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Oh boy, casting lures, flying dogs

Coachman Park will be the site of a three-day redfish tournament and big air dog contest. Canines will leap into a 28,000-gallon pool, and the top fishing team can land $40,000.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published October 20, 2005

	[Times photo:]
	Hershey, a 1-year-old chocolate Labrador, chases a toy into the pool Wednesday while training with owner Claudine Benoist at her parents' Countryside home. They will compete Saturday in a big air dog jump in Coachman Park.

CLEARWATER - Be ready for dogs to fly and anglers to vie.

A redfish catch and release tournament, the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup, starts today and runs through Saturday at Coachman Park. A Ducks Unlimited Big Air Competition, in which canine athletes run and leap into a 28,000-gallon pool, will add some high-flying fun.

ESPN2 will videotape the three-day outdoor special for broadcast in January and February. The shows are expected to draw 6-million viewers.

The event, originally scheduled to come to Clearwater in September, also will be a sad reminder of better times. Many of the anglers and dog owners who had planned to come from the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coast for the original competition had to drop their initial plans in the face of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed their homes and boats.

"It's going to be very emotional because this is the first time all anglers have seen each other since a competition in August. It's a very close-knit group," said Cynthia Gamrot, sales manager for the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She said at least 30 competitors have been displaced. Many will be competing with borrowed boats and equipment.

"This competition is all they have left," she said.

The tournament, sponsored by Frogg Toggs, is the last qualifying stop before the November championship. About 100 two-person professional fishing teams plan to compete. Organizers aren't sure how many handler-and-dog teams to expect as some won't register until the day of the event.

The first-place team here this weekend wins $40,000. At the championship, slated for South Padre Island, Texas, in November, the winners will net a $50,000 first prize.

Gamrot said the convention and visitors bureau has organized a hurricane relief benefit to provide clothing, toys, household items, and health and beauty products to teams in need. The Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa is the host hotel.

The free event will feature a tailgate party and expo beginning at 3 p.m. today and Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday. In addition to redfish weigh-ins and a big air dog competition, there will be a key lime pie-eating contest, a kids' paintball and casting competition, dog training demonstrations, fishing tips, live music and giveaways.

The top five fishing teams from today and Friday will make it to the finals on Saturday. Each team will fish for nine hours each day, entering their top two fish by weight. Fish must be within the slot limit of 18 to 27 inches long.

In the big air competition, dogs will run the length of a 40-foot dock and leap into a 4-foot deep pool to retrieve their favorite toy. Distance is measured where the dog's hindquarters enter the water. Each dog jumps twice per round; the longest jump takes the top $500 prize.

Claudine Benoist and her 1-year-old chocolate Labrador, Hershey, took part in a big air competition in Orlando last weekend, placing ninth out of 75 dogs.

"This was his first competition, so I was very impressed," said Benoist, 34.

Hershey practices in the family's Clearwater pool and at Honeymoon Island, but Monday was his day of rest.

On Tuesday, the young retriever was back at practice, getting ready for this weekend's competition.

"He's all wound up and ready to go," Benoist said.

The Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup begins this afternoon with a tailgate party. The three-day event at Coachman Park includes a fishing tournament, big air dog competition, key lime pie-eating contest and children's casting and paintball competition. Thursday and Friday events start at 3 p.m., Saturday's events start at 10 a.m. The big air dog competition starts at 4 p.m. today and Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday. Children's casting and paintball competition runs from 4 to 6 p.m. today and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The pie-eating contest is at 2 p.m. Saturday. Redfish weigh-ins are 6 p.m. today and Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday. The event is free.

[Last modified October 20, 2005, 01:19:18]