Del Brown 2025 Results

 

 

It’s my great pleasure to, once again, talk about one of my favorite topics: Kat. Most of you know already that she won the 2025 Del Brown tournament with Captain Nick Labadie, and I’m not trying to break this news. I’m aware the internet moves faster these days than I can figure out what the ig password for the Angling Company is. However, I can relate a few things about Kat.

Kat’s first tournament was the 2014 Del Brown, where she fished with Captain Drew Delashmit on a generous invite from Ted Margo (who had a last-minute conflict). Kat fished the tournament, according to her, “hoping to catch something”. They had a bonefish that was disqualified on the second day, when the line got tangled on the bow platform, and even though they landed the fish they were unable to score it due to IGFA regulations, and I remember how frustrating it was for Kat to lose a fish that would have scored in the bonefish division that way. On the next-and-final day of fishing she did something that seemed improbable at the time—caught her first permit, ever, in a tournament. She didn’t place, but she handled a tough loss and came back stronger and made a mark. For where she was at in her angling career, she did something amazing.

The following year, also with Drew Delashmit, she caught (in slick calm conditions) a monster 32.5-inch permit that weighed near 30 pounds. It was the biggest fish caught in the tournament that year.

Kat started tournament fishing with Captain Doug Kilpatrick a few years later, and they worked hard. She caught world records with Captains Brandon Cyr and Nick Labadie, but all the while was hoping for a tournament win. For whatever reason, this seemed to be the thing she wanted most—and desire can be an enemy of success. In 2022, they had what seemed like an insurmountable lead going in to the last day, which they built on further with a fourth fish before lines out. Their win wasn’t to be: Captains Justin Rea and Jose Ucan returned with a stunner—six fish that, while small, added up to more than Kat and Doug’s total and won the tournament in an historic upset. Kat was crushed, obviously. Any competitor can tell you that these losses are so difficult, for so many reasons.

The following year Kat and Doug returned, but things had changed: the fishery was in a difficult spot, and the weather was horrendous. In four days, Kat and Doug managed a single shot at a permit on the final day of fishing. Imagine: you lead a tournament, getting all those “You go girl, way to represent!” texts, putting additional pressure on you, and you perform. You catch fish every day, even on the last day when you’re already in the lead. Then another comes over the top dramatically, knocking you out of first. The next year the fishing is truly challenging, and you don’t see a fish on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. You haven’t seen a fish in three days, let alone get a shot, and you finally see one mid-morning on the fourth day. All of the weight of being the first female, all the disappointment of losing the last year, all of the nerves of realizing this might be the only shot you get.

Kat made the cast and caught the fish, the only one caught in the 2023 March Merkin that seemed destined to be fishless.

This year, Kat had intended on retiring from the tournaments. She’d done what she set out to do, and is focusing on other creative projects (stay tuned!). Robert Dougherty was unable to make the tournament this year, and Nick was looking for an angler, and Kat decided to enter a last time to have some fun and go fishing. They caught two fish each day, and they needed all of them to fend off a tremendous third-day assault from Captain Brandon Cyr and Mike Ward that nearly took home top honors.

Kat now holds three world records—the 4-pound, 6-pound and 8-pound tippet—for permit, and is the first female angler to win any permit tournament, and now has also won the Del Brown.

What you’re looking at, in Kat, is a true champion. When the fishing gets hard, she doesn’t complain about “things changing” or “not being the way they used to be”.

She doesn’t look for unfairness to explain her lack of success.

She doesn’t find people to complain about, or things to dislike and fixate on.

When it matters most she turns inwards to hard work, practice, and surrounding herself with great people. Every person I mentioned in the brief history above, particularly the guides she has fished with, she respects and holds in the highest regard because she knows how much she’s learned from them.

To Nick Labadie, I’ll say I told you so. You’re a true talent, and I’m so happy for you.

To Kat, personally, I say this: In 11 years, you’ve gone from hoping to catch a bonefish in the Del Brown to being, unquestionably, one of the best permit anglers in the world. I love you and I respect you so much as an angler. One day, Violet will know what her mother has done and it will feel normal to her to push through adversity, look towards herself, and succeed.

That’s all from me

Nathaniel