1st place “Team Byrd”
Wow, what a turnout- 26 teams consisting of 70 adults and 9 children registered for the first ever Barnacle Bandit Blowout.
When I first started talking up the tournament idea amongst my peers there was a mixed response. Some thought the format was great and many others said that Sheepshead were not worthy of their own tournament. Those that know me best were not surprised I went on with the tournament despite any negative notions.
I can’t think of a better time to host something like this, the Sheepshead were hungry, as well as the local patrons during the slowest economic month of the year. Not much happening in February, duck season is over, the drum run hasn’t kicked off yet and the upcoming Spring Break holiday is just a thought.
Have I mentioned that the weather was horrible? Northeast wind at 15-20 mph, light rain, constant drizzle and temps in the lower 50s greeted the contestants Saturday morning. What a great morning to sleep late and then hover around a heater with a few cups of coffee, but not the diehard Sheepshead anglers. My hat is off to the men, women and children that braved the elements to make the weigh-in a huge success.
Sixteen teams made it to the scales with a total of 540 pounds of fish to donate for the fish fry. The weigh-team saw mostly Sheepshead, but also quite a few Redfish, Black Drum and a couple each Trout and Flounder.
The fish-cleaning team and fry-cook team prepared the fish as good as it could ever get! The contestants were served all the fried fish they could handle along with some homemade beans and coleslaw on the side.
Here were the division results:
Sheepshead Adult Division 1st Place – 5.78 lbs. “Team Byrd”
Sheepshead Adult Division 2nd Place – 5.76 lbs. “The Rod Holder”
*No fish were weighed in the Children’s Division
Sheepshead Fly Division – 3.58 lbs. “The Rod Holder”
Five Sheepshead Stringer – 22.52 lbs. “The Rod Holder”
Slot Red Division – 7.58 lbs. “Hardy Fishing Team”
Slot Drum Division – 5.50 lbs. “Bay Kat Bandits”
Heaviest overall Fish Donation – 71.96 lbs. “The Rod Holder”
Best Fish Tale – Pancho Guerara
I would like to thank the many volunteers who showed up to make this all come together, most worked multiple positions and all gave 100%: Walter Karnstedt, Clyde & Connie Rowney, Charlie & Zara Fulton, Warren & Amanda Jennings, David & Kelly Walker, Susie Hudler, Shawn McCoy, James Herbrich, Rodney Chaloupka, Alan Ricks, Dean Ricks, William Ricks, Jeremiah Tanner, Meredith Cash, Karen Cash, Sterling Cash and Kaitlyn Johnson.
The Sponsors & Supporters played a key part in donating prizes, food, preparations and discounting product & services used for the event: Dale Bunting “Fish Sticks”, Temple Fork Outfitters, Beacon 44 Seafood, Port O’Connor Rods, Poco Loco Lodge, POC Hardware, Fisherman’s Quarters, POC Ice For You, Josie’s Mexican Food, Cathy’s Restaurant, Speedy Stop, Mike Hamm, The POC Community Center and Joyce Rhyne with The Dolphin Talk.
The POC Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service will receive the proceeds from the tournament. After expenses were deducted from the tournament proceeds, the Barnacle Bandit Blowout Tournament managed a donation of over $1300.
“The Rod Holder”
