Outdoors Column | Fishing teams compete in COVID-delayed Fire Charity tournament
Originally scheduled for June, the 2020 Fire Charity Fishing Tournament was postponed due to COVID-19. After a two-month delay it came together with 26 inshore teams, nine offshore, six junior, five spear, two first responder, and one women’s team finishing last weekend at the Bradenton Yacht Club.
Many of the best local teams returned to fish for the title in the inshore division. Last year’s champion, captain TJ Stewart, seems to be the boat everyone keeps their eye on as the gold standard for local inshore fishing tournaments. But 2017 champions Rats on da Cheese sponsored by Swordfish Grill were willing to put in the time to find the fish it would take to bring them back to the top of the podium.
“Between the five of us on the team someone is always on the water,” said Rats angler Keith David Stonestreet. “Wednesday before the tournament we had three separate boats out scouting. It doesn’t always tell us where fish are, but we know where they aren’t and that’s just as important when you don’t have time to waste in these tournaments.”
Following the shotgun start the Rats went on the hunt for big redfish.
“We didn’t get any redfish,” Stonestreet recalled. “But Rich Linkenhooker did get a 42-inch snook on 40-pound leader.”
Off to their second redfish spot they set up early, around noon, where they’d patiently fish for around five hours to get only a few bites.
“Justin Rudrud got a 38-inch redfish and Matt Mangone got a 43-inch red, he thought that one was a shark!”
With three of their six desired fish the team went off in search of trout Saturday evening. A pair at 20- and 21-inches found their way onto the board, along with another 36-inch snook.
From there they went to upgrade, and overnight Saturday they struck out on their first snook spot, but the backup spot produced an upgraded 42-inch snook. In search of an upgrade early Sunday morning resulted in a tarpon that was lost 10 feet from the boat. It was the only one they’d hook.
Team captain Mikey Howes turned in the Rats’ scoresheet Sunday afternoon, and the teammates weren’t quite sure if they had enough to surpass Stewart and team Richardson Stinton Roofing Powered by Skeeter. As tournament host Erik Nicholson announced the winners, only four points would separate the top two teams.
After reading off a catch of two 41-inch snook, a 40 and 37-inch redfish, a 21-inch trout and a tarpon, “they had 434-points, guys!” Nicholson announced. “Team Richardson Stinton Roofing Powered by Skeeter! 2nd place inshore.”
That put first place with Rats on da Cheese, who squeaked ahead with 438 points. For their victory they would win $5,000.
Third place would go to team Power Pole and Capt. Billy Alstrom with a pair of 40-inch snook, a tarpon, a 23-inch trout, and a 36- and 35-inch redfish for 411-points.
After spending the previous weekend more than 200 miles from shore in the Sarasota Slam, team Reel Big Deck turned around to fish two more nights offshore in deep Gulf of Mexico waters for the Fire Charity Fishing Tournament.
“We missed two warsaws on the first stop,” said team captain Craig Jackson. “From there we went fishing for snowy grouper and caught a 48- and 42-pounder in 1,000-feet of water, so we were pretty happy about that!”
From there they spent Friday night swordfishing through the darkness. After catching three sharks, they hooked into a big swordfish that would come in at 136 pounds.
“That fish fought hard,” Jackson explained. “It took about an hour and half to finally get it to the boat. We’ve caught bigger ones that didn’t fight nearly that long.”
On day two the team fished a deepwater wreck that yielded a 45-pound amberjack and blackfin tuna. They went back to fish for more snowy grouper where they would catch a massive 48-pounder and a 13-pound golden tilefish.
Night two they would swordfish once again, this time landing an even bigger one at 178 pounds. Jackson pointed the teams 37-foot Invincible Catamaran east with a pair of 100-point billfish on the boat, the maximum they could weigh in. A last stop for bigger amberjack brought them to battle with a mystery fish that lasted 80 minutes before they discovered it was a shark, breaking it off to run home.
At the scales their point total of 465 would best out team Fat Bottom Girl’s 461 whose catch comprised of a 21-pound snowy grouper, a pair of swordfish, 101- and 39-pound amberjack and 10-pound queen snapper.
Third place would go to team Seaviche not far behind at 453 points. They caught a 113-pound warsaw grouper, 16-pound snowy grouper, 77- and 76-pound amberjack, and 14- and 8-pound queen snapper.
The first responder division was won by team Pinellas County Firefighters with a 23- and 20-inch redfish, a 24-inch snook, and a pair of 18-inch trout.
The all women’s division title would go to Got Bait? For Reel! They weighed in a pair of 1-pound mangrove snapper, a 16-inch trout, a 25- and 24-inch snook, and a 38-inch redfish.
Bringing home first in the spearfishing division was team SM Gag. They had a pair of gag grouper, 16 and 19-pounds, a pair of permit at 15- and 14-pounds, a 4-pound mangrove snapper and a 38-pound cobia.
Captain Andrew Bennett and team Wrecked ‘Em would take first in the inshore division. They weighed a 3-pound permit, a 21-inch trout, a 36- and 35-inch snook, and a 33- and 26-inch redfish.