SEBASTIAN — More than two-dozen anglers and kids took to numerous boats Saturday out of Capt’n Butcher’s in Sebastian to participate in the 12th annual GFWC Sebastian River Junior Woman’s Club Flatsfishing Tournament. They returned with redfish, trout, and even a flounder.
“It was hard fishing,” competitor Louise Arnold, of Vero Lake Estates, said of the tournament this year. The main challenge was the less-than-clear water. “But it was fun.”
Arnold and her fishing companion, Larry Camp, followed the dolphins in the lagoon, trying to find trout.
“They know where the trout is,” Arnold said, adding, “but usually (the trout) are all gone when we get there.”
The annual tournament serves as a fundraiser for the GFWC Sebastian River Junior Woman’s Club, helping the organization give back to the community through service projects and Sebastian River High School scholarships.
One such community project is WHALE – We Have A Little Emergency. The WHALE project strives to help parents and caregivers ensure that, in the event of a vehicular accident, emergency responders can identify the child in a car seat and find emergency contact information.
“It’s fun and laid back,” angler Jason Pollard said of participating in the tournament. “They’re a good bunch of people.”
Pollard took his three children out fishing with him, catching too-small-to-keep trout, redfish and other fish.
His daughter, 7-year-old Kylie, however, caught a flounder and placed second in the kids division.
“I like fishing,” she said. “I get to see different species of fish.”
She said she enjoys fishing because she gets to be out in the sun with the breeze and spend time with her dad.
That’s part of the purpose of the annual tournament, according to organizer Teddy Hulse – provide a family-friendly activity that doubles as a fundraiser for the community.
Though the tournament was catch-and-release, several fish didn’t survive long enough to make it back to shore for the weigh-in. Those fish were later cleaned and transported to Operation Hope’s food pantry.
“That’s a big benefit,” Jason Pollard said, adding that because the tournament is small and benefits the area, he was more inclined to participate in this rather than other fishing tournaments.
And the winners are:
Trout
- 1st: Jeff Migueles – 4.810 pounds
- 2nd: Larry Walters – 3.615 pounds
- 3rd: Phil Deloria – 3.58 pounds
Redfish
- 1st: Larry Walters – 6.065 pounds
- 2nd: Joe Richter Sr. – 5.58 pounds
- 3rd: Larry Arnold – 4.60 pounds
Most Spots on a Redfish – Eric Deleon with 4 spots
Kids
- 1st: Sara Deloria – Trout, 2.205 pounds
- 2nd: Kylie Pollard – Flounder, 1.775 pounds
- 3rd: Alison Chancey – Trout, 1.61 pounds
