2026 IGFA Tommy Gifford Awards Wrap-up

A Florida Keys native, Captain Tim Carlile has guided the flats for more than 65 years. His lifelong connection to the fishery began in childhood, when he spent countless hours exploring backwaters with his father, Cliff, learning fish behavior, tides, wildlife and the delicate ecosystems that define the Keys.

While Carlile once held the IGFA World Record for a bonefish weighing 14 pounds, 10 ounces, his impact extends far beyond personal catches. He is best known for guiding anglers to success in some of the region’s most prestigious tournaments, including the Key West Fishing Tournament, Miami MET Tournament, Marathon International Bonefish Tournament, Mercury S.L.A.M. Celebrity Tournament, Sugarloaf Showdown, Florida Keys Tarpon Classic and the Redbone series. Many of his clients earned tournament victories, awards and grand slams for bonefish, tarpon and permit.

His consistent success reflects a deep understanding of fish movement, weather patterns and subtle flats conditions. Anglers aboard his flats boat, The Outcast, quickly recognize his respect for both the species and their habitats. For decades, Carlile has shared his knowledge with anglers of all ages, encouraging ethical angling and conservation.

That dedication extends beyond the water. He co-hosts the longest-running radio fishing show in the Florida Keys on the US1 Radio News Network (iHeartRadio) and has appeared on television programs, including George Poveromo’s A Different Kind of Backcountry and Backcountry Bonefish!. He is also featured on podcasts such as Florida Bay Forever and Mill House Podcast.

Carlile has been honored on the Middle Keys Top Spot Map, named a lifelong Hewes Ambassador and inducted into the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) 2025 Circle of Honor, receiving the Outstanding Guide Award. As BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie noted, “Bonefish & Tarpon Trust stands today on a foundation that Tim Carlile helped lay.”

Captain Eddie Herbert has spent more than five decades pursuing sportfishing around the world. Born and raised in Key Biscayne, Florida, Herbert grew up fishing whenever possible and spent time on charter docks studying daily catches. His career began after being invited aboard a charter, where he caught his first sailfish.

His first boat was a 23-foot SeaCraft named Bounty Hunter, aboard which he landed his first blue marlin off Bimini. He later operated his own charter boat, El Lobo, out of Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale, with IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Skip Smith as mate. The pair ran charters and tournaments throughout the mid-1970s, and Herbert continued charter operations through the 1980s aboard Bootlegger.

In 1995, Herbert began an 18-year tenure running Jim Lambert Sr.’s renowned Reel Tight program, first on a 50-foot Bertram and later on an 80-foot Merritt. Fishing 200 to 240 days annually, the team traveled extensively to premier destinations including Panama, Costa Rica, Bermuda, The Bahamas and St. Thomas. Their dominance on the Virgin Islands’ North Drop became legendary, often releasing multiple blue marlin before sunrise.

Herbert refined his approach under mentors such as IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer Peter B. Wright and through the influence of innovative captains like IGFA Tommy Gifford Awards recipient Brad Simonds. Following Lambert’s passing in 2008, Herbert continued at the highest level, captaining Jim Carr’s Never Say Never, based in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and fishing throughout the Pacific, including Magdalena Bay.

After more than 50 years on the water, Capt. Eddie Herbert remains one of sportfishing’s most respected figures, defined by professionalism, passion and legacy.

Captain Paul Whelan, widely known as “Wheels,” has been a foundational figure in the Cairns, Australia, game-fishing community since 1972. His career has played a major role in shaping both the growth and sustainability of Australia’s sportfishing industry.

Whelan’s passion for the ocean developed during his service with the Australian Army while stationed in Papua New Guinea. In Port Moresby, he became secretary of the Port Moresby Game Fishing Club, where he met John Costello, then head of Ports and Harbors of Papua New Guinea. In 1970, Paul joined Costello aboard the Olwen G to fish Cairns’ legendary waters, where he also met Captain George Bransford, a pioneer of the region’s big-game scene.

Whelan quickly built a reputation as one of Cairns’ premier captains, attracting anglers worldwide through skill, innovation and consistency. Among them was IGFA Fishing Hall of Famer and former IGFA Chairman Michael J. Levitt, who began fishing with Whelan in 1977. Over four decades, the pair set 10 IGFA world records, two of which still stand, pioneering ultra-light-tackle black marlin fishing.

Beyond competition, Whelan was instrumental in conservation advocacy, helping secure passage of the Fisheries Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) in 1997, which restricted commercial marlin harvest in the Coral Sea. He mobilized international support through fishing clubs and the IGFA.

Throughout his career, Whelan emphasized teamwork and mentorship, assembling elite crews whose members later became respected captains themselves. He retired from professional sportfishing in 2008 following the final Australian season of longtime client, Michael Levitt.

Captain Rom Whitaker has been a full-time charter fisherman in Hatteras Village for more than three decades and is widely regarded as one of the most respected captains in the sport-fishing industry. He has operated Release, a 53-foot Bobby Sullivan sport-fisher, since 1999 and routinely fishes close to 200 days per year out of Hatteras Harbor Marina.

Whitaker’s love for fishing began in early childhood, sparked by long days on Atlantic Beach piers with his grandmother, who helped nurture his passion for the ocean. Raised in Kinston, North Carolina, he learned freshwater techniques from his father and grandfather while fishing Broad Creek on the lower Neuse River. His first offshore trip to Hatteras in 1970, aboard a 19-foot Thunderbird, opened his eyes to the scale and challenge of bluewater fishing. In the years that followed, he owned several small boats, including a 23-foot SeaCraft, trailering to Hatteras nearly every weekend.

After earning a business degree from East Carolina University, Whitaker built a successful corporate career before realizing it couldn’t compete with life on the water. With the full support of his wife, Elaine, known throughout the village as “Shugg”, he moved permanently to Hatteras in 1987 and began fishing professionally. Since then, he has built a loyal clientele and a reputation for hard work, fairness, and mentorship, training generations of mates who went on to become captains themselves.

Whitaker’s catches include blue and white marlin, bluefin tuna, wahoo, dolphin, king mackerel, striped bass, and red drum. He is a longtime advocate for fishermen, having served more than 14 years on the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel and other South Atlantic Fishery Management Council committees. A proud member of the Hatteras Marlin Club, he remains deeply involved in the local community.

In 2024, Whitaker achieved a career-defining milestone when Release won the Fabulous Fisherman category and $2.2 million at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament with a 504-pound blue marlin, an iconic victory that cemented his legacy. Today, when Release leaves the dock, boats often follow, a quiet tribute to a captain who has earned the respect of Hatteras and the sport-fishing world beyond.