Reel Blue’s 58.83-Pound King Sets New Record – Hard Way Takes The Win! |
| Press Releases | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday, 18 May 2009 11:32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For Immediate ReleasePOMPANO BEACH, FL -- Participants in the 2009 Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Shootout set more than one record this year. 137 boats participated in the tournament held on May 9—that’s 7 more than last year. A new tournament record was also set for the heaviest Kingfish weighed at the Shootout by Reel Blue’s Matthew Iuen, 18, of Pompano Beach. Iuen’s 58.83-pound Kingfish beat out Harrison Smith’s previous record of a 57.8-pound King from 2006, earning Reel Blue a total of $11,018 for the tournament. Greg Hamilton, captain of the Reel Blue, and his son Evin have been fishing the PBSC trail as a family for years. “By far, this was the biggest accolade for Greg and his team in the years they have been fishing with us,” said Jamie Bunn, director for the Shootout. “I was really happy to see the smiles on their face when they brought that big fish to the scales – that’s what it’s all about.” Less than 1 pound separated the 1st and 2nd place teams during this year’s event. Mark Lamb’s Hard Way team weighed in 4 tunas, each over 30 pounds, plus 4 kings bringing their total weight to 217.5 pounds and taking the number 1 spot. The 2nd place team, Get Sum, was only .86 pounds short of Hard Way with 4 tunas and 4 kings for a total weight of 216.68 pounds. O-Sea-D, the only team to weigh in 9 eligible fish, placed in 3rd with 4 kings, 3 tunas and 2 cobia totaling 188.12 pounds. Advanced Roofing earned the 4th place spot with 176.09 pounds in 4 kings and 4 tunas. Rounding out the top 5 was Stuff It II with 4 kings and 4 tunas for 170.73 pounds.
The 2009 Shootout offered several new prize categories which spread the prize money across the leader’s board. Because of the Southern Kingfish Association’s new affiliation with the event, the Big Mack division and the optional Holy Mackerel calcutta were established—both for the heaviest Kingfish caught by an SKA team. Lil Devil took the number one spot in both of these categories with their 43.17-pound King, earning them a total of $4,255. More prize money was also devoted to Average Joe, or novice teams. Blue Moon Fish Company’s team earned $3,000 for their total weight of 110.92 pounds in the Average Joe division, along with another $2,430 for the Average Joe Bonanza calcutta. No team came to the scales with the kingfish, dolphin & wahoo trio, so the Kay Dee Dubya Jackpot will now roll into the Saltwater Slam tournament in June. The new KDW jackpot stands at $20,025 heading into the Slam and is likely to climb to over $25,000 with registrations from the Slam tournament. The IGFA’s Junior Angler clinic attracted 26 kids to this year’s event, the largest number seen in several years. 19 kids from the clinic enjoyed a free afternoon of fishing aboard the Helen S during the day of the Saltwater Shootout tournament. Total payouts for the 2009 Saltwater Shootout were $85,765. For more information on the 2009 Saltwater Slam on June 13, please call 954-725-4010 or visit www.bluewatermovements.com.
Average Joe Team: More Magic 128.89 pts
Top Family Team:
|
