The second event of the 2013 – 2014 Paddle-Fishing.com Tournament Series is now complete. For this event the lures used were provided by Gambler Lures.Each angler was provided a bag of 4″ Flapp’n Shads in Camo and 4″ Flipp’n Tubes in Green Pumpkin Chartreuse. The Flapp’n Shad is a saltwater type bait but the Flipp’n Tube raised some eyebrows and some doubts. By the end of the day, the Flapp’n Tube proved itself to be a bait every saltwater angler should try out.
The anglers were also provided scents from Pro-Cure and jig heads from Tommyhead Jigs.
As usual, 36 anglers showed up dark and early for the morning sign in. We had just had our first cold snap of the fall so the morning temperatures were in the 60 degree range. Tournament Director Rik Llewellyn arrived especially early in an effort to rid himself of the well deserved but not well liked forum avatar but still found half a dozen guys who had arrived before him.
Being the dedicated angler that they are, the PFTS contestants were busy telling fish stories before the fishing even began for the day.
The scoring format for this event was follows:
- 1 point per inch for one redfish.
- 5 points per spot on one side of one redfish.
- 20 points for a snook – length does not matter.
- 10 points each for up to 3 trout – length doesn’t matter
- 15 points for a jack – length doesn’t matter
It was a beautiful fall day that was full of sun that warmed everyone up quickly as the sun came up. Fishing, for most, was steady all day.
Once again we returned to Beanie’s Bar & Sports Grill in Ruskin, Fl for the Pic n’ Sip. Beanie’s is a family owned and operated and they have always treated us well with great service, cold drinks and excellent food – I suggest the Beanie’s Beef!
Now for the Winners!
1st Place went to Chuck “Teamshaft1” Statham. Chuck entered a 24.25 inch redfish, 2 spots, a snook, 3 trout and a jack for total points of 99.25. Chuck took home $180.
2nd Place went to Chris “ChrisR” Ravelo. Chris entered a 23.5 inch redfish, 2 spots, one snook, 3 trout and a jack for total points of 98.5. Chris took home $108.00
3rd Place went to John “jbdba01” Bishop. John entered a 20.5 inch redfish, 2 spots one snook, 2 trout and a jack for total point of 85.5. John took home $72.00
Large snook was won by Dave “rugrat” Stewart. Dave entered a 28 inch snook which earned him a Breathe Like A Fish shirt
Large redfish was won by Brendan “Redfish Driver” Driver. Brendan entered a 26.5 inch redfish, his personal best, and earned himself a Breath Like A Fish shirt.
Large trout was won by John “Ump608” Chapman. John entered an 18 inch trout which earned him a pair of Tailin’ Toads fingerless fishing gloves.
With many new and returning prize sponsors, we had a strong raffle after announcing the winners. With raffle prizes from Addictive Fishing, Salty Shores, FINS, Big Hammer and D.O.A, everyone stood a good chance of having their number called to take home a prize.
The day would not have been complete without a “Proud Dad” story from Rusty Driver. He gave a blow by blow description of his son Brendan’s catch of his personal best and tournament winning redfish. It a good time when son finally outfishes Dad (and the rest of the guys).
We’d like to give a big shout out to Val and Mike from Gambler Lures. They provided the anglers with quality baits and, I think, learned something about tube baits in saltwater. Yes, they do work!
The next event is December 14, 2013 and will be held in the Palma Sola area of Bradenton, FL. The tournament committee has studied the tides, catch reports from previous events held there, expected weather conditions the solunar tables in choosing the lures that will be used. It was a solid discussion among the committee members but we arrived at a logical choice for the lure. The anglers will be pleased and many fish will be caught! Look for a full announcement to be posted soon.
Once again, thanks to all of our sponsors and to the anglers who came out to compete. Looking forward to seeing all of you and more at the next event!
All photos courtesy of Bill “Heywood” Howard.