Dalu completes grand slam of tarpon fly-fishing titles

A Charleston angler has put himself in some legendary company in the world of fly-fishing for tarpon. There are three major fly-fish tournaments in the Florida Keys for tarpon, and David Dalu, an emergency room physician, became just the fourth angler to win all three of the titles and the first fisherman to win all of them in a single year.

Fishing with Capt. Scott Collins of Marathon, Fla., Dalu had three weight fish and eight release fish to win the Golden Fly Invitational; had a record 21 releases in winning the Don Hawley Invitational; and completed the slam with three weight fish and 12 releases in the Gold Cup Invitational Tarpon Tournament.

Some of the past champions of the various tournaments include baseball legend Ted Williams, Olympic skier Andy Mill and fly-fishing legend Billy Pate. The trio who had won all three titles included Pate, Mill and Tim Mahaffey.

Dalu didn't catch his first tarpon on fly until 2002, but in five years has reached the pinnacle of tarpon fishing.

"Last year was my first year of fishing tarpon tournaments in the Keys," Dalu said. "I fished with my friend Scott Collins, and we fished the Golden Fly and had the most releases. We fished in the Hawley last year and won, the first time a new angler had ever won. That was a great win for us."

Two of the events are considered "weight" tournaments — the angler must catch a fish that meets a minimum weight standard based on a length-girth formula before accumulating points based on the weight of the fish or, for smaller fish, releases.

Dalu said it has been a lifelong dream of his to win all three titles, but it wasn't until getting a last-minute confirmation that he had the opportunity. He had the dates booked but was on the waiting list. He found out he and Collins were in while making a connecting flight in Atlanta.

"I hurried right to the anglers meeting, got my tackle together and fished Monday through Friday. I had worked a couple of night shifts so I was super-tired," Dalu said.

The first day he caught four release fish, but an angler must first catch a weight fish (70-pound minimum). On Tuesday, he and Collins caught two weight fish weighing 78 and 102 pounds and also had three releases to surge into the lead with enough points to win, although they didn't know it at the time. They added another weight fish and a few more releases for a convincing win.

"I knew eventually we would win the Gold Cup," Dalu said. "I just didn't think it would happen this year. One is so hard to win, but to win all three in the same year I didn't think about it. There's a lot of competition. There are great guides and great anglers.

"We really approach it with an almost fanatical feel. Scott and I are in contact year-round. We've been fishing together five years now as a friend and guide-client. The team aspect helps us be successful."

Dalu, who grew up in St. Louis, developed his love for fly-fishing as a youngster, reading books and practicing in his front yard. But it wasn't until later in life he was able to achieve his dream of fly-fishing in saltwater.

"For saltwater fly-fishermen, the Keys are the ultimate," he said. "The fish are big and tough and there's a lot of pressure down there so they are a very sophisticated fish. It challenges your game a lot. Once you catch a tarpon on fly, it's almost like a life-changing experience. They're such tremendous fish to catch in shallow water on the fly, and to get the visual aspect of the bit, it's an unbelievable experience that gets in your system. You become obsessed with it."

Dalu pointed out there are a number of talented fly-fishermen from the Charleston area, including Baker Bishop, who had the most releases in the Golden Fly tournament, and Ned Johnson, who won the Spring Fly Bonefish Tournament.

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