Back in 1995, while working on a construction site, the idea of a yearlong fishing tournament seemed like a good idea because of a 41 pound bull dolphin I caught the day before a weekend tournament didn't count for anything. This way, no matter what day of the week you catch a nice fish, it's still worth something. So, many phone calls later, a challenge has been declared. A year is too long, but there has to be a deadline for a challenge to be effective, so three months is long enough to cover dolphin season (if there actually is one). In 1996, 83 anglers accepted the challenge and by 1999 grew to 180 anglers. After many trials and tribulations, here we are with a new challenge every year. A fishing tournament with a simple format, that makes it fair to everyone that heads offshore and doesn't break the bank just to enter. With the price of fuel soaring to all time highs and the cost of building a quality boat (not to mention the maintenance),it's very expensive to head offshore these days. We like to keep this a fun event without going broke participating. Everybody enjoys winning money, and with this format, everybody that participates has an equal chance of winning money.
The top twenty qualifiers compete for the prizes in a one day fish-off out of Lauderdale Marina. You can even win money without weighing a fish by randomly selecting the wildcard angler that catches the heaviest fish in the fish-off.
Good Luck and Tight Lines!
Al Hernandez Tournament Director
|