Guy Lanciano Wins Tuna Division at Key West Challenge

Guy Lanciano put the 58-foot On A Roll on top of the tuna division at the Key West Challenge, a result that mattered because the scales were not just seeing sailfish points. Tuna, cobia, dolphin, kingfish, and even the tournament’s first-ever pompano came through the weigh station, a reminder that one clean tuna can still change the tone of a Key West tournament.

The 2025 Viking Key West Challenge ran April 9-13 and drew 50 boats and more than 500 guests, with the fleet stretching from 46 to 90 feet and Valhallas from 37 to 55 feet. Over two fishing days, anglers released 168 sailfish, but the meat-fish side of the board stayed active enough to keep the tuna division relevant for crews hunting more than billfish points. Lanciano’s win aboard On A Roll was the clearest sign that tuna remained a live target in a mixed-bag offshore program built around the spring bite.

That matters in Key West because the Challenge is not an open field. It is reserved for Viking and Valhalla owners, which gives the event a tight owner-community feel and a very specific kind of competition. The docks fill with returning crews, the captain’s meetings set the tone, and the weigh station becomes the place where a good tuna can stand alongside sailfish releases and still decide a category. In a week like this, the guys who read the bait, the temperature breaks and the current lines can still get paid even if the billfish bite gets most of the attention.

The event’s structure also shows how family participation has become part of the package instead of an afterthought. The published schedule includes a kids dock tournament, a pool-party lunch, a poker run and an awards dinner, while the rules list first-, second- and third-place awards in tuna, dolphin, cobia and kingfish, along with sailfish and billfish. Fishing days are built around a 8:30 a.m. lines-in start, with weigh station hours at Conch Harbor Marina.

Pat Healey summed up the atmosphere at the awards dinner at Opal Key Sunset Pier: “The fishing was good, but the parties, friendship, camaraderie, and fellowship were over the top.” For tuna-minded anglers, the bigger takeaway was on the scales. Key West is still a place where a well-timed tuna can cut through a billfish-heavy field and carry real weight in a serious offshore tournament.