Hey Anglers – With the influx of new members to our Club and the warming climate, there have been a great number of new sign-ups for the tourney. The numbers have increased from 86 to over 112 competitors for the various fish species. More sign-ups mean that more places are awarded in each fish category! Here is a short summary of changes that have occurred on the Leader Board:
Mike Griffin posted a 19.5 inch Spanish Mackerel to a category having no previous entries. In the Flounder category there are 16 competitors, so a second place slot went to Mike Antista for a 14 inch entry. Red Drum contestants increased to 21, so Clint Morschauer jumped in at second place with a nice 26-inch catch. Speckled Trout anglers increased to 23, allowing Alan Trojan’s 22-inch catch to take 3rd place in that category.
A new first place 17-inch Sheepshead entry by Clint Morschauer knocked Larry Hershoff off the board by 3/4 of an inch. Tough luck Larry. Here’s what Clint had to say:
“It was 4/17 and I was out with Alan & Gary. Captain Tripp Hooks took us to one his spots along a stretch of docks. I think we were south of the Sunset Beach bridge. We were drifting and bottom fishing our shrimp as close to those docks as we could. I managed a beautiful cast on a Carolina Rig to an outside corner, let it drop to the bottom where she decided to munch. We all had a great day.”
And in the Largemouth Bass category John Crespin took first place by posting a 28.5-inch catch, outdistancing Robert Levine’s 26-inch fish. I really didn’t expect Robert’s fish to be beat! Here’s John’s account of the catch:
“The fish was caught on 27 March 2023 at approx 5:43 pm in a nearby pond in Sunset Beach. I had also landed 5 other bass prior to catching the big one. The other bass were between 2 and 5 lbs. Equipment: A 6′ 6″ All Star rod GT40X, a Quantum bait casting reel, with 15-lb braided line and a 3/0 Gamakatsu offset shank worm hook. I was fishing a 3/16 oz Zoom Rainbow shad fluke. I was letting the bait go to the bottom and popping it off the bottom and letting it stay in place for 3 or 4 seconds and continued this process and it was working that day. The big bass took the bait as soon as it hit the water and the fight was on, the bass came out of the water at least three times it was a heck of a fight. The fight took a lot out of the fish and once I landed the fish, I had to unhook it, take my measuring tape out of my back pack and attempt to keep the fish still and also attempt to take a clear picture (I took 5 pictures of the fish and it moved 4 of the 5 times) and ensuring I returned the fish back into the pond before it was too late.”
Sea Trail Fishing Club 