The weatherman was predicting scattered showers at the
beginning of the week. I think we all knew they would be a little more than
scattered showers. Certainly by Friday night, judging by what was happening in
Tampa, things were going to be interesting.
The 3rd annual SWFKAA fishing tournament, newly
dubbed 24 hours in Southwest Florida, was going on rain or shine. Anglers came
from Tampa, Vero Beach and all over Florida for this marathon tournament.
Numbers were lower than the previous two years because of the impending
weather, but many intrepid anglers showed up in spite of the forecast to
support Heroes on the Water.
The Angler’s meeting at Fish Tale Marina was a low key event
and SWFKAA President Jeff Gabrick and I went over the rules with a heavy slant
toward safety. The meeting ended around 6:30pm and the anglers raced to their
vehicles, each wanting to get to their favorite area first. On the way home,
the rain began. I stopped by a couple of local kayak launches in Estero Bay and
watched as some of the anglers were dragging kayaks to the water. I thought
“It’s going to be a long night”.
The next morning brought cloudy but dry weather. I was
excited that the anglers didn’t have to suffer all night. I headed up to Fish
Tale Marina and there were several vendors already there. John from Illumarine
and Paul from Fishbone designs were on hand as well as Matt from Estero River
Outfitters. Skip Seal and the Heroes on the Water crew showed up and we all
started setting up our tents. We were all constantly checking our phones for
the latest in radar information, and at some point it became obvious the storms
were imminent. The Michael King Band showed up, and I cancelled to keep them
from getting their gear wet. Things were falling apart.
We moved the entire festival into boat barn #2. Everyone
helped each other and the whole move occurred in short order. Soon after, a
deafening torrential rain began that threatened to flood the entire area. As we
all sat there in our makeshift “vendor village”, I could see it on everyone’s
faces. We were worried that the anglers made it off the water in time. We all
have fished in the rain, but this seemed a little extreme. I wanted it to end.
The rain let up a little, then a little more. Before I knew
it, it had cleared up nicely outside and the anglers began coming in to the
weigh in! There were no reports of injuries and everyone was ok! Things started
looking better and the boat barn came alive with anglers reporting their
catches and the activities that were going on. Ross Gallagher brought his
tricked out Pro Angler in, and Butch Newell and Crazy Alberto Knie were out in
the parking lot chatting up an FWC Officer. The HOW guys called everyone over
for a prayer and then fed everyone in the building.
It turned out to be quite an event despite all the setbacks.
Peggy Riley was there to show off the new Kaku SUP, Paula Stuller from Estero
River Outfitters came by and Esteban Gutierrez was making his rounds making
sure everyone had something to eat. Jeff Gabrick and I were busy checking in
anglers and adding up their numbers, and what numbers there were!
Anglers could register their total number of inches from 2
trout, 2 redfish and 2 snook, along with a tarpon for extra points. The
inclement weather hurt some anglers but seemed to help others and many checked
in a slam. I was very proud to announce the winners of this epic struggle with
nature. William Fazio finished in 5th place, Bob Bielser placed 4th,
Joe Henary came in 3rd, last year’s Champion, Jerry Burdine came in
just shy of a repeat in 2nd, and Joe Komyati edged out all the
others to become this year’s champion and take home a new Hobie Revo. Only one
inch separated 1st and 2nd place.
With the awards handed out, it was time for the raffle.
Estero River Outfitters did the honor as the proceeds were going to benefit
Josh Stuller. Al Durrett of Fish Tale Marina came out to oversee the
festivities as the event drew to a close. Robby Lacey, one of only two junior
anglers in the tournament cleaned up in the raffle. I can’t wait to fish with
him when he is back in town.
Soon after the raffle, boat barn #2 began to clear out. It
was time to make ready for the Reel Paddling Film Festival. We quickly set up
tables, chairs, equipment and the screen. It was a light turn out as most of the
ticket holders were tournament anglers who were now probably in bed. Jean
McElroy and Tony D’Andrea came from the East Coast to watch the only showing of
the RPFF in Florida this year. Skip Seal and his lovely wife as well as Preston
Haytac and his brother Bryce were in attendance. Crazy Alberto Knie was
fighting sleep as Bass on the Road was playing and Butch Newell and I solved
all the world’s problems as we stood outside the building watching the films in
the night air. There were people in chairs, hammocks and even golf carts as we
watched some of the year’s best paddling films.
The evening drew to a close all too soon. A few of us
diehards made our way next door to the Fish House restaurant for the VIP
experience. Some good food and a few drinks with good friends really finished
the day off in a big way for me. I made my way home that night thinking about
all the things that went wrong, but really appreciating all the things that
went right. Everyone seemed to have a great time in spite of the weather and we
raised money for a great cause. What can be better than that?
Thank you to all of you who made this event possible from
the vendors to the anglers to the good friends who attended. Also a big thanks
to the event sponsors, including Arthrex, Bob Taylor Chevrolet, Fish Tale
Marina, Estero River Outfitters, Hobie, Greenscapes, Culligan Water, and
Conditioned Air. Plano, Bending Branches, YakGear, Fish Trap Marina and ERO,
among many others donated prizes as well. Lastly, a very big thank you to Jeff
Gabrick. You were on fire with the sponsors and you will be a fantastic
Tournament Director for all the next events! I look forward to fishing in them
for a change…
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