FLORIDA DIVISION

CAPT. DAVE DALFO

Fish Camp / 1,000 pts.

• Pelican Yacht Club Billfish Tournament,1st Place – 500 pts.

• Gold Cup Team Tournament, 1st Place – 500 pts.

By John Brownlee

Captain of the Year Dave Dalfo’s Journey: From Stuart to the Caribbean Circuit

Capt. David Dalfo grew up in Stuart, Florida, where he was taught the art of dead-bait sailfish trolling by one of the best, the late Capt. Patrick Price. “He was a mentor for sure,” Dalfo said. “He was without a doubt one of the best at dead-baiting, and he taught me all the tricks.” Sailfish captains in Florida are typically divided into two groups: Those who pull rigged dead baits (mostly ballyhoo), from Stuart north, and those who prefer using live bait, from Jupiter south.

Dalfo later traveled north to Hatteras where he learned the offshore trade in that part of the world from his uncle. As his career progressed, he joined the offshore circuit so many other seasoned captains have followed, traveling to St. Thomas and other parts of the Caribbean to hone his skills on larger game, blue and white marlin. He got his first captain’s job in St. Thomas, running the 58-foot Monterey, Chach, for Damon Chouest.

Captain of Fish Camp and the Awesome Team

Eventually, though, he made the decision to find work closer to home in order to raise a family, and that led him to his current position as captain of Fish Camp, a 2007 61-foot Spencer. “It’s an incredible fishing boat,” Dalfo said. “We didn’t buy it new, but whoever set it up originally did it right, with serious fishing in mind.” Chris Lazzara and Lach Cheatham own Fish Camp and Dalfo says they have assembled an awesome team that enjoys each other’s company and works well together. “When we’re together on the boat, we always say, ‘Nobody else has as much fun as us,’” Dalfo said. “We keep it light, and everybody has a good time. It’s all good vibes, and we have no bad attitudes on the boat, ever. If someone misses a fish, we might give him a hard time about it for a minute, but then we let it go and move on to the next fish.” Fortunately, this crew misses very few fish.

Winning Tournaments and Recognizing the Crew

For example, they won the Pelican Yacht Club Billfish Tournament in Ft. Pierce, Florida this year by going 17-for-19 on sailfish, a solid record for sure. The anglers on Fish Camp include Lazzara and Cheatham, along with Geoff Mayfield, Brian Kirkpatrick and Mike Gozzo. Marshall Busha has worked the cockpit as the mate for five years and does an incredible job keeping things organized and keeping fresh baits in the spread. “People kept congratulating me for winning tournaments because I’m the captain,” Dalfo said, “but it’s really the team that makes the difference year after year. They make me look good.” In my 18 year captain career I’ve only had two mates, Matt Coppoletta and Marshall Busha. Both incredible fisherman and incredible friends to me. I attribute a lot of my success to them. It’s rare to find that kind of tenure with crew and I think it’s special.”

Maintaining a Top-Tier Vessel

Dalfo also says the boat itself contributes to the team’s success. “It’s powered by twin 1650 hp Caterpillar C32s, and we run them hard,” he said. “We put 5,000 hours on the boat in a five-year period and never had a single failure. That’s pretty amazing.” The engines currently have 8,400 hours on them and are running strong, and Dalfo attributes much of that to Chris Payne, owner of C&B Marine Diesel in Vero Beach, Florida. “He’s an amazing mechanic and he actually answers the phone every time we call, which is nice. Plus, Michael Rybovich and his team at Michael Rybovich and Sons maintain the boat, so it’s always in top shape and ready to go.”This combination of great onboard chemistry, superb fishing skills and a finely tuned and well-maintained boat adds up to a team that’s hard to beat, as their 2025 tournament record clearly demonstrates. “I’d like to thank the Lazzara and Cheatham families for everything,” Dalfo said. “Their support, enthusiasm and positive attitudes keep the job fun and make all of our success possible.”

Support from Home

Dalfo adds that support from home means a great deal as well. “Being in the fishing business is very hard when you’re trying to start and raise a family,” he said. “It takes a special woman to put up with a husband being gone so much of the time, but fortunately, my wife, Rainnie, is very patient and totally supports me in my career, along with our two children, Grace and Graham. That makes a huge difference! ”With such an awesome crew and an unwavering support team behind him, look for Dave Dalfo to show up in a lot of upcoming tournament winners circles!

Images courtesy of Out Your Front Door

---

2025 Florida Division Captain of the Year Results

Divisions: East Coast / Florida / Gulf Coast / International / Hawaii 

---