Register Here for 2012 Sweetheart Couples Fishing Tournament
REDFISH SERIES- CHARLOTTE HARBOR
ROUND #2 BECOMES A BATTLE!
After a long break from the kickoff back in March, The Flatsmasters Redfish Series returned to Laishley Crab House in Punta Gorda for the second leg of the most popular inshore tournament in Florida. Big money and big Team of the Year Points were on the line! 62 teams filed out of Laishley Marina at 6:50am ready to try their luck on Charlotte Harbor. A brisk wind greeted anglers who were not excited about the bumpy ride to the fishing grounds.
The Weigh-In was underway at 3:30pm sharp and many teams looked like they struggled to find the right redfish. The story of the day was that one spot held 4-5 lb fish while the next spot held oversized reds. This makes for a great day of redfishing, if it wasn't a tournament. Teams were looking for perfect 27 inch redfish and those were hard to come by. A few teams culled through enough fish to get up into the 11 lb. range which usually is not enough to garner a check, but everything was up for grabs on this tournament day. Team JT's Custom Pools (Tari, Barton,Hoffman) crossed the stage with 12.04 to get into the 12 lb. range, followed by Mickey Gibbs and Team Eupro (Gibbs, Gonsalves, Heims) who bumped it up to 12.43 lbs. Team Budweiser with David Hutcherson and Josh Hilts livened the crowd up with a pair of great reds to total out at 14.10 lb., but when Team WorkLife HR Services (Leto, Drangle, Ownby) hit the stage it looked like they would snatch the win from Team Budweiser, when the scales settled the came up short at 13.78 lbs to settle for 2nd place.
A total of 62 teams competed in this event and a total of 90 different teams are competing in the Charlotte Harbor Division of the Flatsmasters Redfish Series making it the most popular inshore fishing tournament in Florida. The Flatsmasters is brought to you by these fine sponsors- Service Provider Group, Sun Newspapers, DayStar Communications, Coors Light, Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, Fresh From Florida-Gulf Seafood, Maverick Boat Co., Yamaha Outboards, Ingman Marine, Don Gasgarth's Charlotte County Ford, Mosaic Fertilizer, Grande Air Services, Cheney Bros Food Services, Power-Pole, Rapid Graphix, Line X, Laishley Crab House, Tire Kingdom, Bobs Machine Shop, Jack Daniels, Laishley Marine, RedZone Apparel, Hula Bay Club/Tampa Harbour Marina, Ohero Tackle, Turbo Prop, J & C Drydock Marine, Waterline Magazine, Hides, SunBelt Rental, and Waste Management.
The 2012 Elite Pro Redfish Tour sponsored by Service Provider Group returned to the Laishley Crab House in Punta Gorda for the first Charlotte Harbor event of the year. The Elite kicked off back in March on Tampa Bay, and this was the anglers first shot at fishing Charlotte Harbor this year. 29 teams hit the harbor on Saturday in search of 2 perfect slot reds. Fishing was good as 26 teams came back to the scales with redfish to weigh, 2 teams broke down, and one caught only oversize fish. As the teams crossed the stage it became evident that there were an abundance of 5-6 lb. to be had on tournament day. Over halfway through the weigh-in finally Team U-Nation.com (Drangle/Ownby) hit the stage with two good fish to toal 13.42 lbs. Right behind them was Team Get Smoked (Carolan/Crofton) who broke down five minutes from the marina and fished one spot all day to capture their 13.19 lbs. Rounding out the Top Five were Team Latham/Haag wirh 12.72lbs. Team McKenzie/VanDemark with 12.62 lbs., and Team Mystik Lubricants (Delagarza/Stewart) with12.62 lbs.
With the field narrowed to the Top Five, Sunday's shootout looked to be up for grabs. Less than 1 lb separated first through fifth and with everyone reset at zero,the win was there for the taking. Before the Elite Finals though, The Junior Flatsmasters finalists had their shot on the stage. The Junior Flatsmasters Qualifier was April 14th with almost 80 kids competing the field was narrowed to the Top 2 in each age group. After all the kid's weighed in, 14 year old Chandler Pritchett took top honors with a 7.03 lb redfish.
At 3:30pm the Elite Finalists once again hit the Flatsmasters stage looking to take the second win of the year. First team up was Team Mystik Lube who set the bar high at 14.09 lbs. next up was Team McKenzie/VanDemark who stuggled sight fishing with bad conditions and managed 7.80 lbs. The Elite Defending Team of the Year Latham/Haag couldn't find the right two fish and settled for 11.70 lbs while Team Get Smoked, who went back to their spot they broke down on Saturday, tipped the scales at 10.64 lbs. The last team on stage was Team U-Nation.com who put up almost 14lbs. on day one. After a tough day two, they had no fish to weigh in. With the Weigh-In complete, Team Mystik Lubricants takes home the win in the second Elite event of the Year.
The Team of the Year Points Race is heating up with Team Latham/Haag in the lead with 196 points. Team Mystik Lubricants jumps to second place with their recent win, and third is held down by Elite Pro Rookie Team Skyway Limo with 189. After the summer break, the Elite teams will be back at it on September 8-9 at the Hula Bay Club at Tampa Harbour Marina in Tampa.
7th ANNUAL JR. FLATSMASTERS TOURNAMENT DRAWS RECORD NUMBER OF YOUNG ANGLERS!
78 excited young anglers gathered in Punta Gorda on April 13th &14th for the 7th Annual Junior Flatsmasters tournament. The young Flatsmasters competitors were divided into 3 age groups- The Minnow Division (ages 7-10), the Junior Division (ages 11-15), and the Prep Division (ages 16-17). But no matter what the age, they all had one goal, to weigh in the heaviest legal redfish on tournament day.
The tournament kicked off on Friday night with the Captain's Meeting/Pizza Party sponsored by Hungry Howies. At the meeting every young angler received a Rod and Reel Combo provided by Shimano, a custom Jr. Flatsmasters Hat and T-Shirt sponsored by Laishley Marine and Harbour Graphics, and a Tackle Box full of tackle donated by Higher Power Outfitters and Ohero Tackle. The highlight of the evening was the boat number drawing where each young angler had a chance to come to the front and draw their starting number in the tournament.
Saturday was tournament day and before the start all the kids and their adult "captains" were treated to coffee, juice, and donuts on the patio before the blastoff. At 7:20 angler #1 was released to head off down the harbor. One by one they were released until 78 young anglers were off to their first fishing destinations of the day.
As the kids were busy searching for redfish, preparations were being made back at the Laishley Crab House for the Weigh-In. The Flatsmasters Stage and Electronic Weigh-In System were set so that all of the Junior Flatsmasters competitors would receive the same professional style weigh-in as the Pro Redfish anglers experience. The scales opened at 1pm and a few tired anglers hit the stage early with their catch of the day, but as the 2:30pm deadline approached a fleet of boats made their way back to the Laishley Park Marina ready to show off their catch. Fishing was reported to be a little tough but every angler who brought in a redfish proudly crossed the stage and was cheered on by the large crowd.
In all 36 young anglers entered redfish, but everyone reported that they had a great day of fishing on Charlotte Harbor. But the day wasn't over yet, all of the anglers and their adults were treated to a cookout provided by the Laishley Crab House after they weighed in. At the Awards Ceremony, the Top Five Anglers in the Minnow and Junior Division, as well as the Top Three in the Prep Division all received Junior Flatsmasters Plaques, with the top angler in each division receiving a Pro Quality Rod & Reel.
Before the day was over, every young angler was brought up on the stage one last time and presented with a Junior Flatsmasters Participation Trophy sponsored by Ingman Marine. The last order of business was the invitation for the Top Two Kids in each division to compete in the Junior Flatsmasters Super Six Final on April 29th during the Punta Gorda Redfish Festival. The will compete head to head to determine who will be the 2012 Junior Flatsmasters Champion! The final weigh in will take place at 3pm on Sunday right before the Elite Pro Redfish Tour Final Weigh-In and will be filmed for the Flatsmasters TV Show.
The 4th Annual Sweetheart Couples Tournament returns May 18-19 
REDFISH SERIES- CHARLOTTE HARBOR
The Weigh-In was underway at 3:30pm sharp and many teams looked like they struggled to find the right redfish. The story of the day was that one spot held 4-5 lb fish while the next spot held oversized reds. This makes for a great day of redfishing, if it wasn't a tournament. Teams were looking for perfect 27 inch redfish and those were hard to come by. A few teams culled through enough fish to get up into the 11 lb. range which usually is not enough to garner a check, but everything was up for grabs on this tournament day. Team JT's Custom Pools (Tari, Barton,Hoffman) crossed the stage with 12.04 to get into the 12 lb. range, followed by Mickey Gibbs and Team Eupro (Gibbs, Gonsalves, Heims) who bumped it up to 12.43 lbs. Team Budweiser with David Hutcherson and Josh Hilts livened the crowd up with a pair of great reds to total out at 14.10 lb., but when Team WorkLife HR Services (Leto, Drangle, Ownby) hit the stage it looked like they would snatch the win from Team Budweiser, when the scales settled the came up short at 13.78 lbs to settle for 2nd place.
Harbor Division of the Flatsmasters Redfish Series making it the most popular inshore fishing tournament in Florida. The Flatsmasters is brought to you by these fine sponsors- Service Provider Group, Sun Newspapers, DayStar Communications, Coors Light, Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, Fresh From Florida-Gulf Seafood, Maverick Boat Co., Yamaha Outboards, Ingman Marine, Don Gasgarth's Charlotte County Ford, Mosaic Fertilizer, Grande Air Services, Cheney Bros Food Services, Power-Pole, Rapid Graphix, Line X, Laishley Crab House, Tire Kingdom, Bobs Machine Shop, Jack Daniels, Laishley Marine, RedZone Apparel, Hula Bay Club/Tampa Harbour Marina, Ohero Tackle, Turbo Prop, J & C Drydock Marine, Waterline Magazine, Hides, SunBelt Rental, and Waste Management.
With the field narrowed to the Top Five, Sunday's shootout looked to be up for grabs. Less than 1 lb separated first through fifth and with everyone reset at zero,the win was there for the taking. Before the Elite Finals though, The Junior Flatsmasters finalists had their shot on the stage. The Junior Flatsmasters Qualifier was April 14th with almost 80 kids competing the field was narrowed to the Top 2 in each age group. After all the kid's weighed in, 14 year old Chandler Pritchett took top honors with a 7.03 lb redfish. 
Defending Team of the Year Latham/Haag couldn't find the right two fish and settled for 11.70 lbs while Team Get Smoked, who went back to their spot they broke down on Saturday, tipped the scales at 10.64 lbs. The last team on stage was Team U-Nation.com who put up almost 14lbs. on day one. After a tough day two, they had no fish to weigh in. With the Weigh-In complete, Team Mystik Lubricants takes home the win in the second Elite event of the Year.
78 excited young anglers gathered in Punta Gorda on April 13th &14th for the 7th Annual Junior Flatsmasters tournament. The young Flatsmasters competitors were divided into 3 age groups- The Minnow Division (ages 7-10), the Junior Division (ages 11-15), and the Prep Division (ages 16-17). But no matter what the age, they all had one goal, to weigh in the heaviest legal redfish on tournament day. 
