ROCKPORT, Texas – Jay Watkins and Jay Watkins Jr., of Rockport, Texas, caught a two-day total of four redfish weighing 32 pounds, 8 ounces to lead the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Western Division event presented by Yamaha in Rockport, where teams are competing for a top award of as much as $50,000 cash.
“We feel really comfortable about where we are right now,” said the eldest Watkins, who has been a professional guide on the Gulf Coast for a number of years. “There is no doubt we are around some good fish. We have our fingers crossed that they will hold up until tomorrow. If we get on these fish again, we hope to catch at least 16 pounds, if not more. We just have to get the right bites.
“We aren’t going to change our pattern up much for tomorrow. It is something we are both pretty confident in, and it has worked for us thus far. We are going to go back and hope for the best and just fish hard. I have won a lot of tournaments over the years, and if I could win this event against this caliber of fishermen, it would be the culmination of my career. And to compete at this level with my son is just priceless. Tomorrow is our best chances to grab the win. We just have to capitalize on it.”
The father and son team noted that they were following the same pattern as opening day, sight-casting to visible potholes in 3 to 5 feet of water hoping to pick out the larger slot-sized reds with a combination of spoons and Bass Assassin’s 4-inch Sea Shads.
Rounding out the top five teams are Jonathan Culpepper and Kris Culpepper, both of Houston (four redfish, 31 pounds); Skipper Mock of South Padre Island, Texas, and Eddie Curry of Port Isabel, Texas (four redfish, 30 pounds, 9 ounces); Team Castrol’s Clark Jordon of Pearland, Texas, and Chief Tauzin of Manvel, Texas (four redfish, 29 pounds); and Steve Reupke of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Frank Duxstad of Port Aransas, Texas (four redfish, 29 pounds).
Qualifying tournaments in the $1.9 million Wal-Mart Redfish Series – the most lucrative redfish tournament trail in the world – are three-day events. Up to 150 teams compete Thursday and Friday, and the top five teams, based on heaviest combined weight, advance to Saturday’s final round. The winning team is determined Saturday based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.
Boats will launch from the Saltwater Pavilion at Rockport Beach Park Saturday morning at 7 a.m. The final weigh-in will be held Saturday at the Wal-Mart store located at 2401 Highway 35 N. in Rockport, beginning at 4 p.m.
The FLW Redfish Series consists of two divisions – Eastern and Western. Each division is comprised of four qualifying events with a $200,000 purse for each event. The top 100 teams – 50 from each division after four qualifying events – will qualify for the three-day, no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship to be held in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 18-20. The championship winner will take home as much as $100,000.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most-respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.