Outdoors Column | A return to the Gulf of Mexico pays off big for local fishing team
When Randy Langley and Team Gotcha headed offshore for the Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament in May, they found themselves heading back east before really even getting started in the rough weather.
“We busted a fuel tank and lost all electronics,” Langley said. “We limped in the whole way and still managed to catch a few tuna but that was it.”
With their 42-foot Yellowfin back working, his crew of his sons Rutger and Roman Langley, along with Lucas Engel and Carter Reemelin, regrouped and pointed west once again during last weekend’s Fire Charity Fishing Tournament. The first stop they made Friday afternoon 90 miles offshore showed that luck would now be on their side.
“Our plan was to go 145 miles but we stopped to get red snapper first. On the very first drop with pinfish on a knocker rig we had a double header of fish that were hooked at the same time,” recalled Langley.
Instead of heading back for the bottom like grouper or snapper would, the hooked fish both raced for the surface.
“Both fish jumped and we saw they were sailfish! We did our best to keep the lines separated and got the first one in the boat within three minutes. The second fight was longer, about 20 to 25 minutes but we got them both!”
With 200 points for the pair of sailfish on the board they kept fishing shallower, picking up bottom fish to go with the billfish. A pair of red snapper at 17 and 16 pounds would be brought from the bottom along with large gag grouper at 44 and 34 pounds
“We trolled for wahoo most of Saturday and Sunday morning but didn’t get anything. When we’d mark a show of fish on the bottom we would come back and fish it for grouper and snapper,” Langley said.
“The weather was beautiful and we didn’t have any mechanical problems. It came together for us and there was a lot of hard work put in by the crew going into it.”
With a six fish total of 457 points, they would take first place in the offshore division.
In secpmd place, Paul Christie and team Jumbo Shrimp put on a show for the crowd highlighted by a 234-pound warsaw grouper and swordfish to bring their total to 427 points.
With a 50-pound gag grouper, third place would go to team Seaviche and Capt. Danny Pool.
In the inshore division Capt. TJ Stewart and Team Richardson Stinton Roofing powered by Skeeter Boats continued their winning ways by completing a sweep of the triple crown series finishing in a first place tie with Team Hoff Enterprise Powered by Starfish Co. and Capt. Trevor Hoff. Both teams finished with a total of 428 points with their two redfish, snook and trout slams.
Capt. Nick Cardieri and team Secret Sauce would finish second with 381 points and team Naturdays and Capt. Josh Bibler would take 3rd with 363 points in the inshore division. The spearfishing division was won by team H20 StorPro with Capt. Ben McCann while the junior division was won by Tipin Pigs and Cooper Duquette.