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.
