This red grouper catch ‘might have been the biggest fish in the history of the tournament’

The 2018 Gene Cloud Memorial Spearfishing Tournament brought out 127 shooters aboard 38 boats in the ever-growing July event.

“The event gets bigger and bigger every year,” said Troy Brown, president of Suncoast Aqua Ventures. “With men and women enjoying the sport that love raising money for worthy causes.”

A spearing-only tournament with boundaries set at 30 miles or 120 feet, hunters competed in divisions including gag grouper, red grouper, hogfish, mangrove snapper, flounder, sheepshead, lobster and lionfish.

Winners were determined by single largest in each category with a $1,000 for first, $500 for second and $250 for third in each classification.

“It was a strange year for conditions because the wind was flat calm, but the visibility was unusually cloudy around 5 to 10 feet for most of the day,” participant Courtland Hunt said. “This made everywhere challenging fishing.”

Hunt’s teammate, Aubrey Brown, caught what was the biggest fish for the year.

“It might have been the biggest fish in the history of the tournament, an 18.4-pound red grouper,” Hunt said. “Our boat split the winnings.”

The $1,000 prize was narrowly won, as close behind Brown was James Taylor with a 16.99-pound red grouper and a 16.78-pound fish from Graham Maguire.

In the gag grouper division, first place went to Steve Concarino at 14.08 pounds, with second at 12.43 pounds from James Jeiderman, who narrowly edged out the 12.38 pounds from Jay Tamen.

Pat Bennett took first place in the hogfish division with a tasty 10.04-pounder, while second and third went to Mike Jeans and Stephen Sanders at 6.19 and 6.13 pounds.

There was another close contest in the mangrove snapper division as winner Ed Lamonica won at 8.29 pounds, just ahead of Larry Borden’s 8.24. Third was taken by Dennis Paine Sr. at 6.58 pounds.

Borden claimed the victory for the snapper trifecta, with a stringer of three fish at 20.12 pounds for $1,000.

Michael Ryan’s 3.31-pound flounder won that division, followed by gag winner Concarino at 2.64 pounds and Larry Cavalluzzi at 2.31 pounds.

Ritchie Zacker blew away the field in the sheepshead division at 7.31 pounds. Second place was taken by Miguel Marquez at 2.19 pounds, ahead of Kary Zarem at 1.65 pounds.

In the miscellaneous divisions, Allie ElHage brought in the biggest lionfish at 2.27 pounds, while Team Zookeeper exterminated 264 lionfish.

A tasty 1.24-pound shovelnose lobster won a $500 prize for John Pendergrast, while Lisa Rollins claimed the ladies largest fish with a 7.96-pound gag, and Tyler Russin won the Taylor Chadsey youth shooter with a 2.99-pound hogfish.

Up next for anglers looking to partake in competition will be the Sarasota Slam with billfish, inshore and offshore divisions from Marina Jack (July 31-Aug. 4).

The world’s largest spearfishing tournament, the St. Pete Open, will be held Aug. 17-19.