West Palm Beach Fishing Club

01/30/2025

A note from the West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC):

The WPBFC is undergoing operation changes in 2025, and reevaluated its current special events. The plan is to produce new tournament(s) for members and the fishing community in 2025, eliminating the current Palm Beach County KDW Classic.

Many factors played into this difficult decision. Simply put, special event production has become increasingly difficult to navigate, and more importantly, increasingly expensive to produce. The WPBFC and KDW Tournament Committee are proud to leave participants with fond memories, and confident we always produced a high-quality family-friendly event.

A special thank you is due to the many dedicated volunteers who made the event so special, fun and organized, especially the individuals on the tournament committee. No one will miss the atmosphere and happenings of the KDW Classic more than these hard-working individuals. Without them there would be no 20+ years of the event. And of course, we’re grateful to our many past participants and sponsors who supported the event over the years.

Our goal remains to produce fun & reasonably priced tournaments that stimulate the local marine & fishing industry, help promote Palm Beach County and sponsoring partners, ultimately benefiting the marine conservation & educational efforts of the WPBFC and its charitable foundation. We’re committed to continuing to produce angling programming for center console boats, and families.

The world is not what is was 20+ years ago when this tournament was formatted. We’re optimistic and embracing the change in our special events calendar. There are more good things to come from the WPBFC!

New WPBFC Tournament…

The Palm Beach Tuna Tournament, Home of the $10,000 Tuna! The event is set for May 5th – 10th, 2025

This new tournament focuses on offering a unique product to participants, while continuing to partner with the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County (MIAPBC). This offers participants an increased level of convenience and flexibility, to navigate the challenges of unpredictable inclement weather and everyone’s busy schedules. Teams will be eligible to declare and fish on 3 of the 6 allotted days.

This May Tuna weigh-in concept is building off the Club’s already established and popular Blackfin Blitz tournament. This is also the time of year we’re seeing a steady push of large tunas, yellowfin especially, migrating off our coast. While still an occasional catch, these fish are being caught more frequently and have become an incredibly popular “trophy catch” off the Palm Beaches. This year that trophy tuna will be worth a guaranteed $10,000.

Saturday, May 10th, has been designated the Blackfin Blitz day of the tournament, focusing specifically on blackfins, with the weigh station set up at Sailfish Marina like it has been in previous years with this event. This fishing day will still be free to WPBFC members, offering cash and other prizes for adults and junior anglers. The weigh-in will take place during the MIAPBC Member Picnic, offering a family-friendly weigh station environment.

More specific details, rules and registration coming soon!

01/27/2025

Offshore Live Baiting Seminar this Wednesday!

These meetings are open to WPBFC members & guests, friends of the featured speaker, and all others interested in the Club/seminars. 

Soda/water/beer and hotdogs will be available, and we’ll conclude the evening with a raffle. We hope to see you at the clubhouse!

01/20/2025

Cobia on the popper! 40 lb. 14 oz. caught by WPBFC member, Todd Prince.

01/13/2025

Silver Sailfish Derby Photo Recap

2025 Derby Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/f7S43eqrhAUYtcUXA

01/11/2025

🚩14 sailfish releases for the 2025 Silver Sailfish Derby Champs 🏆 Congrats Fish On, the winners of the 88th running of The World’s Oldest Sailfish Tournament!

01/10/2025

Who’s poppin the 🍾?

01/10/2025

Silver Sailfish Derby Day 2! Lines in at 8am for the final day of fishing. Day 1 Results/Live Scoring: https://westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/ssd-standings-mobile/

Day 1 was productive. The Mallard (54’ Sculley) recorded 10 sailfish releases to take Daily Top Boat honors. Followed by the Fish On (48’ Viking) and Just Chillin (90’ Viking), rounding out the Top 3 both with 8 releases. Very fishy day!

All three boats are berthed at our tournament headquarters Sailfish Marina

01/09/2025

Derby Live Scoring: https://westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/ssd-standings-mobile/

Lines are in the water! Follow the live scoring: https://westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/ssd-standings-mobile/

12/27/2024

Silver Sailfish Derby January 9th and 10th, 2025!

12/17/2024

Fishing opportunity! This outing is a great way to get on the water and meet other members. 2 spots still available.

Call the club to register: 561-832-6780

12/12/2024

🚩Tournament artwork for the 88th annual Silver Sailfish Derby!

Another tight look for the World’s Oldest Sailfish Tournament. Fishing begins January 9th, 2025.

The tournament is sold out at 50 boats. Check out the impressive fleet on the Derby live scoring page (link in bio).

12/10/2024

New President Named at Historic WPB Fishing Club

West Palm Beach, FL – One of America’s oldest fishing clubs has a new President. The board of directors of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) has named Tom ‘Buzz’ Bzura, of North Palm Beach, as the organizations new President. Buzz has been working at the WPBFC for the past eight years, most recently serving as the organization’s Managing Director. In his new role as WPBFC President he will be responsible for producing all angling programs, the famous Silver Sailfish Derby & other tournaments, as well as managing the day to day operations at the nostalgic clubhouse in downtown West Palm Beach, built in 1940 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Buzz already has an excellent track record. He has increased club membership and created new opportunities for people who are passionate about fishing to get involved,” said WPBFC Chairman Pete Schulz of Fishing Headquarters tackle shop in Jupiter.

Buzz takes the helm from longtime WPBFC President Tom Twyford who has worked at the fishing club for the past 36 years. Twyford will transition to a new role within the organization serving as the Executive Director of the WPBFC’s charitable affiliate, the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation. “This is a healthy move for both the fishing club and its foundation. Buzz is bringing a lot of new energy and creativity to our programs and is doing a great job at connecting us to the next generation of anglers. The fishing club is in good hands. I look forward to shifting gears and focusing more of my time on our youth fishing programs and marine habitat initiatives,” said Twyford.

Many individuals have left their mark on the WPBFC over its nearly 90-year history. Past club presidents include none other than famous boat builder, conservationist and sportsman, John Rybovich. “It’s an honor to be named President of such a storied and venerable institution. The club is committed to continuing its unique and valuable role in the community. We have incredible fishing off the Palm Beaches and a wonderful club here to facilitate angling programs and ensure there’s a healthy fishery for many years to come,” commented Bzura.

The WPBFC was founded in 1934 and currently has over 1,600 members. Its mission, aligned with that of the PBCFF, is to preserve local sportfishing history, and to promote recreational fishing and the conservation of Palm Beach County’s saltwater resources through fishing related education that engages members, families & kids, and the community at large.

12/04/2024

For a dozen years beginning in 1988, Tom Twyford, representing the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, produced a fishing segment called Tight Lines that aired on local TV stations. Twyford brought these short fishing segments into the living rooms of the mainstream public who were tuning in for the evening news. This particular throwback episode was filmed in 1990, the final segment of a 3 part series highlighting Fishing the Fabulous Keys.

Whether they were interested in fishing or not, viewers got a glimpse of local fishing techniques, met local fishing experts, and learned about the wide variety of angling opportunities available in our region. Of course Tight Lines was also a great way to promote the WPBFC, elevating the club's stature in the community. We once again dug into the Tight Lines video vault to bring you this throwback.

11/25/2024

Chilly weather wahoo caught on the new Southern Ground. Featured here are Lifetime WPBFC members and

11/18/2024

This Wednesday, November 20th!

The Club's Fly Tying Workshop is open to anglers of all experience levels.

If you're already into fly fishing it's a great opportunity to meet likeminded anglers in the club. If you're new and/or want to get more into fly fishing, you can learn to tie flies from seasoned WPBFC anglers.

Bring your vise and materials if you want to join in; the club also has extra materials and vises on hand for those just getting started! Fly Tying starts at 6pm.

11/15/2024

The club’s BBQ & Auction this past Saturday was another successful fun event with some great food! This was an evening full of socializing, with many award presentations. Every P*e Wee angler (kids 9 and under) who entered a fish this year was recognized and received a trophy with their name on it and new PENN Fishing combo! Keeping kids excited about fishing is an important long-standing tradition of the WPBFC. This event is held annually at the South FL Fairgrounds and presented by Tuppen’s Marine & Tackle.

A special congratulations is due to our Grand Champion Adult Angler, Amanda Thaw, who posted several impressive catches both inshore and offshore. Amanda logged a 30+ pound dolphin, a 20+ pound barracuda and amberjack on 12 pound tackle, a 16+ pound bluefish, 4 pound ladyfish, and many other nice fish on light tackle with artificial lures, totaling 9 winning fish on the final contest standings. Amanda is now a 2-time recipient of this award, and we're happy to have her and the Thaw family so actively participating together in club angling programs. The WPBFC is proud to have her name engraved again on the perpetual Annual Contest Grand Champion trophy in the clubhouse.

Our Junior Angler of the Year, Brady Zabel, also logged a great angling résumé, posting a total of 6 winning fish with 5 being in the contest casting categories. Brady logged a 17+ pound snook and 3 pound pompano on plug 16 tackle, and swept the largemouth bass casting categories with the winning fish on fly 20, spin 8 and plug 16, all caught with an artificial lure. The Club congratulates him on his achievement, a true demonstration of angling skill.

A huge thank you goes out to our chefs who work days in advance to prepare all the BBQ for some 400 people in attendance! Grant Gillen, Greg Hudson, Brad & Greg Albritton and others have our gratitude for all their efforts cooking delicious BBQ at the event for all to enjoy. All our volunteers deserve some praise, as the event ran smoothly due to their continued efforts. From setting up the room, to working the serving line, to helping close out the auction room, their dedication to the WPBFC always enhances club events.

Lastly, congrats Todd Harper, our 50/50 Go Fish cash raffle winner!

11/08/2024

Ready for a big party tomorrow at the fairgrounds. Join us for the BBQ & Auction, 5:30pm - 9pm. Tickets for sale at the door. All are welcome to attend!

11/04/2024

Bid on these charters/trips this Saturday at the BBQ!

All are welcome to join us out at the South FL Fairgrounds for this big party, rain or shine in Building 10.

Get your advance tickets online, or at the door ($5 more) and come out for some great food and good times.