IFA Rockport

I prefished Friday and Saturday before the tournament with good numbers Saturday. On tournament day the fish were there but the wind was blasting. I managed a twenty two inch red and a eighteen and a half inch trout early in the morning. There were a lot of bigger fish in the mix that were smashing my topwater but could not get a hook in their mouth. I want to know how a six inch piggy perch can get a hook in its mouth on a topwater and a twenty five inch red cant. My total of forty and a half inches was only good enough for ninth place, but I got a nice check for having the highest score out of a Hobie kayak. Once again the IFA and Hobie put on a great event and I am looking forward to many more years of fishing in it.

IFA Championship Orange Beach, Alabama

We headed out Thursday morning around one A.M. with no sleep since Tuesday night. We arrived in Alabama a little after nine A.M. and were pre fishing by ten. At the first spot all we could find was one small trout and some very fresh water. After we loaded up I did some research and found another promising spot in Oyster Bay which was about an hour away. When we arrived at our next stop we found a good amount of Reds and Trout. After a couple of hours of fishing and exploring it was decided this was going to be the place to start Friday morning.

After the captains meeting at the fabulous Cobalt restaurant we went back to Oyster Bay so we could finally get some much needed sleep. A little after five A.M. we crawled out of the truck. Yes we slept in the back of the Tahoe for three nights. On the way down the intercostal I had two blowups on a topwater just before the entrance to Oyster Bay, and I knew it was going to be a good day. Once inside the bay we saw some seagulls working on the south shoreline. After a short quarter mile paddle we were in a school of trout under the gulls. All of the trout were small but I was able to pull one out that was sixteen and a half inches. Now that I had my Trout I could go find one of the many Reds that we saw the previous day. After going to all of the spots that we found Reds on Thursday we came up empty, so I went exploring and still could not find a Redfish anywhere. I did manage to find a trout that was a little bigger. I fished until the very last minute and had nothing to show for it but an eighteen and a half inch trout.




Saturday we changed our location and fished Wolf Bay which gave me the same results as the previous day. I caught an eighteen and a half inch Trout and not a single Red. I don’t know what the deal is with Alabama fish but if I could take all of the places I fished during the tournament and bring them back to Texas they would be loaded with fish.

I wasn’t able to pull off the win that I wanted but it was a great experience. Once again I am very grateful for all of the hard work that the IFA and Hobie has put into giving us kayakers a chance to prove ourselves in a pro tournament.

IFA Kayak Fishing Tour 2010

IFA Kayak Fishing Tour 2010

Josh did it again! Biggest red fish, this was a clean sweep winning the Biggest Red in ALL 3 tournaments. 1st place for the tournament and Texas Angler of the year. Josh said “the fishing was awesome and I had so much fun”!

Winnings were $200 for biggest red fish, a New Hobie Pro Angler Kayak $2,499, representing Texas is the Champions tournament, and entry fees paid for all 3 Texas tournaments next year.

Thanks to all the supporters of the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour:
Hobie Fishing,
Cabela’s,
Kayak Angler Fishing Magazine,
WFN World Fishing Network,
Columbia,
321fish.com



A BIG THANK YOU to Seaworthly Marine and all the workers who helped put this event together!



Special Thanks to my personal sponsors:
God
Tatum MacNaughton TX Realtor.

Thanks to Jay and Tommy Zachry for letting us use their Condo on Mustang Island! Having my family there meant so much!