VanDemark-Shaw snare FLW Redfish Series lead

Veteran duo overcomes poor Florida redfish tourney track record to vault into first place at Sarasota

SARASOTA, Fla. – Heading into the Redfish Series event on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the team of Kevin Shaw and Tadd VanDemark had very limited expectations. Although the team has had plenty of success in the Western Division of the FLW Redfish Series – producing a tournament win at Port Aransas, Texas, as well as a fifth-place finish at Cocodrie, La., last year alone – Florida waters have routinely given the team plenty of headaches.

That was, until today.

Bolstered by an unmatched catch of 15 pounds, 9 ounces, the team of Shaw-VanDemark put some nice distance between themselves and the rest of the field heading into day two of Redfish Series competition at Sarasota.

“We’re just ecstatic right now,” said Shaw of Corpus Christi, Texas. “To bring in two fish like this is unbelievable especially since we always struggle here. All we were trying to do today was just get two fish in the boat. So, obviously, we’re very happy with where we’re at right now.”

However, the team readily admitted that the feat was far from easy.

“It was a hard, hard day for us,” said VanDemark of Key Largo, Fla. “But we ran into the right school of fish at the right time. And then it was a slugfest.”

During the early morning hours, the team struggled to get traction. Attempts to fish conservatively didn’t pan out. And by the time the team realized they needed a change of scenery, there was virtually no time left to head to their secondary location of choice.

“Normally we don’t do well in Florida,” said Shaw. “So we thought that if we could go to a spot and get a couple of 2-pounders in the boat, at least it would be a start. But it didn’t really work out. We wound up staying in our first area way too long and then we didn’t have time for `Plan B.’ Basically, we’re pretty frustrated at that point.”

Then, around mid-afternoon with time running out, their luck finally changed.

“We just happened to run into a school of fish,” said Shaw. “We got pretty lucky. At 3 p.m. we finally got our two fish in the boat. And they just happened to be the two best (keeper) fish we caught all day.”

Shaw said his team targeted redfish in the 18- to 27-inch slot limit with a DOA Cal Series Golden Brim Paddle Tail drenched in Sardine Lunker Sauce.

“At this time of year, it’s very important to find schools of fish with the right size fish in them,” said Shaw, who targeted reds in about 1 to 3 feet of water. “As I said, we got pretty lucky today. The question is: Can we do it again tomorrow?”

Team Alstrom grabs second place

Unlike the majority of the field, the father-son duo of Billy and Clyde Alstrom of Longboat Key, Fla., decided to steer clear of the schooling redfish pattern and instead concentrate on fishing boat docks. As it turned out, their gamble paid off. By the end of the afternoon, Team Alstrom had netted a nice 15-pound, 1-ounce stringer to claim the runner-up position after the first day of competition.

“It was awesome out there,” said Billy Alstrom, the youngest member of the team. “We’re not fishing schools like the other guys. Instead, we decided to spend most of our time fishing docks.”

Obviously, it worked out well.

“For the most part, we were jigging slowly around docks,” said Billy Alstrom. “We’d skip the jig under the dock and then slowly start digging it out. We also caught a couple of fish on top-waters. But our dock pattern worked out the best for us. We wound up with a lot of bites and caught a lot of fish. It was just a great day.”

Team Alstrom said they caught the majority of their fish near the Tampa Bay area.

Benson-Ryan finish in third

Buoyed by a total catch of 14 pounds, 14 ounces, the team of Daniel Benson of Brandon, Fla., and Matthew Ryan of Belleair Bluffs, Fla., found themselves in third place at the end of today’s weigh-in. And, just as they had predicted, the key to their success was their ability to capitalize on the early morning bite.

“We knew heading in that the early morning bite was going to be key and that’s pretty much how it turned out,” said Benson. “We had our two best fish in the boat by around 8:15 a.m. And those wound up being the only two big fish we caught all day.”

Although they spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to cull their catch, it was not to be.

“It was tough out there,” said Benson. “We probably caught about 20 or 30 more fish but none of the right size. It definitely can get frustrating when you go that long without finding the fish you need. But we’re happy with where we’re at right now. And we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Best of the rest

The team of Blair Wiggins of Cocoa, Fla., and Travis Tanner of Titusville, Fla., grabbed fourth place with a total catch of 14 pounds, 13 ounces.

“I love to be back fishing again,” said Wiggins, the veteran redfish pro who only recently ended his short-lived retirement from tournament redfish competition. “I’m back on the trail again. And, so far, it’s turned out really well.”

Meanwhile, Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., and John Ochs of Englewood, Fla., finished the day in fifth place with a total catch of 14 pounds, 11 ounces.

“It was kind of a tough day out there,” said Crafton. “We got about five keepers, but we missed about four or five fish as well.”

Friday’s Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series action continues during tomorrow’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. at the Sarasota Cay Club, located at 7150 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, Fla.