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IFA Redfish Tour
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(Jul. 01, 2008 - Titusville, FL)... When the IFA Redfish Tour Presented by Cabela’s returned to Titusville, Florida on June 28th, 2008 it was a major league crowd attending the Captain’s Meeting at Mosquito Lagoon Outfitters. With 262 anglers, composed of 131 two man teams, the field set a new IFA single event participation record. Participation continues to be on an upswing with three consecutive years of double digit percentage growth for this division.
Launching at Sand Point on Saturday, the teams headed out north and south throughout the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon for what turned out to be tough fishing on a very hot day. With a light wind blowing from the west and water temperatures of around 90 degrees, the winning team, Captain Mike Mann and partner Brandon Barlow, caught their fish real early. For bringing in a total weight of 14.42-pounds, Mann and Barlow took home the winning prize of a Ranger Banshee, valued at approximately $20,000, equipped with a 40 HP, 4-stroke Yamaha outboard, Loadmaster trailer, Power Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor and Humminbird electronics, as well a pair of Sperry Topsider Shoes.
"The fishing was hard, and I mean hard," Mann told a respectable crowd at Parrish Park in Titusville. "We only caught three fish all day and, thankfully, they were the right ones." the pair credited Berkley Gulp baits for the win.
Always a threat to win at Titusville, local legend Captain Troy Perez and partner Christine Perez grabbed up 199 Team of the Year points and a second place check for over $6,000.00 for their total catch of 14.09-pounds. This team was also awarded the Sperry Topsider Spotted Contingency Award ($100) and the Solar Bat Contingency Award ($100).
Big Fish award of $500 went to the thirteenth place team of Captain Will Perry and partner Mike Knight for the 7.73-pound Redfish they brought to the scales.
Rounding out the top five finishers of this IFA Redfish Tour presented by Cabela’s event were: Tom Kelley and Dan Matthews (12.73-pounds, $3,600); C.A. Richardson and Glenn Austin (12.53-pounds, $2,400); and Patrick Preston and Tommy Marks (12.24-pounds, $1,800).
Notable on the scene was the presence of the staff from the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. They brought their expertise and equipment all the way from New Orleans, LA to tag and release the Redfish for the IFA Titusville event. With a 1,000 gallon custom-built view tank, tank, which is always a crowd favorite, the highly skilled team provided a close up and unique look at the Redfish in safe surroundings. With the water temperature, oxygen, and other chemistry tightly controlled, a Redfish in the Audubon tank could thrive for long periods of time in this environment. Records show that fish tagged and released after the IFA Redfish Tour events are often caught and released multiple other times.
Christa Lobue, a fisheries biologist with the Audubon Aquarium, worked hard with biologists John Hewitt and Tom Dyer, to ensure the fishes’ survival at this event. "We add a solution to the water called Voodoo Dust, which lowers the fishes’ stress and increases their ability to take in oxygen," said Lobue. "From working with the aquarium we’ve learned a lot about taking care of all kinds of marine life, from sea horses to sand tiger sharks and everything in between."
In addition to the East Coast Division, there are also Gulf Coast, Florida West Coast, Texas, Atlantic, and Louisiana IFA Divisions. All are one-day events with three tournaments in each. Teams that fish in all three events qualify to compete in the two-day, no-entry-fee IFA Redfish Tour Championship scheduled for November 7-8, 2008 in Panama City Beach, FL.
IFA Redfish Tour sponsors include Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Loadmaster, Sebile Lures, Jax Wraps, Power Pole, Solar Bat, Pioneer Beef Jerky, Sperry Topsider Shoes, DriGrip Sunscreen, CW Crab and Charter Lakes Marine Insurance.
For more information about the IFA Redfish Tour tournaments, call (478) 836-4266 or email info@palmerconrad.com. |
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