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With 15 Releases Over Two Days, Astra Sails Takes Home $441,500 and Secures Another Spot in Coach Jimmy Johnson’s Elite Ring of Honor
The 15th Annual Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week (JJFISHWEEKFL) concluded Saturday, March 7, with Team Astra Sails from South Florida capturing the coveted Quest for the Ring Catch & Release Championship title after recording 15 billfish releases over two days.
Owned by Sharon and John McTurk and captained by Quinton Dieterle of Cutting Edge Fishing, the team delivered a dominant performance aboard their 2017 SeaVee, earning $441,500 in total prize winnings and securing another spot in Coach Jimmy Johnson’s prestigious Ring of Honor.
Team Astra Sails included anglers Skylar Demoth, Brian Fengler, Jorge Mayol, Matthew Fengler, Greg B., John McTurk, Shane O’Conner, and Blake Pacella. Their winnings also included the VERA Cadillac Buick GMC Early Entry “Rockstar” Category prize of $150,000, along with a one-year lease on a new GMC Sierra 1500 Elevation.
The victory capped a milestone year for Jimmy Johnson’s “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week, which celebrated its 15th anniversary and once again delivered on its reputation as the sport’s richest guaranteed purse with total payouts surpassing $1 million during the 2026 competition.
Presented by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in partnership with Visit Lauderdale, the largest sportfishing tournament in South Florida welcomed more than 80 elite teams from across the country, competing across premier fishing grounds from Key Largo to Palm Beach.
Powered by Yamaha Motors, hosted by Contender Boats, and driven by VERA Motors, the championship once again transformed South Florida into the epicenter of the sportfishing world,
drawing anglers, industry leaders, and fans for a week of high-stakes competition and over-the-top entertainment.
With the team at Fish Hard Events and Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Jimmy Johnson at the helm, JJFISHWEEK has evolved from a single tournament in Key Largo into a weeklong championship fishing series spanning three South Florida counties and three distinct tournaments, including the two-day Catch & Release “Quest for the Ring” Championship, JJ’s National Sportfish Tournament presented by Big Dog Tackle – a weighted competition offering Calcuttas for the heaviest tuna, wahoo, dolphin, kingfish, and cobia – and the Hard Rock Invitational, an exclusive tournament for VIP guests of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Additional top teams from the 2026 Quest for the Ring Catch & Release Championship included: • 2nd Place – Reel Mortgage x Three R’s with 14 releases, earning $70,500. Owned and captained by Rene Vila, with anglers Pablo Arzola, Matthew Barkett, Stephen Chadwick, Nicole Lorenzo, Joseph Owners, Cameron Stadler, and Jacob Tanner.
- 3rd Place – Priceless Fishing Team with 13 releases, earning $144,500. Owned and captained by Tido Sanchez, with anglers Heather Thomas, Adam Alvarez, Alex Alvarez, Marcello Para, Esteban Bruno, Bernie Perez, Eddie Pulles, Matt Rodriguez, Raymond Romero, Johnny Vilario, Amy Elizabeth Taylor, and Noah Wildstein.
- 4th Place – Just Chillin with 12 releases, earning $155,500.Captained by Matt Alligood with anglers Mack Amos, Ryan Chance, Mike Ellis, Aaron Frye, Cade Frye, David Kairalla, Heather Murray, Rob Murray, Landon Murray, Michael Parks, Charlie Stubbs.
Additional tournament winners included:
JJ National Sportfish Tournament, presented by Big Dog Tackle
- 1st Place – Caught Slippin with two kingfish totaling 88.8 lbs, earning $37,700 overall across weighed-fish categories and 1st place in general entry.
Hard Rock Invitational Tournament
- Champion – Sequentis, earning $149,750.
Big Fish Calcutta (hosted by Land & Sea Professionals)
- Post Tension, earning $25,000.
Throughout the week, participants enjoyed a full slate of events and activations at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, including the All-Day Gifting Experience and the United Yacht Sales Owners Lounge. The tournament concluded with the iconic Hard Rock-style Closing Awards Bash, presented by Vera Buick Cadillac GMC, where champions were crowned and new teams entered Coach Jimmy Johnson’s prestigious Ring of Honor. For a complete list of winning teams, payouts, and tournament information, visit: https://questfortheringfl.com.
The team at Fish Hard Events now looks ahead to the next chapter of the championship series, including the Jimmy Johnson Atlantic City “Quest for the Ring” Championship Fishing Week, scheduled for July 12-18, 2026.
About FISH HARD EVENTS
Fish Hard Events annually hosts a series of fishing tournaments throughout the year with Coach Jimmy Johnson for Jimmy Johnson’s Championship Fishing Week (JJFISHWEEK) and the culmination is this project, the Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament of Champions (TOC), which takes place in Miami Beach as a celebration of the best of the best teams, the celebrities of the sportfishing, who come together to compete for a high stakes tournament weekend. Coach Jimmy Johnson’s Championship Fishing Week has (2) legs, (1) takes place annually in March across South Florida, where teams come from around the country to fish from Ocean Reef in Key Largo, Fl to Palm Beach and celebrate at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino throughout the week, with a $1Mill Guaranteed purse and up to $2Mill est payout annually, and (1) in July, which takes place in Atlantic City, NJ and attracts teams from across the east coast to join in Atlantic City to compete, which another est $2Mill plus up for grabs.
February’s Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament of Champions is the culmination of the hard work these teams put on annually and brings together the leading teams in sportfishing for a VIP Kick off to South Florida Sailfish season with a weekend of luxury entertainment from local partners and high stakes sportfishing with teams from across the country, hosting a purse of est. $300,000-$400,000 and three days of intense tournament fishing and hospitality events taking place at Miami Beach Marina. Teams that generate a certain amount of dollars throughout the competitive season throughout a variety of different tournaments in the country are invited to join. More information can be found at www.fishhardevents.com or on social @fishhardevents @jjfishweek or @jjfishweekac .
