I got the opportunity to fish the Emerald Coast Redfish Club tournament this past Saturday. This tournament is all about introducing kids into tournament fishing. The only difference between this tournament and the others is the money on the line! This tournament is the one I look forward to all year! I got the privelidge of fishing with Enzo Vierra again this year. Enzo is the returning champion from 2010. Last year, we fished out of Hogtown Bayou, and made a short run to Panama City where we caught a bunch of fish. Enzo ended up weighing a 5.5 lb red to take 1st place, winning a trophy and a rod and reel combo. He was stoked!
When I asked him to fish with me again this year, the first thing he said was, “Are we going to win again?” Winning a tournament is not an easy task. To do it two years in a row, an even harder task, especially against the teams that would be there again. Pressure on!!!
When you take a kid fishing, your number one goal is to make sure he or she is entertained all day long. Wether catching fish, or telling stories, you have to keep the day rolling. I had a pre-concieved notion of what the fishing would be like, so I only brought a few of rods. One had a topwater, which is a great lure for a beginner. It gives them something visual on each cast. A simple retrieve brings on explosive strikes! I also had a rod rigged with a swim bait, which is an easy cast and retrieve lure. Then I had two rods rigged with the go to gold spoon. I had been to the area we fished a week before, and had great luck with long casts on topwaters and spoons, fishing around docks.
The morning of the tournament, we left the dock with high hopes, a game plan, We made a short 19 mile run to the east, and got to fishing. I had Enzo start with a topwater, and I with the spoon. We fished around the first 3 docks, and didn’t get a bite, swirl, nothing. That’s when Enzo started getting impatient. He grabbed a spoon rod and tossed it toward the next dock and BAM!!!!! Fish on. This fish pulled and pulled and pulled, and Enzo did a fantastic job fighting the fish, all the way to the boat. Netted the fish, and to the measuring board it went! 26 inches on the dot! To the livewell she went!
At 9 am, big fish in the livewell, only 4 docks into the day. I’m thinking its going to be a great day! How wrong was I. We fished HARD the rest of the day for only one more bite, which was a small 15 inch red. Enzo did a great job all day long, trying to get that next bite, switching lures, but keeping at it. At about 1:15, we turned the boat around, cranked the big motor, and made the 19 mile run back to the ramp.
Back at the dock, stories flowed in about only catching a handful of fish. Each captain reported either catching one fish all day, or a handful of 15 inch redfish. The grill was fired up and a much needed lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers was served. After everyone was finished telling ‘fishing stories’ and filling their bellies, the weigh in started. Enzo weighed in 3rd, and the weight of his only fish was 6.20 lbs. When the weights were totaled, Lightning had struck twice. Enzo again was the Champion of the Future Redfish Masters Tournament. Enzo won a 1st Place Plaque, a new fishing rod, and a spoon from Aqua Dream, and more importantly, one more year as ‘Champion’!
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Tight Lines,
Capt Bob Files
