Team Myers/Matney Wins IFA Redfish Tour Event
LIZELLA, GA- Fred Myers and Jake Matney, of Panama City, Fla., weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 16.37 pounds to win the IFA Redfish Tour event at Grand Isle, Louisiana, on August 27. To win the event, which operated out of Bridgeside Marina, the team topped a large field of two-angler teams to take a new, fully rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob's four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, an OPTIMA battery and a Loadmaster trailer valued at $30,000.
Myers and Matney fished through windy conditions during the event, managing to catch all of their fish by sight fishing with Berkley Gulp! baits. Running 120 miles round trip to locate their fish, the team managed to find a productive school of redfish.
"We are very surprised we were on good fish," Myers said. "But we did not think we were on fish that would win us the tournament."
Second-place finishers, Jason LeBlanc, of Marrero, La., and Kory Matherne, of Lafitte, La., brought 16.23 pounds to the scales during the Grand Isle event, the results of sight fishing in the Venice (La.) area - an area known for producing excellent redfish.
"We had northwest winds between 10 to 20 mph all day. That made it tough. Plus the high pressure just killed the bite," LeBlance said. "But overall, we had a great day and only lost one fish."
The third-place team of Dwayne Eschete, of Mandeville, La., and Eddie Adams, of Metairie, La., weighed in 16.18 pounds during the tournament, which also came from the Venice area. Sight fishing with white Berkley Gulp! baits, the team overcame the loss of its trolling motor to capture the Louisiana Division Team of the Year title for the fourth time.
"For the past month, the winds have been just 5 to 10 mph, but today it was windy. In these kinds of conditions it's just hard to find the fish," Eschete said. "We had our trolling motor issues and the wind to contend with but we're happy to accomplish what we did and wrap up the Team of the Year title again."
Blake Champion and Mike Lambert, who finished in 13th place, took the Berkley Gulp! Big Fish Award for their 9.48-pound redfish.
The IFA Redfish Tour continues to draw redfish anglers from Texas to the Carolinas and beyond, offering two-angler teams the opportunity to compete in six different divisions, each offering a three-event regular season. Low entry fees for the one-day, regular-season tournaments allows anglers to fish close to home and minimize expenses, while still being a part of a premier inshore, catch-and-release redfish tournament organization. Teams fishing any three of the IFA's 18 regular-season events are automatically qualified for a no-entry-fee championship event, pitting qualifiers from each of the six divisions for a combined $78,200 in payouts and prize packages, as well as a shot at the coveted Cabela's Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award for the six regular-season division winners.
In addition to a possible $60,000 in payouts per event (based on a 100-boat field), the first-place prize package for all 18 IFA Redfish Tour regular-season events remains extremely lucrative. In 2011, every regular-season tournament winner is guaranteed - regardless of field size - a fully loaded 2011 Ranger Banshee Extreme. The boat is powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and is equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob's four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, an OPTIMA battery and a Loadmaster trailer. The entire first-place prize package is valued at $30,000. Lucrative contingency programs added for 2011 include $50 prize to the team claiming the big fish award in an IFA Redfish Tour event if the fish is landed with an EGO Net, $25 prize for both the big redfish and big trout in IFA Kayak Tour events; $250 prize to a qualifying winning team which competes from a boat equipped with OPTIMA Batteries; PENN reels for tournament-winning anglers who compete with PENN reels.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.redfishtour.com or www.ifakayakfishingtour.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of the fishing industry's most respected brands: Ranger Boats, Hobie Fishing, Cabela's, Gulp!, Gulp! Alive, PENN reels, Yamaha Outboards, Columbia Sportswear, Minn Kota, Humminbird, OPTIMA Batteries, Power-Pole, Wrap This, Blue Point Fabrication, EGO Nets, Spiderwire, Sebile, Bob's Machine Shop, 321fish.com, Kayak Angler Magazine, Loadmaster, NBOA Marina Insurance, Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Bridgeside Marina.
IFA Louisiana Division - Empire, La. (Top 10):
Myers and Matney fished through windy conditions during the event, managing to catch all of their fish by sight fishing with Berkley Gulp! baits. Running 120 miles round trip to locate their fish, the team managed to find a productive school of redfish.
"We are very surprised we were on good fish," Myers said. "But we did not think we were on fish that would win us the tournament."
Second-place finishers, Jason LeBlanc, of Marrero, La., and Kory Matherne, of Lafitte, La., brought 16.23 pounds to the scales during the Grand Isle event, the results of sight fishing in the Venice (La.) area - an area known for producing excellent redfish.
"We had northwest winds between 10 to 20 mph all day. That made it tough. Plus the high pressure just killed the bite," LeBlance said. "But overall, we had a great day and only lost one fish."
The third-place team of Dwayne Eschete, of Mandeville, La., and Eddie Adams, of Metairie, La., weighed in 16.18 pounds during the tournament, which also came from the Venice area. Sight fishing with white Berkley Gulp! baits, the team overcame the loss of its trolling motor to capture the Louisiana Division Team of the Year title for the fourth time.
"For the past month, the winds have been just 5 to 10 mph, but today it was windy. In these kinds of conditions it's just hard to find the fish," Eschete said. "We had our trolling motor issues and the wind to contend with but we're happy to accomplish what we did and wrap up the Team of the Year title again."
Blake Champion and Mike Lambert, who finished in 13th place, took the Berkley Gulp! Big Fish Award for their 9.48-pound redfish.
The IFA Redfish Tour continues to draw redfish anglers from Texas to the Carolinas and beyond, offering two-angler teams the opportunity to compete in six different divisions, each offering a three-event regular season. Low entry fees for the one-day, regular-season tournaments allows anglers to fish close to home and minimize expenses, while still being a part of a premier inshore, catch-and-release redfish tournament organization. Teams fishing any three of the IFA's 18 regular-season events are automatically qualified for a no-entry-fee championship event, pitting qualifiers from each of the six divisions for a combined $78,200 in payouts and prize packages, as well as a shot at the coveted Cabela's Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award for the six regular-season division winners.
In addition to a possible $60,000 in payouts per event (based on a 100-boat field), the first-place prize package for all 18 IFA Redfish Tour regular-season events remains extremely lucrative. In 2011, every regular-season tournament winner is guaranteed - regardless of field size - a fully loaded 2011 Ranger Banshee Extreme. The boat is powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and is equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob's four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, an OPTIMA battery and a Loadmaster trailer. The entire first-place prize package is valued at $30,000. Lucrative contingency programs added for 2011 include $50 prize to the team claiming the big fish award in an IFA Redfish Tour event if the fish is landed with an EGO Net, $25 prize for both the big redfish and big trout in IFA Kayak Tour events; $250 prize to a qualifying winning team which competes from a boat equipped with OPTIMA Batteries; PENN reels for tournament-winning anglers who compete with PENN reels.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.redfishtour.com or www.ifakayakfishingtour.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of the fishing industry's most respected brands: Ranger Boats, Hobie Fishing, Cabela's, Gulp!, Gulp! Alive, PENN reels, Yamaha Outboards, Columbia Sportswear, Minn Kota, Humminbird, OPTIMA Batteries, Power-Pole, Wrap This, Blue Point Fabrication, EGO Nets, Spiderwire, Sebile, Bob's Machine Shop, 321fish.com, Kayak Angler Magazine, Loadmaster, NBOA Marina Insurance, Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Bridgeside Marina.
IFA Louisiana Division - Empire, La. (Top 10):
1. Myers/Matney - 16.37 lbs.
2. LeBlanc/Matherne - 16.23 lbs.
3. Eschete/Adams - 16.18 lbs.
4. Dufrene/Cedotal - 16.05 lbs.
5. Roberts/Landry - 15.82 lbs.
6. Norton/Howell - 15.76 lbs.
7. Hocks/Pescay - 15.70 lbs.
8. Barcelona/Barcelona - 15.68 lbs.
9. LaRose/O'Connell - 15.51 lbs.
10. Dufour/Poche - 15.39 lbs.
Berkley Gulp! Big Fish Award ($500):
Champion/Lambert (9.48 lbs.)
Cabela's Angler Cash ($1,000):
Dufrene/Cedotal (7.14 lbs.)
2. LeBlanc/Matherne - 16.23 lbs.
3. Eschete/Adams - 16.18 lbs.
4. Dufrene/Cedotal - 16.05 lbs.
5. Roberts/Landry - 15.82 lbs.
6. Norton/Howell - 15.76 lbs.
7. Hocks/Pescay - 15.70 lbs.
8. Barcelona/Barcelona - 15.68 lbs.
9. LaRose/O'Connell - 15.51 lbs.
10. Dufour/Poche - 15.39 lbs.
Berkley Gulp! Big Fish Award ($500):
Champion/Lambert (9.48 lbs.)
Cabela's Angler Cash ($1,000):
Dufrene/Cedotal (7.14 lbs.)
Contact:
Josh Ward, Blue Heron Communications, (800) 654-3766, Josh@blueheroncomm.com
Josh Ward, Blue Heron Communications, (800) 654-3766, Josh@blueheroncomm.com
Copyright © CarecoTV LLC
