2006 Mercury Redbone S.L.A.M.
Naples, Florida angler Troy Pruett had two
great days of fishing last weekend in 1st leg of the Mercury
Redbone Celebrity Tournament trilogy. Pruett caught 9 tarpon,
2 bonefish and a pair of permit to earn Grand Champion Angler
honors in the coveted contest. “It was great tournament.
Troy and Jeff did a great job and we were very fortunate.”
Captain Rich Tudor said when asked about his tournament experience.
The tournament’s format calls for anglers to target
bonefish, permit and tarpon. Catching at least one of each
of the three species is the objective. The coveted three fish,
Keys Flats Slam trumps any and all combinations of catches.
For example; if angler A catches 1 bonefish, 1 tarpon and
1 permit he would defeat angler B, who caught 30 bonefish
and 27 tarpon, but failed to land a single permit. Moreover,
very important bonus points are awarded to anglers and teams
for additional slams after the first one. This is an exciting
format, and leads to many different strategies, depending
on tides, wind directions, catch totals, etc… Captain
Tudor’s plan for targeting the tarpon on day two obviously
paid big dividends for his two anglers. Captain Tudor’s
anglers caught 16 tarpon on day two, 16! Moreover, Tudor,
Pruett and Ball’s impressive performance earned them
3750 points! 3750 is just 50 points shy of the all time point
record last month by Captain Tim Hoover and his anglers, Jim
Bokor and Jim Hoefert at this year’s Redbone at large
tournament held at Little Palm Island.
Furthermore, Mercury’s Redbone S.L.A.M always brings
out many of the top guides and anglers from the Keys and abroad.
The fishing in the Lower Keys and Key West is arguably the
best in the island chain this time of year. There are many
areas that hold bonefish, permit and tarpon. Therefore, you’ve
got a perfect combination for exciting tournament fishing
and this year catch numbers prove it, 68 bonefish, 81 tarpon
and 34 permit caught on 35 boats.
Subsequently, this year’s event was a perfect example
of the stiff competition, especially amongst three teams.
Earning runner up grand champion angler honors was Kal Blumberg.
Mr. Blumberg had a fantastic fishing performance over the
weekend. Blumberg also won the award for most bonefish and
most permit releases. Blumberg was fishing with guide, Captain
Mark Krowka. Captain Krowka had an outstanding tournament
adding a guide to grand champion honor in the Super Fly, (a
tournament within the tournament). The Super Fly takes place
on Friday, the day before the general competition. Krowka’s
angler in the Super Fly was Mo Smith of Tennessee.
In the team division of the S.L.A.M. anglers, Jim Bokor and
Jim Hoefert of Tavernier, Florida fishing with Captain Tim
Hoover earned grand champion team honors. Mr. Bokor also won
the award for the largest bonefish caught in the tournament.
Finishing in the number 2 slot in the team division were Captain
Tudor, Jeff Ball and Troy Pruett. Pruett also won the award
for most tarpon releases.
The name sake division of the tournament, the Celebrity Division
also had some very tough competition. However, when the numbers
were all added up former Florida Marlin’s pitcher Bill
Hurst came out on top. Bill’s guide was Captain Andy
Thompson.
The Grand Champion in the Lady’s division was Mrs. Linda
Denkert. Linda was guided by her husband, Captain Dave Denkert.
Team Denkert also received the award for most tagged bonefish.
In other divisions, former astronaut Bruce Melnick won the
Spin/Plug division, Bruce’s guide was Captain Craig
Brewer. Melnick also earned the award for largest tarpon.
The fly division was won by Mike Allen guided by Captain Will
Benson. In the largest permit division, Tom Beatty was the
winner. Tom’s guide was Captain Aaron Snell. Finally,
the top anglers for each day were recognized. Top angler day
one went to Kal Blumberg, and day two honors went to Troy
Pruett. Also, in the Super Fly Nicolas Pierce was runner up
grand champion angler.
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Wrapping things up, the big winner in the tournament is Cystic
Fibrosis. The exact numbers raised weren’t available
by press time, by certainly thousands of dollars were raised.
The Mercury S.L.A.M. is the first leg of the Redbone tournament
trilogy, (S.L.A.M. in Key West, the Mercury Baybone in Key
Largo and the Mercury Cheeca Redbone in Islamorada) all which
raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis foundation.
In 1984 when the Redbone was first established, children with
CF rarely lived to attend high school. Today the median age
of survival for a person with CF is 35 years. We should not
celebrate this achievement, since a single life is yet to
be saved from this devastating disease, but it has become
a sign of hope for a brighter tomorrow for individuals with
the disease and their families.
Money buys science, and science does save lives. That's why
events such as the Mercury Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series,
the Redbone@large, and Red-Trout Series are important. Through
your support, you are insuring that agressive, innovative
research in CF will constantly be explored. By helping us
support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, you are helping to
build a bridge of hope that will eventually lead to the ultimate
victory : a cure for cystic fibrosis.
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5TH Annual Ghost Hunt Fishing Tournament
Betsy Bullard guided
by Corey Shulman caught a 29.5” bonefish and two others
to earn top angler honors in the 5th Annual Key Largo Ghost
Hunt fishing tournament this past weekend. Bullard and Captain
Shulman also teamed up with Abraham Concepcion to win top
team honors with 3 bonefish. The award winning performance
additionally earned Captain Shulman top guide for the tournament.
Bullard’s wasn’t the only impressive fishing performance;
John Timura caught 3 bonefish, 1 permit and a tarpon! Timura’s
Keys Flats Grand Slam was possible thanks to his guide, Captain
Brian Helms. Catching all three species in one day is a very
difficult and highly coveted angling accomplishment.
2nd Place Team honors went to two guys very accustomed to
winning, Jason Swanson and guide, Captain Troy Mell of REEL
MELLO charters.
The one day flats tournament benefits the Don Hawley Foundation,
which supports the Keys recreational fishing industry and
marine research.
2006
Key Largo Ghost Hunt Grand
Champions
Corey Shulman, Betsy Bullard
and Abraham Concepcion
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2006
Key Largo Ghost Hunt 2nd
Place Finishers
Captain
Troy Mell
Jason
Swenson
Pictured
with Tournament director
Tammie Gurgiolo
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2006
Key Largo Ghost Hunt 3rd
Place Finishers
Captain
Brian Helms
John
Timura
Pictured
with Tournament director
Tammie Gurgiolo
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2006 Key West
Hog's Breath Tournament Results
KEY WEST, Florida Keys
-- After catching a 64.74-pound kingfish Saturday, Jan. 28,
the first day of the Hog's Breath King Mackerel Tournament,
Team Sundance Marine felt so confident of victory they didn't
fish Sunday, Jan. 29, the tournament's final day.
"We had the fish that broke the tournament record initially," said
team captain Kevin Kates of Hobe Sound, Fla. "We didn't
fish Sunday because chances of beating that fish were slim
to none."
But then the unthinkable happened.
On Sunday, Bobby Schoenfeld caught a 66.77-pound monster
king aboard Lured Away.
"I never thought we would beat them," said Schoenfeld,
a Conroe, Texas, resident. "I was just hoping to catch
a fish that would get us in the money."
The big fish did more than get Schoenfeld in the money.
It got him the event's top prize, a 21-foot Contender boat
with a Mercury 200 Optimax motor and Continental trailer.
"We ran about 80 miles to the first spot," he
said. "We fished there about 90 minutes and caught six
or seven between 30 and 40 pounds. We didn't think the fish
we were looking for was going to be there."
So the team, which also included Texas residents Chico Chamorro
and Wally Mercado, moved 10 miles. Only 15 minutes later,
the big king gobbled up a live blue runner.
"It ran 400 to 450 yards of line out in a matter of
a few seconds," Schoenfeld said. "Then, about 15
minutes later, we got to it and stuck a gaff in it."
The Lured Away team knew they had a large fish, but it wasn't
until they returned to Murray Marine, the tournament's headquarters,
in their 38-foot Donzi they realized it was the winner.
"It was very tough," said Kates, who finished
in second place. "How can you get beat with a 64.74-pound
record-breaking fish?"
No Doubt, skippered by Trae Ross of St. Simons Island, Ga.,
took third place in the open division with a 61.47-pound
catch.
The tournament also featured a division for anglers fishing
in boats 23 feet and shorter. Top divisional honors went
to the team aboard Brute Dusky 23 of Dania Beach, Fla., consisting
of Captain Dick Russell and anglers Mike Brown and Chrissy
Russell. The team's 41.99-pound fish narrowly edged out a
41.92-pound entry caught by team No Limits.
Kates' stepson, Wesley Thomas, 12, won the tournament's
award for top junior angler.
Sanctioned by the Southern Kingfish Association, the Hog's
Breath featured about 400 anglers who weighed in 127 fish
caught aboard 147 boats.
2006 Florida Keys Gold
Cup Sailfish Championship Results
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| Winners |
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| Second Place |
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| Third Place |
Islamorada, Florida - 61 Anglers competed in the 2006 Florida
Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship for the coveted championship
ring. Becky Hester as high point angler won the ring with
19 sailfish released. She was fishing aboard Capt Paul Ross’ Relentless.
The Gold Cup is a series of 3 tournaments fished during
prime sailfish season in the Florida Keys’s. All three
tournaments take place in The Sportfishing Capital of the
World, Islamorada, Florida. This year field of 20 teams participated
in the three tournaments: The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament,
The Cheeca Lodge Presidential Sailfish Tournament, and The
Islamorada Fishing Club 2006 Sailfish Tournament. All tournaments
are catch and release format. With one of the highest number
of fish in the tournament’s history, this year anglers
released a record 310 sailfish.
Team Contender One released 34 fish to take top honors in
the trilogy challenge and is the 2006 grand champion. Aboard
Contender One were anglers Joe Neber, Matt Neber, Bill Cordes,
and Wayne Savage captained by Bill Cordes. They scored high
points by releasing 20 sailfish in the first leg of the series.
They went on to release 8 fish in the second leg and 6 fishing
in the final leg of the series.
Second place goes to team Relentless with anglers Becky
Hester and Armando Horta who had a total of 29 releases over
the three tournaments. Third place was won by team Kalex,
captained by Alex Adler, with a total of 25 releases. Anglers
on the Kalex were Anthony DelDuca, Chris Claypool, Jamie
Allen. And Beau Bagley.
The tournament is sponsored by Pursuit Boats and Caribee
Boat Sales. All money raised during the tournament benefits
the Islamorada Charter Boat Association.
For more information contact Tournament Director Dianne Harbaugh
305-522-4868 or e-mail Ditournaments@aol.com.
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16th Annual
Swamp Guides Ball Fishing Tournament
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| Winners |
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| Second Place |
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| Third Place |
January 30, 2006
The Swamp Guides Ball is a fishing tournament for guides, put on my guides
and fished by guides, along with some very talented angler friends. It has
become one of the largest and most popular backcountry fishing tournaments
in Florida.
This year, 87 two-angler teams blasted from the dock at
7:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 29. Each team had a single
objective in mind. They were out to catch at least one redfish,
bonefish and snook, all being 20 inches or longer to count
points. Without catching all three species, it is virtually
impossible to win the Swamp Guides Ball. According to Robert
Collins, the 2005 Redbone Trilogy Champion, “The Swamp
Guides Ball is the most challenging fishing tournament in
existence.”
Not only is the format beyond challenging, but Mother Nature
always seems to bless the anglers with 20-35 MPH winds and
most years with frigid temperatures.
In order to catch all three species it often requires teams
to travel over 100 miles in their shallow water skiffs.
The team with the most species and most points win. In 16
years, there has only been two years that at least one team
did not catch all three species and this year was no different.
This year, one team comprised of Captain Dave Denkert of
Islamorada and Ron Baker from Miami, FL achieved their objective
with one redfish, one snook and two bonefish. All other teams
caught only one or two of the species. Denkert and Baker
have bragging rights, not for just a year, but can forever
say they won the Swamp Guides Ball.
This year, the fishing was a bit slow. With the winds blowing
for days at between 20 and 35 MPH and water temperatures
going up and down like a yo-yo for weeks, the fish were not
easy to find. Additionally, many fish were congregated in
manmade canals and no-motor zones which are off limits in
the Swamp Guides Ball.
Nine bonefish, 109 Snook and 45 redfish were caught and
released by the 174 anglers. Actually, the snook fishing
was very good, but redfishing was super slow. Two years ago,
102 redfish were caught and released.
The first runner up team with two species was Jorge Martinez
and Brian Helms both from Miami, FL with six snook and three
redfish. Second runner up team was Dave Pratt from Coconut
Creek, FL and Tony Wells from Coral Springs, FL. Pratt and
Wells released seven snook and one redfish.
While the Swamp Guide Ball is predominately a team event,
three individual angler awards were presented.
Frank Kulisky fishing with Capt Rick Miller, both from Islamorada,
FL. released three bonefish and earned the most bonefish
award. Kulisky also caught a redfish. Ashley Cornelius of
Homestead, FL, teaming with Captain Andy Thompson, also from
Homestead, won the most redfish award with four redfish.
Chris Martindale from Royal Palm Beach, FL fishing with Captain
Bill Wert from Islamorada won the most snook award, on time,
with seven snook.
Other notable performances included:
- Captain Frank Ortiz and Renny Scheerer both from Key
Largo teamed for 11 snook
- Barry Shevlin from Bay Harbor,
FL and Captain Eric Herstedt from Coral Springs, FL teamed
for seven snook
- Captain Bob Reineman and Bill Broach both
from Islamorada teamed for two redfish and three snook
- Jim
Trice and Captain Chris Jones, both from Islamorada teamed
for one bonefish and three snook. The bonefish
exceeded 11 pounds.
- Dan Moricoli and Peter Eng both
from Wellington, FL released three redfish and five snook
- Captain
Wells Gable from Islamorada and Karla Gable also from
Islamorada caught and released nine snook
- Sharon Mahoney
Ellenwood, fishing with her groom, Captain Billy Ellenwood
teamed for three redfish and one snook
- Captain Brian Premaza
and Debbie Premaza both from Tavernier, FL released two
redfish and two snook
- Capt Mark Johnson and Mike Rempe
from Islamorada with seven snook
- Richard Black and Captain
Dave Borras both of Islamorada with two redfish and a
snook
- John Timura from Islamorada, FL and Ken Biro from
Key Largo, FL with one redfish and three snook
- Robert
Collins and Captain Paul Tejera both from Islamorada,
FL with three snook and one redfish
All proceeds from the Tournament and Silent Auction are
donated to the Don Hawley Foundation. Their contribution
is estimated to exceed $25,000.
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