Outdoors

Big bucks, opportunities await tournament saltwater anglers

By TERRY TOMALIN
Published April 7, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Will competitive saltwater "flats" fishing achieve the same status as the freshwater bass tour?

Largo tournament angler Craig Lahr thinks it already has.

"The competition is tough but if you are fishing out of the right kind of boat, rigged with the right kind of motor, you can walk off with a check for $50,000," Lahr said. "Show me a kingfish tournament that pays that kind of money."

Angler incentives from manufacturers have made tournament fishing a big business. And Florida - with more registered boats than any state and a marine industry worth $15-billion - is a major battleground for sponsorship dollars.

Lahr and teammate Bryan Hudson of St. Petersburg, who recently received corporate backing from Checkers and local Yamaha dealer Central Marine, led 150 teams on the opening day of last week's FLW Redfish Series Eastern event at Stump Pass Marina in Englewood.

But on Day two, the anglers failed to advance to the final by 1 pound, 10 ounces.

"The fish came unbuttoned," Lahr said. "We finished 14th, but I still feel like we came out winners, because we came out on top of a lot of great fishermen."

Had Lahr and Hudson won, they would have received an additional $12,500 in prize money from the engine manufacturer. Had they been riding in a Ranger flats boat, or any other Genmar product, they would have received another $12,500.

But Andrew Bostick of Marco Island and Mark Sepe of Deland caught six redfish with a total weight of 39 pounds to win the three-day event and $37,500 purse.

Twenty years ago, the idea that such a high-paying tournament could be built around an inshore species such as redfish was a promoter's dream. But thanks to strict regulations and a widespread catch-and-release ethic among anglers, redfish is considered a management success today.

The FLW Redfish Series, one of two major sanctioning bodies, has attracted big-name sponsors such as Wal-Mart. The top 100 teams from the series' eastern and western divisions will compete in a $300,000 championship tournament in Pensacola on Oct. 19-21.

The winners will collect $100,000, which is shy of the $500,000 purse at this year's Bassmaster Classic in Kissimmee, but the payout is still mind-boggling considering that redfish just reopened to year-round angling a decade ago.

Tournament anglers have taken great care to make sure that their sport does not have an adverse impact on fish stocks. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission publishes a three-page protocol for tournament promoters explaining the proper way to run an event including catch and release, handling, livewells and catch bags.

Redfish management has been so successful that at a recent stakeholder meeting, many recreational anglers called for an increase in the bag limit. But biologists warn that with Florida's exploding population, an increase in fishing pressure combined with scaled back regulations could be trouble for redfish.

While state officials debate the future of Florida's valuable fishery, anglers nationwide will continue to compete in what has become the hottest segment of tournament fishing.

Next up: The Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup in Clearwater. This is the first stop on the Oh! Boy national tour. Competition will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The event kicked off Thursday with a tailgate party in Coachman Park. Activities including an expo and kid's casting competition, continue through Saturday. For more information on the FLW Redfish Tour, go to www.flwoutdoors.com To learn more about the Oh! Boy Oberto Redfish Series, go to www.redfishnation.com

Weigh-In: 101 Drew Street, Clearwater

Total Teams: 79

Teams fished Thursday and today. The five with the top weight will advance to Saturday's event. Purse - $40,000.

3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Expo open

4 p.m. - Boater's World seminar

5 p.m. - Weigh-in

10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Expo open

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Boater's World seminars (11 a.m., noon & 1 p.m.)

3 p.m. - Weigh-in

For more information, call (727) 464-9644

[Last modified April 7, 2006, 10:21:02]