23 Sept 2008

I spent this past weekend in Destin at the Fishin Chix Pink Rubber Boots Tournament. My crew consisted of my aunt, Kelly, her daughter Lindsay, co-worker Frankie and Frankie's daughter, Erin. We had a great time, the good fishing and blue skies didn't hurt. Our morning began in search of Redfish. Using live baits on Carolina Rigs, we targeted our fish in 20-30 feet of water, and they responded. First a short Grouper, then another, then the Redfish started. In a matter of 30 min we caught five fish ranging in size from 24 3/4" to 26 15/16", perfect for our needs. We could have sat right there and continued to catch those fish for a good portion of the tide, but the tournament format is multi-species, and that wouldn't have helped our cause.

The target species included Speckled Trout, Redfish, Flounder, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Red Snapper and a Mystery Weight.

We trolled the Gulf-side beach with small jigs for Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Spanish but the 20 knot east wind had the surf up and it just wasn't much fun to hang out in for very long. Same technique, different location. A move further into Choctawhatchee Bay and we reset the trollers to the delight of the local Ladyfish. Among those fish were two above average fish that I felt sure would put us in the running in that category. We were pleasantly surprised when a Bluefish and a nice Spanish added to our total in the same area.

By this time the clock is running low, we had to be back at the dock at 1400, and we needed to make a major move to find a Trout or a Flounder. I wanted to make a 10 mile run, but that would have been 10 miles into that nasty 20kt headwind, so we decided to trailer the boat and move over the road instead. The move, while well executed, was unsuccessful and after using every available second we raced to the scales, with mere minutes to spare.

Our final results were as follows: 1st and 3rd place Ladyfish; 2nd place Redfish; 2nd place Spanish Mackerel; and Top Boat Runner-up. What a great finish! In addition to money for 2nd place Top Boat, this earned us a whole heap of prizes. The ladies went home with a couple of nice watches, Costa Del Mar sunglasses, a Shimano rod and reel combo, $1500 in gift certificates, 2 or 3 signed and numbered Guy Harvey prints.

I had such a great time. Nice people, good fishing, great ending!

Thanks, first of all, to my crew, I love you guys, without you I wouldn't have been there at all! I'd also like to thank Claudia and all of the Fishin' Chix for a fantastic event; my awesome uncle, Capt. Wes Rozier, for everything he does for me; and Blazer Boats for a capable, safe boat; none of us ever felt uncomfortable, even in the poor comditions.

And thank you, for reading!