Flagler County, FL – (April 24, 2021) Hauling in some real beauties, anglers who took to the waterways on Saturday were snapping them in an effort to take the top prizes in the 25th Annual Flagler Sportfishing Club’s Spring Classic.
With 100 participants out on the water, club president Chris Christian was enthusiastic about the turnout, and even more excited to see younger faces as part of the tournament.
“We have a good crowd, 100 anglers, 50 boats and we’re getting a lot of live redfish for CCA,” he said during the weigh in at Bings Landing. “It’s a good time of year and good fishermen. Our youth has really grown in and around the club, so we’re real excited about that.”
Winning both the top spot for his flounder catch and the coveted Flagler Slam – trout, redfish, flounder and black drum, Donovan Brady was low key about his success on the water that earned him more than $1,000, as fishing buddy Sean Sweeney came in first place for his redfish catch.
“We fished all over, put in at Highbridge and we definitely covered some ground, to say in short,” said Brady. “We tried just catching multi-species today, and that worked out well.”
Catching more than just fish, Captain Adam Morley headed out in the Litter Gitter II, picking up trash from the waterways in addition to casting a line.
“We fished north of Bings and south of 312, and did ok with the trout category,” said Morley. “Everything else was too windy so I wasn’t able to do what I normally do in skinny water. We fished from the Litter Gitter so we got plenty of trash and plenty of trash fish to with it.”
Usually up on the leader board, Captain Mike Vickers, owner of Hammock Bait & Tackle didn’t nab any accolades but enjoyed the competition.
“We didn’t win it this year, didn’t place this year but had a good fishing trip. Eight fish total, seven of them oversized, from 28” to 33” redfish, the one that we did weigh was 22 ½ inch, 4 ½ pounds. We kept ours alive and gave it to CCA, so they’re gonna tag it and release it,” said Vickers.
“It’s fun being out on the water and being competitive, fun winning money,” he said with a chuckle.
Vickers was among several anglers who returned with their catches still alive to be tagged and released as part of the upcoming CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) Florida STAR tournament according to Captain Leiza Fitzgerald, tournament coordinator for CCA Florida Star.
“We collect those redfish, then we actually tag them and rerelease them back into your local waters. That tag equates to a brand new boat if you catch that fish, recapture it. It’s 100 days of fishing, Memorial Day to Labor Day,” said Fitzgerald, sharing that Yamaha prize boats, valued at over $50,000 are up for grabs for CCA Florida members, registered for the tournament, who re-catch the fish between May 29 – September 6, 2021.
The competition also includes a youth scholarship division with $100,000 in college scholarships, and others can enter the Costa Kick Plastic Trash Division to win various prizes including a three day, two night trip to the Florida Keys as the first place winner, courtesy of Papa’s Pilar.
“It’s a random drawing so everybody has a shot at winning something,” she said.
After the day’s winnings are disbursed, a portion of the tournament’s fundraising is slated for the DAV Chapter 86, Jim Booe in Flagler County.
“It’s a good cause,” said club president Chris Christian. “They help disabled veterans go to the doctors, we help pay for these vans and it benefits for the last three or four years.”
