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Old Salts put anglers in loop
By JON WILSON
Published August 16, 2006
ST. PETERSBURG - The 35th annual Old Salt Fishing Club's prestigious "loop tournament," which benefits the Children's Dream Fund, begins today with a captain's party 7-10 p.m. at Spa Beach on the approach to the Pier. The tournament has been considered the billfishing championship of Florida's west coast. Anglers pursue white and blue marlin, sailfish and swordfish, which are photographed and released. Weigh-in for tuna, dolphin and wahoo is Sunday at Spa Beach. The club is the largest annual donor to the Children's Dream Fund, which fulfills wishes for children ages 3 to 18 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Old Salt roots extend to 1971, when the club forged an alliance with oceanographers exploring the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and its loop current, a band of warm Caribbean water that enters the gulf from the Yucatan Straits and follows the coastline before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean from the Straits of Florida. The "loop tournament" name evolved from the club's efforts to help investigate scientific theories. This year, boats can leave port at noon Thursday. Rules allow departure from any port on the gulf. Fishing begins midnight Thursday and ends at 9 p.m. Saturday. A buffet brunch Sunday at Spa Beach is 9 to 11:30 a.m. Cameras must be turned in at 11:30 a.m. for photos to be developed. The weigh-in is 1 p.m.
[Last modified August 16, 2006, 07:17:45]
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