SARASOTA, Fla. – As the top-five Redfish Series finalists departed the Centennial Park/10th Street Boat Ramp shortly after 7:30 a.m., teams had two main goals in mind – brave the extraordinarily windy conditions predicted for today’s competition and return home with enough weight to hoist the first-place trophy.
To be sure, both of those goals are inexorably linked.
“We’re going to have to take it real slow today because it’s going to be pretty windy out there,” said Capt. John Eggers of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., whose team currently resides in fifth place overall in the standings. “It’s going to be difficult for us. The wind is going to be blowing pretty hard right where we’re going. We’ve got three spots and only one of those is out of the wind.”
According to the National Weather Service, anglers will most likely be facing winds ranging from 15 to 25 mph with gusts even stronger than that in some areas.
“I hope we catch them early because the wind is just going to keep getting stronger and stronger as the day goes on,” Eggers continued. “You don’t want to be sitting around at 1:30 p.m. still trying to catch your second fish.”
Making the day even more intriguing for redfishing fans is the fact that the entire group of team finalists is separated in the standings by less than 2 pounds.
“Everybody is within a 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of each other so anything can happen out there today,” Eggers continued. “The standings are pretty tight so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens. All I know is that we’re fishing to win.”
Currently, the team of Blair Wiggins (Cocoa, Fla.) and Travis Tanner (Titusville, Fla.) hold the No. 1 spot in the standings after bringing in a two-day total weight of 29 pounds, 6 ounces.
Also adding intrigue to the day was a last-minute shakeup of one of the final-day pairings. Although the team of Geoffrey Page (Venice, Fla.) and Terry Brantley (Arcadia, Fla.) netted the second-ranked qualifying position heading into the finals, Page got called away at the last-minute to fulfill a sponsor commitment. After a quick scramble, however, Brantley found another captain to replace Page and will be able to compete in the finals as scheduled.
The competition
Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division competition at Sarasota runs from March 13-15. Per Redfish Series tournament rules, the full field (86 teams) competed both Thursday and Friday. The top-five teams with the most accumulated weight after the first two days of competition advanced to Saturday’s finals. Today, the winning team will be determined by the total weight from all three days.
Up to two redfish may be weighed in per team, per day. However, each fish must fall within the regulated 18- to 27-inch slot limit to be counted.
Anglers will be competing on two-man teams for a top award of as much as $50,000. In addition, they will also be vying for valuable points toward a berth into the no-entry-fee, $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Biloxi, Miss., slated for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
First-place competitors at the Sarasota event will win $20,000 cash. However, if a member of the winning team is also the original owner of a Ranger boat used during the tournament, the team will receive a $15,000 bonus. Additionally, if a member of the winning team is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha or Evinrude outboard that is used during the tournament, the team receives another $15,000 bonus for a total award of $50,000.
Saturday’s weigh-in begins at 4 p.m. Eastern time at the Wal-Mart store located at 13140 S. Tamiami Trail in Osprey, Fla.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 7:39 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 64 degrees
Expected high temperature: 81 degrees
Water temperature: 63-70 degrees
Tides (at Sarasota, Fla.): low 3:22 a.m., high 6:37 p.m.
Wind: From the south from 15 to 25 mph
Maximum humidity: 74 percent
Day’s outlook: Sunny to partly cloudy skies