Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By RICK FRAZIER
Published January 31, 2005

The Old Salt Fishing Club registered more than 270 anglers for the 15th annual Johnny Keller Fishing Tournament. It was the largest turnout in the event's history. Anglers paid $25 to compete for a first-place prize of $500 each for four species: speckled trout, grouper, flounder and sheepshead.

Matt Brown was the first to weigh all four species, earning the master angler award worth $750. He weighed a 1.6-pound trout, 4.9-pound grouper, 3.2-pound sheepshead and .98-pound flounder. Brown fished with Sun Jae Yu on Team Wet Pet .

Jason Weinman on Team Yolkum won the grouper class with a 12.10-pound gag. Weinman's teammate, Ryan Barlow, was second at 11.20. Both fish were caught while trolling hardware in the Sunshine Skyway channel.

In the speckled trout class, Calvin Knapp landed a 4.26-pounder while fishing near Fort DeSoto. The fish ate a live shrimp under a float early in the day.

Mike Miskus, fishing with Mike DeVine on Team Pro Kat , won with a 4.42-pound sheepshead. It was caught with mussels at the Pinellas Bayway.

John Grim claimed first in the flounder class with a 1.34-pounder. Grim was fishing with Lance Brooks by the John's Pass Bridge on Florida Live Bait when the flounder ate a lead jig head tipped with shrimp.

--Rick Frazier runs Lucky Dawg Charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at 727 510-4376 or by e-mail at captainrick@luckydawg.com

[Last modified January 31, 2005, 00:38:15]