|
I remember the first tournament I ever fished. I was only 14 years old and one of my dad's friends asked me if I would like to fish with him. I said "Yes!" of course, excited and grinning from ear to ear. I do not think I got a wink of sleep that night. I tossed and turned from the nervous anticipation of the following day, dreaming of "Catching the Big One".
The next morning came and it was picture perfect, not a breath of wind. I remember tiny droplets of dew clinging to my fishing line, shining in the dim glow of the stern light. As the sun rose all the boats lined up for the "Shotgun Start", which was nothing more than a race to see who had the fastest boat but it added to the excitement. My heart raced as the shotgun went off and all the boats sped off as fast as they could to get to their favorite fishing spots first. Every angler hoping catch the winning fish.
We arrived at our spot, a beautiful grass flat with scattered pot holes and crystal clear water. We hopped out of the boat and started wading. The water was cool and you could see the blades of grass gently swaying with the tide. We slowly waded up to the holes and started fishing. I got a hit immediately and the day just got better and better. We caught over 50 Redfish, Snook and Trout. Although I personally didn't catch the biggest fish, we did win the tournament. Ever since that day I have been in love with tournament fishing.
In the twenty plus years since that day, I have lost track of how many tournaments I have fished but I still get just as excited as that 14 year old boy fishing his first one. I bring that same passion into my guide business and over the years I have fished tournaments all over the country. I have won the ESPN Redfish Cup as well as a number of local tournaments. I use my tournament knowledge to put my clients on the best fishing I can.
|
