Owensboro’s Chris Reid is no stranger to freshwater bass fishing, but he never imagined reeling in one of the top prizes in the largest mahi-mahi fishing tournament on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Reid was part of a five-man team that captured the top overall prize at the 2025 Mahi Championship, a monthlong offshore fishing tournament stretching from Cape Canaveral to Jacksonville. Their combined catch — a massive 57.96-pound bull mahi caught by teammate Boe Hall and an 11-pound cow mahi landed by Reid — secured them first place and a payout of roughly $98,000.
“We were just a bunch of guys who love to fish,” Reid said. “To win something like this, on my first try, is just unreal.”
Reid and his team fished aboard Mama Mia, his 35-foot Sportsman boat based in St. Augustine and named after his wife’s grandmother. The crew included Captain Robbie StJohn, Bryce StJohn, Boe Hall, Brian Walden, and Reid — the lone Kentuckian in the group.
The tournament allows teams to pick just two fishing days during the month of May, when the migratory mahi-mahi (also called “dolphin fish”) follow warm Gulf Stream waters up the Atlantic shelf. Anglers compete in multiple categories based on the heaviest bull, cow, and combined catch.
Reid’s crew made their first trip on May 2, when Hall landed the monster 57.96-pound bull that held up as the tournament’s biggest male fish.
“People said it was once-in-a-lifetime,” Reid said. “It looked like a torpedo coming out of the water.”
But they still needed a solid female to contend for the overall combo prize. With rough weather delaying their second trip, they didn’t head back out until late May.
“We were holding our breath,” Reid said. “We knew we were in first place for the bull, but we had to seal the deal.”
On their final day, Reid hooked the 11-pound cow mahi himself.
The Mama Mia team weighed their fish in Daytona Beach, where the tournament headquarters hosted the championship dinner and awards ceremony on June 4. There, they were confirmed as champions in three separate categories.
Reid said the crew prepared and ate their catch following the competition.
While most of his team is based in Florida, Reid splits his time between Owensboro and St. Augustine. He said he only got into deep-sea fishing after retiring and buying the Mama Mia three years ago. The vessel is outfitted with night vision, outriggers, and advanced Garmin electronics, making it ideal for long-range trolling off the continental shelf.
Despite being new to the tournament scene, Reid said he credits the win to preparation, teamwork, and surrounding himself with the right crew.
“There was a lot of yelling and high-fives,” he said. “It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.”
