SARASOTA, Fla. – In Saturday’s test of wills on the Gulf waters off Florida’s west coast, the top five teams competing in the final round of Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour will all be looking for that one, big, reel-smoking kingfish hookup. Four teams are going to need it, too, because they all trail the leaders, Team Relentless, by more than 11 pounds.
“You know, this week was Tony’s birthday,” crewmember Don Bolt said about Team Relentless Capt. Tony Davenport. “I’m not going to tell you how old he is, but you can bet he feels like he’s 18 right now.”
Catching a potential $100,000 fish will do that to a person. The 49-pound, 9-ounce king that Relentless caught Friday more than likely will be the difference-maker when competition wraps up this afternoon. The finalists combine their opening-round weight with whatever they catch in today’s finals, and with an 11-pound or bigger lead on their rivals, it’s going to take an effort – or stroke of luck – as definitive as the leading team’s name to make up that ground. The second- through fifth-place teams are all sitting between 36 and 39 pounds.
Still, Relentless can’t let its guard down. The team must weigh in a fish today to stay on top. There are a lot of kings in the 15- to 25-pound range to be had in this area at the moment, and a solid catch over 20 pounds would seem to ice this victory for the leaders.
However, Relentless proved yesterday that 50-pounders are swimming around out there, too, so a heroic, 11th-hour effort by any one of the challengers – teams Slip N’ Slide, Hooligan, My Three Sons and Devocean – is certainly not out of the question.
It’s just a matter of finding them. To that end, all five boats turned south at takeoff Saturday morning.
The final weigh-in Saturday will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 13140 South Tamiami Trail in Osprey, Fla., beginning at 5 p.m.
The winning team is guaranteed a top cash award of $40,000, plus another potential $30,000 in Hydra-Sports or Wellcraft contingency money and $30,000 in Yamaha or Evinrude money.
Saturday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:06 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 61 degrees
Expected high temperature: 82 degrees
Inshore water temperature: 70-74 degrees
Seas: 2-4 feet
Wind: SW 12 mph
Maximum humidity: 63 percent
Day’s outlook: abundant sunshine