cockerham, Islamorada, a runner-up three times in past tournaments, managed to beat the relentless winds of Mother Nature, defending champion Carl Hiaasen and 16 other competitors from seven states in the five day ordeal.

“I’m pretty beat up,” said Cockerham. “It was physically and mentally the hardest win I’ve ever had. The weather was the exact opposite of what you want …heavy winds (25 – 50 mph), poor visibility, everything was upwind.”

Cockerham and his guide Capt. Rick Moeller, Islamorada, held onto the lead they gained on Thursday, by catching an 11.3 lb. weigh fish in the morning along with two releases.

They finished with 4393 points beating the challenge of Hiaasen and his guide Capt. Tim Klein, Islamorada, who had also gained momentum with a 13.5 lb. bonefish on Thursday which itself was good for 1378 points.

The popular novelist (Stormy Weather, Sick Puppy and Strip Tease) and Miami Herald columnist, could only make a move from third to second catching two smaller weigh fish of 9.9 and 10.8 lbs. and a smaller release fish. Hiaasen’s final total was 3359.

Only four bonefish were weighed on Friday.

Finishing third was Dan Zicari, Vero Beach, Fla., at 3100 points guided by Capt. Mark Krowka, Miami.

Early leader and first time championship angler Steven Hicks, Mound, Minn. was shutout for a second straight day and dropped to fourth place. Guided by Capt. George Wood, he ended with 2977 points.

Cockerham and Moeller managed smiles as they and the other wind burned and physically drained anglers and guides celebrated their weeklong trial at the Lorelei waterside restaurant. Moeller himself had won this tournament in ‘91 and ‘94 as an angler before becoming a guide.

“We were sweating when Carl and Tim came in with two fish to weigh,” said Cockerham. But both were smaller fish.

“We were the only ones that weighed in the maximum five weigh fish this week and that made the difference,” Moeller added. “They were 9, 10, 11, 12 and 11 lbs. It was some week,” he sighed.

“All week it was tough,” agreed Klein “Poling into the wind… I’ve never been so tired… 25 mph was the lightest wind we had.”

Klein said his and Hiaasen’s strategy Friday was to get one more big weigh fish.

“We had two big ones but lost both. One bonefish sucked the crab off the hook. We were having a bad day and struggled but we never gave up,” said Klein. “The part that’s great was in the last hour and a half when we caught the three fish. We came real close to pulling it off.

“That extreme wind! It was relentless,” said Klein. “We’ve had winds in tournaments, but never five days straight. We just knew it was going to clear up… but it never did.”

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34^th Annual Mercury Outboards Bonefishing World Championship

Final results after 5 days of competition – October 13, 2000

1^st Mark Cockerham, Islamorada --4393 pts. with Capt. Rick Moeller, Islamorada

2^nd Carl Hiaasen, Islamorada-- 3359 pts. with Capt. Tim Klein, Islamorada

3^rd Dan Zicari, Vero Beach, Fla. -- 3100 pts. with Capt. Mark Krowka

4^th Steven Hicks, Mound, Minn. --2977 pts. with Capt. George Wood

Largest bonefish caught: 13.5 lbs. by Carl Hiaasen, Islamorada

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