No fish story: Jupiter angler catches 163-pound tarpon during Gold Cup fly fishing tournament

Jupiter's Dave Preston can celebrate Independence Day by telling a fish story that is true.Preston and his guide, Capt. Luis Cortes, caught the largest tarpon in Gold Cup history with a fish weighing approximately 163 pounds last month in the Florida Keys during the 60th Annual Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament.One of the most revered fly fishing tournaments in the world, the Gold Cup has been referred to as the "World Series" of tarpon fishing for its five days of competition.

Preston and Cortes earned their third straight Grand Championship title with 5,804 points, consisting of 4 Release Fish and 4 Weight Fish, caught from June 19-23 off Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Preston and Cortes’s Weight Fish weighed in at 163, 96.1, 118.1 and 83.2 pounds.

Preston, who is actively involved in advocating for clean water for the Everglades, has been fishing this tournament for the last 11 years."Getting to spend quality time on the water in the Keys with Luis is reward enough, and when you add in our recent tournament success it’s all been the stuff of dreams," Preston said. "We’ve been fishing the Gold Cup together for five years now. This year, as usual, the competition was elite and the late season fishing and weather were challenging at points, but we caught fish every day and persevered. We are both honored and humbled by the opportunity to hold the Gold Cup Tarpon championship for a third straight year, in the footsteps of the all-time greats who came before us."As native South Floridians and stewards of the Everglades and Florida Bay, we would like to remind everyone that loves this special fishery that there is so much work to be done to ensure future generations are able to experience the things we have been so lucky to experience and hold dear."

Fly-Anglers were able to pull in a total of 66 fish during the five-day stretch, consisting of 37 Release and 29 Weight Fish, a significant decrease from last year’s 103 fish. Teams of Anglers and Guides competed for various trophy and sponsor-donated items, but the real honor is for the overall winning team to have their names added to the 60-year-old perpetual trophy, which is showcased locally at The Florida Keys Outfitters.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 163-pound tarpon caught at Gold Cup Invitational Fly Fishing Tournament