THE WINS STARTED EARLY.
Long before today’s JawsToo Fishing Charters, competitive fishing was already part of the Mistretta story. From a high-school tarpon win in 1979 to decades of kingfish tournaments, national championships and father-and-son weigh-ins, this is the tournament record behind the name.
STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL.
FIRST PLACE.
In 1979, Dave Mistretta entered the Suncoast Tarpon Roundup and landed a 139-pound tarpon, taking first place in the Landlubber Division. It is the first tournament win listed in the family’s surviving record — years before the JawsToo Pro Team would become a familiar name at Gulf Coast weigh-ins.
THEN THE RECORD KEPT GROWING.
Tarpon. Sharks. Kingfish. Local tournaments and national competition. The species changed, the tournaments changed and the team evolved — but showing up ready to compete became part of the JawsToo story.
Tarpon. Sharks. And A Lot Of Firsts.
The early record grew fast. A 211-pound bull shark won the Landlubber Division at O’Neil’s Shark Tournament in 1981. In 1984 came a 354-pound hammerhead championship and a 147-pound Indian Rocks Beach tarpon win.
Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the record continued with Suncoast Tarpon Roundup trophies, women’s and junior awards, and a 176-pound tarpon championship in 1992.
The Kingfish Years Got Big.
The late 1990s pushed the team into major kingfish competition. The surviving record lists national-level finishes, boats and motors among the prizes, and a remarkable 1998 season that included multiple first- and second-place finishes.
In 2000, the team won the Yamaha Pro Tour Southern Kingfish Association event in Biloxi with a listed $38,500 aggregate cash prize, followed by another major Pro Tour finish that same year.
Then David’s Name Hit The Board.
By 2004, David Mistretta was showing up in the tournament record, too. The old results list junior-division wins and trophies in Southern Kingfish Association and John’s Pass events, followed by more junior finishes in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
By 2008 and 2009, JawsToo was again near the top at King of the Beach, including second-place overall finishes and tournament-within-a-tournament results.
49.12 Pounds. First Place.
The 2015 Spring King of the Beach became one of the standout entries in the record: a 49.12-pound kingfish, first place against a field listed at more than 400 boats, and $27,560 in winnings.
But the part worth remembering wasn’t only the fish. The history records that $10,000 of those winnings was donated to a former teammate battling cancer, helping spark additional fundraising throughout the local fishing community.
Still Showing Up At The Weigh-In.
Later results kept the JawsToo name on the board: a 2018 King of the Beach finish, Wild Wild West tournament results in 2019 and 2020, and another major King of the Beach performance in 2021.
The old record lists a 43.95-pound kingfish for third place in the 2021 Spring Old Salt’s King of the Beach, followed by first place in the 2021 aggregate division with 62 pounds for the year.
THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE BIG.
THE RECORD IS LONGER.
The original JawsToo tournament archive spans decades. These are selected entries from that surviving record. Open the list if you want more of the receipts.
View more of the tournament record
1979–1995
1979 — 1st, Suncoast Tarpon Roundup Landlubber Division, 139-lb tarpon.
1981 — 1st, O’Neil’s Shark Tournament Landlubber Division, 211-lb bull shark.
1984 — 1st, West Coast Anglers Shark Tournament, 354-lb hammerhead; 1st, Indian Rocks Beach Tarpon Tournament, 147 lbs.
1985 — Suncoast Tarpon Roundup weekly and jackpot wins, including a 151-lb tarpon.
1991 — First Annual Kingfish Classic: daily, jackpot and aggregate highlights.
1992 — 1st, Suncoast Tarpon Roundup, 176-lb tarpon.
1994–95 — Multiple tarpon, kingfish, jackpot, husband/wife, women’s and junior awards.
1996–2003
1996 — Southern Kingfish Association National Championship runner-up; boat, motor and trailer listed among the prize package.
1998 — West Coast Kingfish Championship and Gene Turner Sun Coast Kingfish Classic wins; multiple national and regional finishes.
1999 — Gene Turner Sun Coast Kingfish Classic champion and additional top finishes.
2000 — Yamaha Pro Tour SKA Biloxi champion; additional national tournament finishes.
2001 — 2nd, Old Salts Kingfish Tournament plus jackpot result.
2003 — Multiple King of the Beach and John’s Pass finishes.
2004–2014
2004 — David Mistretta junior wins and divisional results in SKA and John’s Pass competition.
2005 — David records multiple junior trophies; team records multiple 42.7-lb-class tournament finishes.
2008 — 2nd overall King of the Beach, 35.78 lbs; junior win also listed.
2009 — 2nd overall King of the Beach, 38.54 lbs, plus TWT result.
2010 — 1st, Rough Riders Offshore Tournament, 104-lb total.
2013–14 — Wild West, Suncoast and Old Salts top finishes.
2015–2021
2015 — Spring King of the Beach champion, 49.12 lbs; Wild Wild West Leg 3 champion; King of the Beach aggregate winner.
2016 — Sarasota SKA Gulf Coast Open: 45.8 lbs, 3rd overall; junior division win also listed.
2017 — Multiple Suncoast and King of the Beach top finishes.
2018 — King of the Beach 12th place; winnings listed as donated to charity.
2019–20 — Wild Wild West series and Tournament of Champions results.
2021 — Spring King of the Beach 3rd, 43.95 lbs; 1st aggregate division for the year, 62 lbs.
THE RECORD LIVES ON.SO DOES THE STORY.
Today, JawsToo is still about getting offshore, finding fish and making the kind of day people remember. The tournament history explains where some of that instinct came from. The next trip doesn’t need a trophy to be a good one.
PLAN YOUR IRB FISHING TRIP →DECADES OF GULF COAST TOURNAMENT FISHING.ONE JAWSTOO STORY.
The JawsToo fishing tournament history is rooted in the waters around Indian Rocks Beach (IRB), Florida and stretches across more than four decades of competitive Gulf Coast fishing. Captain Dave Mistretta’s surviving tournament record begins with a 139-pound tarpon win in 1979 and grows through tarpon tournaments, shark tournaments, kingfish classics, Southern Kingfish Association competition and major King of the Beach finishes.
FROM TOURNAMENT FISHING TO JAWSTOO CHARTERS
Over the years, the JawsToo name appeared at weigh-ins from Florida’s Gulf Coast to national kingfish events, with trophies, top finishes and memorable fish along the way. That competitive background became part of the experience behind JawsToo Fishing Charters in Indian Rocks Beach.
The same Gulf of Mexico that produced tournament tarpon, sharks and kingfish is where JawsToo takes private charter groups today.
OFFSHORE FISHING FROM INDIAN ROCKS BEACH
Depending on season and conditions, an offshore fishing charter from Indian Rocks Beach may target grouper, snapper, kingfish, tarpon, shark and other Gulf species. Families, first-time anglers and experienced fishermen can fish aboard the 40-foot Dorado with a second-generation local captain at the helm.
Staying in Indian Rocks Beach, Clearwater, Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach or elsewhere along Florida’s Gulf Coast? Plan your IRB fishing trip or read Why JawsToo.