Article
published May 25, 2005 - Englewood Herald-Tribune -
www.HeraldTribune.com
Fish cooperate at tarpon tournament
By Amy
Abern
BOCA
GRANDE -- The ones that got away might have outnumbered
the ones that landed in the boats, but what really mattered
was that the fish were biting at all.
The
first Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association Invitational
Tarpon Tournament was being hailed as a success Tuesday
after Jim Fink landed a 108-pound tarpon off Captain Nat
Italiano's boat Spook to win the top prize of $38,000.
Thirty-three
captains each paid a $2,650 entry fee; more than 90 percent
went into the prize pot. BGFGA President Cappy Joiner said
there was a total of $76,000 to split among the winners.
Linda
Foster, fishing off Lamar Joiner Sr.'s vessel Miss Sarah,
landed a 100-pound tarpon for second place and $22,800.
Coming
in third with the most catches and releases was angler Sally
Joiner, who also caught the only fish on Monday, the first
day of the two-day event. She won the Jay Joiner Memorial
Award third-place prize of $15,200. Joiner caught the prize
on Capt. Timmy Smith's boat Sundown.
Prizes
were based on a percentage of the entry fees.
According
to Capt. Jon Zorian, the odds were stacked against the anglers
on Monday: High winds kept fishing lines out of the water
and pervasive amounts of moss tangled with the bait.
Winds
were even stronger on Tuesday, but the fish were biting.
According to Cappy Joiner, by 4 p.m. several jumping tarpon
had been sighted, three had been turned in, three were hanging
on hooks and two had just been carted off to the weight
barge.
"There
were 13 fish caught today," said Cappy Joiner. "And
there were a lot more on the line, probably about 20 more
-- but we didn't land them."
Joiner
said those constitute pretty high numbers for one four-hour
stretch -- and that was the point when the guides association
decided last year to have the tournament.
The
catch-and-release event evolved as an off-shoot from another
popular Boca Grande annual event, the World's Richest Tarpon
Tournament, that takes place in July. That competition,
now in its 15th year, will take place July 6-8.
According
to Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Craig
Lutz, the World's Richest has always been held at that time
because it's the tail end of tarpon season.
"It's
a way to extend the season a little, encourage people to
come to the island and help the local economy in slow times,"
said Lutz.
It may
stretch the season but the tarpon population doesn't always
stretch with it. Last year, only one fish -- a 23.4-pounder
-- was caught. The year before, one tarpon, around 65 pounds,
was caught. Last year 35 boats entered the event, just over
half the size of the previous year's field.
The
fishing guides group chose this week for its event because
fishing during peak tarpon season makes for spirited competition.
Cappy
Joiner said the group plans on making the BGFGA Invitational
an annual event.
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