The 2011 BBI Grand Slam Fishing Tournament was held Thursday. The proceeds from this great event are for Sheridan House Ministries. A great organization that benefits kids, what could be better. Giving back is more important than ever. Check out Sheridan Ministries online and give generously.
A Grand Slam on Tampa Bay means you must catch a Snook, Redfish and Spotted Sea Trout with the total combined inches winning. The winds from Wednesday hadn't abated and small craft warnings were posted. Instead of running up Tampa Bay I put the Pathfinder on a trailer and put in near the Westshore Yacht Club. Gathering bait was a chore having to toss the net 10 times!
It was truly my pleasure to once again welcome Robert Sr. his Daughter Robin and friend Andrew. Gray skies and dark choppy waters greeted us as we made way from Westshore Yacht Club to Weedon Island. With the tide running out I had to hurry to get on one of my favorite Snook & Redfish spots. We deployed cut Pinfish and live white baits in 3'. The tide was ripping with the NW winds so I knew our time was limited. I was delighted to hear Robin's dragging pulling and see the rod bent. In just a few minutes Robin had landed her very first redfish a chunky 21" beauty.
Next up Robert Sr was tight to another redfish. Soon we were measuring a beautiful 22" red. We hooked 5 in total but landed just two. It was time to get off the flat before it went dry. Next up was my surefire snook hole. I have taken at least one snook on this spot every trip the last 2 months. The Mangrove cut was almost void of water but we gave it a try to no avail. Robin had to be in early so we ran back across Tampa Bay and set up on a small mangrove Island. We took one nice trout and needed to get in. Good news I saw numerous schools of Mackerel while crossing the bay both times.
A short but very fun and rewarding day with great people. Thank you BBI for anther great event.
Captain Steven Markovich
