The PFTS Angler of the Year competition was sponsored by Jackson Kayak. The points were close and the eventual winner had what might be called an uncomfortable lead going into the final event. There were a couple guys who had a shot at taking the lead if they could put together a big day in the final event.

Chuck “Teamshaft1” Statham fished hard and held his lead to become the 2011 – 2012 PFTS Angler of the Year. With 336 points, he beat second place by just 11 points and third by 35 points. With one point equal to one inch and those points spread out over 5 events, Chuck had to fish hard at each event to stay in the running. Congrats Chuck! You deserve the win.

Photos courtesy of Bill “Heywood” Howard.

For his efforts, Chuck took home a shiny new Jackson Kayak Cuda, a Polar Bear Cooler and a Hook 1 gift certificate.

The winners for 2nd through 10th are:

Position	Angler	Points	Winnings
2nd Place	ChrisR	325.25	$423
3rd Place	Justin “13”	301.50	$302
4th Place	Andrew “Buda”	283.50	$242
5th Place	Walt “EZYLYF”	277.00	$181
6th Place	Dave “Bigfish171”	226.50	$61
7th Place	Stev “Tide1On”	204.00
8th Place	Todd	198.25
9th Place	John “JKL”	194.00
10th Place	Norm	182.00

PFTS #5, the final event of the 2011-2012 Paddle-Fishing.com Tournament Series, is complete.

Final Results here……

The 5th and last event of the 2011-2012 PFTS season was held Saturday, April 7, 2012 in the Palma Sola area. The 33 competitors were met at the early morning sign in with a chilly 20 knot wind that had many rethinking their plans of where to fish.

The format for this event was My Lure is Better Than Your Lure. Each angler picked one lure to use all day. You could bring as many of that lure as you wanted but could only use that lure. The lure choices for the day ran across the entire spectrum from topwaters to spoons to a variety of soft plastics. It became evident at the Pic n’ Sip that no single lure had any advantage over the others when it came to catching fish yesterday.

There were a lot of fish caught by almost everyone. The weather seemed to have to have sent the big fish into hiding with mid to low 20 inches being the largest fish reported. For some, trout were not to be found while others, less than a mile away, couldn’t get away from trout.

The Pic n’ Sip was held at Tequila Beach located at 7423 Manatee Ave.  in Bradenton, FL . This has become a regular and favorite spot as the food is delicious and the service is top notch.

The judges are hard at work tabulating the results. On a personal note, and one shared by everyone who attended , it was nice to see Mark at the Pic n’ Sip in his much appreciated spot behind the computer. Welcome back Mark!

The guys who make the PFTS happen:

Here are the results:

Slam Category

1st Place went to Andrew “Buda” with a 66.75 inch slam. Buda took home $165 and a Finatic Designs print.

2nd Place went to Ron “Idle Speed” with a 64.25 inch slam. Ron took home $99 and a Wang Anchor.

3rd Place went to Steve “Tide1On” with a 57.75 inch slam. Steve took home $66 and a Polar Bear Cooler.

Snook Division

1st Place – Walt “EZYLYF” – 24 inch snook.  Canoe Country gift certificate.

2nd Place – Todd – 21.25 inch snook. FINS Superline.

3rd Place – Olin “Olinfins” – 20 inch snook. Backwater Paddle.

Redfish Division

1st Place – Dave “Bigfish171” – 23.75 inch redfish. Holy Mackeral Tackle gift certificate.

2nd Place – Peter “Mako” – 23 inch redfish. Hook 1 gift certificate.

3rd Place – Chuck “Teamshaft1” – 22 inch redfish. The PFTS Perpetual Jug

Trout Division

1st Place  – ChrisR – 20.25 inch trout. Masthead Enterprises gift certificate

2nd Place – John “Ump608” – 19 inch trout.  FINS Superline

3rd Place – MikeB – 18.25 inch trout. Backwater Paddles

All photos courtesy of Bill “Heywood” Howard.

Congratulations to all the winners and a big thanks to all of our sponsors.

This was the final event for this season. Next year will be our 10th year of the series. Once we figure out the formats and logistics for next season, we will announce the dates, times and places for next season.

Once again, a big thanks to our sponsors and to all who came out to compete this year!

PFTS #4 – The Erick Bell Memorial – is complete. The final event of the series is on April 7, 2012. Look forward to everyone coming out. We will be anouncing the Angler of the Year results at the end of this last event.

Final Results here….

The Erick Bell Memorial honors the man who started the “One Lure Tournament”. We use one of our events each season to follow the tried and true concept. In the Erick Bell Memorial anglers are told which lure they will use for the day. It is one lure, all day. You can have as many of them as you like but can only use that one lure.

The event took place in Upper Tampa Bay with anglers spread out from Safety Harbor to Rocky Creek and every fishy spot in between. Fish were caught on the outside flats and back in the creeks.

We typically choose a lurte that isn’t one of the regulars in everyone’s tackle box. For this event we chose the 1/4 ounce Storm WildEye Swim Shad. We allowed both the golden mullet or the shad colors.

The day started with unseasonably warm weather under blue skies and a negative low tide which challenged everyone to find some water and learn how to use the bait. While plenty of fish were caught, there was only one Snook, Redfish, Trout slam caught among the 30 competitors.

The Pic n’ Sip was held as the Cop Shop in Oldsmar. Once again, thank you Cop Shop for welcoming our crew.

Now for the results of the Erick Bell Memorial:

Slam Category

First Place went to JoseC with a 74.45″ slam. Jose took home $150 and a Polar Bear Cooler.

Third Place went to Mako with a 45.5″ best three Red and Trout combination. Mako took home $60 and a Finatic Designs print.

Snook Division

1st Place – 13- 33.5 snook – Fins Superline

2nd Place – MarkM – 21″ snook – Holy Mackerel Tackle Gift Certificate

3rd Place – Dirksfishin – 12″ flounder – Backwater Paddle

Redfish Division

1st Place – EZYLYF – 28.25″ redfish – Fins Superbraid

2nd Place – Bigfish171 – 27.5″ redfish – Canoe Country Outfitters Gift Certificate

3rd Place – Buda – 23.5 redfish – PFTS Perpetual Jug

Trout Division

1st Place – Tide1on -23″ trout – Fins Superbraid

2nd Place – Rugrat – 21″ trout –  Masthead Enterprises Gift Certificate

3rd Place – MikeB – 20.25″ trout – Backwater Paddle

Congratulations to all of the winners and a big thanks to all of our sponsors.

Our next event is PFTS #5 – The My Lures are Better than Your Lures – is on April 7, 2012 in the Palma Sola area. This is the final event and we will be announcing the winners of the Angler of the Year!

We look forward to everyone, and more, coming out to join the fun.

Once again, a big thanks to all of our sponsors.

We had another incredible Florida day for the event. 50 anglers attended and were greeted with warm sun, light breezes and hungry fish!

See complete results here…..

PFTS #3, “The Tackle Box” was held January 28 2012 in the Fort Desoto area. The launch boundaries were, generally, the Pinellas Point and Fort Desoto area.

The format was The Tackle Box. Where all of the other PFTS events have specific lures or specific lure requirements, this one is wide open. Anglers could use any artifical lure they wanted.

50 anglers participated in the event. The morning started early for the anglers in the third PFTS tournament of the 2011 – 2012 season. The line promptly formed at 6:15 a.m. and sign up began.

 

Beautiful weather was forecast for the day and the weatherman was correct. It was chilly in the 50’s at the morning sign in but quickly warmed up to the mid 70’s once the sun broke the horizon. Really nice day for late January! The wind was very light most of the morning but finally picked up around noon.

The competitors seemed to split into three locations. Many went inside of Fort Desoto, others went on the outside to Jackass Key and Tarpon Key while the rest went out to Pinellas Point.

Those of us inside Fort Desoto saw a lot of laid up redfish that just weren’t eating. The trout bite was pretty good once the tide turned around 10 a.m. Those that headed towards Jackass and Tarpon Keys found tailing redfish that seemed to be finicky on what they would take. A few angler’s baits got their attention but most anglers were left scratching their heads. Pinellas Point was spotty but some good catches of trout did come from over there.

 

The Pic n’ Sip, our catch and release version of a weigh-in, was held at Boardwalk Pasta & Seafood Restaurant on the outside patio. Boardwalk Pasta & Seafood Restaurant in St. Pete. The food was delicious, drinks were cold and our waitress, Lisa, was top notch! Thanks once again Boardwalk Pasta & Seafood!

5901 Sun Blvd. St. Petersburg, FL 33715       Phone: 727-867-8000

The results of “The Tackle Box” are:

Slam Division

No snook were caught so a Slam consisted of a Redfish, Trout and Flounder.

First Place – John “jbdab1” Bishop took first place with a total slam of 75 inches. John took $250 and a Wang Anchor

Second Place – Chuck “Teamshaft1” Statham took second place with a total slam of 5.5 inches. Chuck took home $150 and a Polar Bear Cooler

Third Place – Mark “DoubleM” Mulligan took third place with a total slam of 52.5 inches. Mark took home $100 and a Finatic Designs Print

Here’s all three of the Slam winners with their prizes:

Redfish Division

1st Place – Justin “13” 27.75 inches – Masthead Enterprises gift certificate

2nd Place – Derek “Dirksfishin” – 27 inches – Hook1 gift certificate

 

3rd Place – Gepre “jorwors” – 26 inches – The PFTS Perpetual Jug

Flounder Division

1st Place – Mark “MarkM” Michaels – 15.5 inches – Holy Mackerel Tackle gift certificate

 

 

2nd Place – Dan “Texas Dan” – 13.25 inches – FINS Superbraid

Trout Division

 

1st Place – Steve M. “shallowpockets” Gibson –23.5 inches – Skwoosh Kayak Seat

2nd Place – Mark “CooknFish” Bellotte – 21.5 inches – Canoe Country Gift Certificate

3rd Place – Walt “Shallowfly” Palen – 21.5 inches

 

 

4th Place – Walt “EZYLYF” Ruda – 19.75 inches – FINS Superbraid

(note – due to a judging mishap we provided prizes through 4th place in the Trout division. This also means we do not have an “official” picture of the 3rd place winner)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to all of the winners and a big thanks to all of our sponsors.

Our next event is PFTS#4 – The Erick Bell Memorial – is on March 17, 2012 in the Upper Tampa Bay area. We look forward to everyone, and more, coming out to join the fun.

Once again, a big thanks to all of our sponsors.

The third leg of the Paddle-Fishing.com Tournament Series is scheduled for Saturday, January 28th.

The format – “The Tackle Box” – means you can use any artificial lure you want. Bring your whole tackle box if you want.

The location for PFTS #3 is Fort Desoto.

For complete info and to sign up, click here…..

Angler of the Year Running tally has been updated!

Click here…..

We had a great day with 62 anglers competing in The Mystery Lure sponsored by Riptide

See complete results here….

The Mystery Lure was held November 19, 2011 in the Gandy Bridge/Weedon Island area. The launch boundaries were, approximately, from US 19 to the west, Westshore drive to the east, Gandy Bridge to the north and a line from the south end of Weedon across the bay to the south end of Picnic Island.

The format was The Mystery Lure. The anglers who compete do knot know what they will be using for the day until they sign in on Saturday morning. This year the event was sponsored by Riptide Lures. They graciously stepped up to be the sponsor of The Mystery Lure. While the anglers did not know specifically which lures they would get on the morning of the event, they did know they would be getting a fish catching assortment from a well know Florida-based manufacturer.

62 anglers participated in the event. The morning started early for the anglers in the secondt PFTS tournament of the 2011 – 2012 season.  The line promptly formed at 6:00 a.m. and sign up began. Some were looked much happier about the early hour then others!

For this event, the weather was not a question. Everyone knew it would be a beautiful day but that wind would be a consideration. Many went in search of protected waters inside Weedon Island and on the east side of the bay around Picnic Island. Others braved the wind on the outside of Weedon and the 4th Street area. The wind did not have an effect on catching fish, though. All areas reported good catches. With 62 anglers competing, everyone had to spread out.

The Pic n’ Sip, our catch and release version of a weigh-in, was held at Harvey’s 4th Street Grille in St. Pete. As always, the food was delicious, drinks were cold and the waitresses were on top of their game keeping up with 60+ people.  Thanks once again Harvey’s!

The results of The Mystery Lure sponsored by Riptide are:

Slam Division

First Place – Walt “EZYLYF” Ruda took first place with a total slam of 75 inches. Walt took $310 and a Polar Bear Cooler

Second Place – Justin “13” took second place with a total slam of 65 inches. Justin took home $186 and a Wang Anchor

Third Place – Chuck (Teamshaft1) Statham took third place with a total slam of 64 inches. Chuck took home $124 and a Finatic Designs Print

Here’s all three of the Slam winners with their prizes:

Redfish Division

1st Place – John “jbdba1” Bishop – 26 inches – Holy Mackerel Tackle Gift Certificate

 

2nd Place – Buda – 25 inches – FINS Super Braid

 

3rd Place – Tony “hapyfish79” Lai – 24 inches – The PFTS Perpetual Jug

Snook Division

1st Place – Rob “paddlefish” – 29 inches – $25 gift certificate from Metalfab

 

2nd Place – Dave “Bigfish171” Horn – 27 inches – Canoe Country Gift Certificate

 

3rd Place – Bruno – 27 inches – Skwoosh Bilge Sponge

Trout Division

 

1st Place – Steve “Tide1On” – 24 inches – Paddle-Fishing.com logo’d Denali microfiber shirt

 

2nd Place – Mike “MikeT” Torregrasso – 23 inches – Masthead Enterprises gift certificate

 

3rd Place – Norm “Norm” Hall – 22 inches – Hook 1 gift certificate

4th Place – Ed “kspops” – 21 inches – Backwater Paddle Piranha paddle

(note – due to a judging mishap we provided prizes through 4th place in the Trout division. This also means we do not have a picture of the 1st place winner)

Remember this pic from above? See the guy on the left who is not smiling? That is Tide1On. After getting the 1st place win in trout, he is smiling now!

Our next event is PFTS#3 – The Tackle Box – is on January 28, 2012. We look forward to everyone, and more!, coming out

Culprit/Riptide is holding a photo contest on their Facebook page for the best picture of a fish caught in this tournament. You can visit their page HERE

Once again, a big thanks to all of our sponsors.