2024 Champions

Angler Nathaniel Linville
Captain Ian Slater
3,280 Points

Press Release:
Angler Nathaniel Linville and Guide Ian Slater win 61st Annual Gold Cup Invitational Fly Fishing Tarpon Tournament

61st Annual Gold Cup Invitational Fly Fishing Tarpon Tournament
June 17-21, 2024
Islamorada, Florida Keys

The 61st Annual Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament, one of the
most revered fly fishing tournaments in the world, is known wherever anglers
pursue the Silver King with a fly. It has been referred to as the “World Series” of
tarpon fishing and consists of 5 days of honorable competition. This year brought
tough conditions with strong winds and hard visibility, providing some real
suspense each day for the anglers and guides.

Talented Fly-Anglers were able to pull in a total of 57 fish during the five-day stretch, consisting of 34 Release and 23 Weight Fish, resulting in a slight decrease to last year’s 66 fish and a significant decrease from 2022’s 103 fish. Teams of Anglers and Guides compete for various trophy and sponsor-donated items. The real honor is for the overall winning team to have their names added to the 61-year-old perpetual trophy. The historic GCTT trophy is showcased locally at The Florida Keys Outfitters.

First time Grand Champion Angler, Nathaniel Linville from Key West, FL, and Guide to Grand Champion, Capt. Ian Slater, earned their Grand Championship title with 3280 points, consisting of 4 Weight Fish for the week. Linville and Slater’s Weight Fish weighed in at 95, 73.3, 81.9, and 77.8 pounds. Nathaniel Linville’s never-failing passion for the sport and the pursuit of tarpon on fly has been evident over the years that he has fished the tournament. Linville says, “The relationships I’ve had with guides in this pursuit have allowed so much to become possible for me that wouldn’t be otherwise. The Gold Cup is something that Ian and I have been working on as a team for the past four years. Unsurprisingly, that alliance has led to a close friendship on and off the water. One of the best parts of winning is sharing in the\ completion of a common goal with a close friend and teammate. Thane Morgan once told me “it’s worth what you put in”. I believe the time Ian and I have spent together trying to improve is what makes it worthwhile. Being on a team is not always easy, but when it pays off it makes me feel so lucky to have the relationships that I do. I’m deeply humbled that things came together during the week when the lights were lit. After letting our lead slip, day 5 brought with it an uncomfortable amount of pressure. I’m not sure I can articulate how winning felt, but I can say this: it felt strange to be handed a microphone in a room so full of so many people I respect so much. Honestly, I’m more interested in what they have to say than what I do.”

First Runner Up Angler, Thane Morgan from Amarillo, TX, and Guide, Capt. Dustin Huff, earned a total of 2912 points. Morgan and Huff started the first 2 days slow, going out with a bang with 3 weight fish (129.2, 72.3, and 89.7 lbs) in the final 3 days of the tournament.

Second Runner Up Angler, Evan Carruthers from Maple Plain, MN, and his Guide, Capt. Greg Dini, earned Second Runner-Up with 2860 points. Carruthers caught a total of 2 Release Fish and 3 Weight Fish weighing 74.1, 75.6, and 76.3 pounds.

The Largest Tarpon Award was earned by Angler Thane Morgan of Amarillo, TX and his Guide, Capt. Dustin Huff, with a fish weighing approximately 129 pounds! Angler Ron Anno and Capt. Jason Sullivan earned the award of Most Releases—bringing in 3 release fish on time.

The 62nd Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament will take place June 16-20, 2025. For
additional information, including current results and sponsors, please visit the
website at www.GoldCupTT.com.

Tournament Format & Official Rules

The Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament is an all release fly-fishing format using 16lb test IGFA specifications unless otherwise superseded by the official tournament rules. Five weight fish (70 pounds minimum) can be measured for “weight” points with 10 points awarded per pound.