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Podcast by a Panhandle Surf Angler for all anglers of any level. We will talk weekly to guests that are anglers and also industry professionals. I want you to walk away from this podcast with some knowledge either refreshed or new for you to become a better angler. Though it will start in the Panhandle of Florida, it will be around the entire United States so we can all learn something about fishing in different regions.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This episode of Finding Demo, most surf fishing is being brought to you by the Kids Can Fish Foundation, kids Can Fish dot Net's the website to go take a look at to see all the amazing things that they've done. We just finished up the Redfish Tournament out of St. Simon's Island and Jekyll Iman in Georgia, and it was phenomenal. And this week's episode, we're actually talking with Tom. So it's a double win here. So go take a look at the website and you're gonna find out a whole lot more about Georgia fishing and the whole tournament and all the pieces. You're gonna love this. Hang in. You're listening to Finding Demo Surf Fishing. Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Ah, yes, new week, new episode. Hope you're doing well. Wherever you are, things are going good. Fishing is definitely heating up beautifully this time of year, and I love, love, love fall fishing. And we just got back last weekend from St. Simon's Island and Jekyll Island, Georgia there. We went out and fished in the Kids Can Fish Charity, uh, the Red Running of the Bulls Red Charity, red Fish Tournament. I can never get it all right in one sentence for some reason. I don't know why. But yeah, we got it all out there. We had a great time and AJ had fun. I was super happy about that. And the entire Fish Bites team, we all got together and met a whole bunch of new people. It was just, there's nothing bad. And every year you guys hear me come back from this tournament and I have nothing but like super happiness to talk about.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So, uh, uh, lots of cool pieces with that. Uh, so Tom and I were talking after and we said, yeah, hey, let's do another episode. Let's talk about the post tournament things because there's a lot of great that comes after the tournament that a lot of people don't know about. Um, and if you fish in the tournament, you heard Tom talk about what the money raise does and what all the pieces put together do for the entire year. And if you weren't there, and if you've ever thought about going and you kind of hear about me talk about it on the show and you've heard me, you know, talk about sponsorships and all that, there is a collection together that needs to be kind of presented. And I've been shortsighted with that and I apologize. But this year we're gonna fix that. So I've got Tom on the show again. Tom welcome. And, uh, he's gonna talk about it. So let, let's get right into it, man. Congratulations on another successful year, another successful tournament. Man. It's, it was a good one.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Hey, thanks dmo. Finally coming up from air on the tournament prep and finalization. Uh, got the final numbers, everything was great. Huge success. 2024 was definitely our best year. And as any tournament director goes, 2025 is already in the plans. We're working on it.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
it sounded like that on Friday when we all did the, the, uh, like the, the pre-game meeting and the, the gathering there. Uh, it it, it sounded like it was already like, okay, cool, we're good now. Uh, get ready for 2025. It, it was already like your wheels were spinning on there,
Speaker 2 (03:16):
. Well, let's get it right out of the rip. 2025 is October 11th and 12th. And, uh, God willing, we'll have Jekyll Island back and we'll keep the same format and already had some large entities, big people in the fishing community reach out that want to be involved next year. Um, hopeful that we're gonna expand and get bigger and give more opportunities for, uh, bigger and better prizes for our participants.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
God, can it get any bigger? Dude, this year was huge. I mean, we, you paid out the top seven spots. Uh, top was what, how much was the top one? 5 5, 5 grand. Yeah, five grand. I mean, that's real money. And then the kids, the kids all placed, they got into the custom rods from Brian. It, it's just so many good things. Uh, sorry. As I say Brian, I'm like, oh man, I know Brian from Bandit, . I didn't even think about the business piece. I'm I'm special. Um, it, it, so many pieces and then the silent auctions and so many cool pieces of the, the drawings and all that, it all turns back into the foundation and it all funds into the next thing. So let's let, let's start off on that. The money that's raised for at these events and throughout the year, let, let's talk into that, how that all ties back into the following year.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, so the tournament is the sole funding source for our camps, our campaign. So the tournament this year will fund the 2025 camps and we're gonna hope to do nine again. We did nine in 2024. And uh, you know, nine is kind of the sweet spot. We might sneak 10 or 11 in there if time permits. But this tournament really is the cornerstone piece on how we're able to do these donations for our camps, which are all free for the families that attend. And the great part is, is when they attend a camp, they all leave with the gear they use, which is premium high-end gear. We don't, uh, buy any throwaway stuff. We want to give people the knowledge, the teaching, the instruction and the gear that we would use ourself when they leave our camp to further the interest in fishing and give them the capable means of doing it the right way.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Man, that, it's so cool that you actually brought that up like that because uh, there's a win. We were talking pre-show about that. Uh, we're definitely gonna talk about it here in a second. But if, if you guys haven't gone down and if you haven't seen the tournament pictures from the page, uh, or anything from that, you can go take a look, uh, back on social media too, especially that. But if you go to the running of the Bulls charity redfish tournament, uh, you'll see a lot of the things that happen. But the cool thing that comes with this that you said was from the camps, the gear that you use can be used in the tournament, including, which I've seen every year cast nets. These kids that go to the cast net clinic are out there throwing their cast nets to catch bait, to come back and throw on their rods that they got at a camp to go back and fish from all gear that they've acquired from going to a camp with the knowledge and the gear pieces frigging huge win there.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, one of the coolest memories of this year's tournament was a father that attended our bull redfish camp at the end of September, came from Idaho, moved to Georgia, doesn't know anything about surf fishing, attended the camp with his son, he fished the tournament with his kid and actually took fifth place with the Diwa combo, the rogue reels gear, the sinker guy Sputniks, everything that we gave him at the camp. He took that knowledge from that September camp and with five weeks of practice took fifth place in the adult division, which was pretty sweet.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Yeah, full circle right there. I mean, knowledge gained, gear used and in, in the backyard. And now he's hooked for life, .
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And, and he's already reached out to me about where do I get a surf cart, where do I get sand? Like all this stuff. He's hooked, he's locked in. And it, to me, that's what it's about is sharing knowledge of how to fish the right way. How to care for the resource the right way. And to me, that full circle is that on, that to me is a huge win for the tournament and just shows and proves that our camps are working. Yep.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Proofs in the pudding for sure. Man. It's solid. So this week or this year, I thought the weather was great. Um, I I thought it was, uh, everything was actually really good. The only thing that was what we had the one day, the Saturday that the, the water turned dirty in the afternoon, but you had the morning pieces. Everyone out there seemed very positive. The the locals were, um, surprised me this year at Jekyll especially. 'cause it was a new one. We, we hadn't gone there last year, but every local that had passed by and stopped by our area was like, well, what's going on? And we told 'em about, you know what, it was the foundation like, oh, oh, this is great. And it was like all of a sudden, the whole, the attitude changed. And it was, it was a very welcoming community as always. Every year I haven't ever felt unwelcome or like, oh man, these people hate us. Every time it's been something positive and a win and people are just encouraging the entire time we're out there. And I love that.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Yeah, there's a really awesome story. I haven't even shared this with you, Brian is, um, a lady in their family came to Jekyll on Saturday and their husband, the father, had recently passed away and Jekyll was their place. Like that was their family getaway, the beach that was their spot. Family comes out there and they're like, uh, we've never seen Jekyll like this. What's this all about? My dad actually told him what was going on, what the purpose of the event was, and the lady was like, perfect. This is exactly what my husband loved. And was just like thrilled that they could do a little tribute to the dad while this was going on because that was the life that man lived and that's the, the world that family lived in. And it didn't impede their ability to have that moment, that family moment with them. And the fact that they could see what we were doing for the foundation and tie that to their family's connection with nature and the outdoors was something kind of cool. I was not expecting that at all.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Dude, that's like super feel good story. I wish you would've told me that earlier. . I'm glad you surprised me with it. Lots. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Lots of good stuff. There's just so much to say. Um, but that, that was really surprising. It was very touching and, um, that wife and my dad had, um, quite a conversation. I mean, honestly, my mom passed last year. My dad shared that connection with those fields and it, it was really cool. It's a special moment.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Definitely was, man, it's, uh, you're, you're doing so many good things, uh, throughout the year and in this tournament is just, it's the pinnacle. It's at the top of like, all right, this is what we're doing. This is what it all paid for, this is what we're going, this is the end goal. Everyone's winning. And it's such a, it's a brush of fresh air. Man, I wish I, I mean, I'm sorry this is such a positive episode for all you listeners. I know you're hoping for something, but it's all wins. And, uh, the kids this year, that was one of my favorite, like every year it's my favorite thing with the kids. But seeing Aiden, especially Aiden, he's what, three feet tall? Four four feet. He, he sweet kid, totally sweet kid handling a, a red fish almost as tall as him and just like, oh, I guess we're gonna put this back in the water. Let's do this. And that video of you two reviving and sending out it was such, that's the whole picture of it all. Catch photo release.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah. That, that video if you go, it's actually on a reel on the kids Can't fish main page. And on the tournament page it's also on Instagram. To me that video is the essence of what we want these kids to know about. Kids can't fish, they caught a fish, they battled a fish, they handled it with care and they released it properly. And teaching them those things early on will be ingrained in their memory and their minds on how to properly do this sport. And then to pass that legacy and that knowledge base on to their kids one day is really the full circle again, approach to why we do what we do. That's one of my favorite videos that the top 10 kids can fish moment for me for sure. And Aiden Lucky Angler, he was the only person in the tournament, youth and adult to catch two redfish in the tournament.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yep. It was good times. It such, such a win on all those for him. And the family's hell, everyone's elated. Uh, I, it was so great. And then when he caught, let's see here, he caught and then Mike caught and then somebody else down there. Um, but whenever, whenever somebody was on, and I love this about the tournament, it's not a selfish moment when the rod goes off, it's the community comes together around those rods, starts pulling in other lines as needed, talking through, Hey, this one's crossed. All right, move here. Everyone works together to bring that fish in to celebrate that win. And that, that's, that's huge.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yeah. Real coastal is a good example of that too. Julie was on with a gigantic stingray that was running the beach and she went under and around probably 15 or 20 rods. And, and like you said, everyone, it's a teamwork effort and everybody wants to contribute when the rods do go off to see everybody be courteous and think about other people is, is really, really neat to see. Um, I really like the Julie and Brent video from real coastal too on that big catch. Um, is that pot of stingrays move through. 'cause we hooked up on one too, but it is just the essence of what we do. Our tournament just has the right mentality. It has the perfect angler pool. People get it and people fish for the right reason. Yep.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
That absolutely with the, this is actually a great tie in. So let's talk about the gear. Um, 'cause a lot of people will think, oh, I need maybe this or I don't know what I need. Uh, let's talk a little prep for the tournament piece. So, uh, walk us through what kind of gear you are recommending and a setup you should get yourself set ready for if you're gonna come fish this tournament.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
So I'll just, I'll tell you what works for me and what I fish, um, with the kids. I usually put 'em in the smaller kids. Aiden was fishing a 10 foot rod. A team ran sha rain shadow, uh, with Batson Enterprise components by Batson. That's uh, our camp Rods. He was using one of the surf camp rods. Um, I run 40 pound braided line on the 10 footers and I run, uh, 50 pound on the 11 footers. People, if they haven't figured this out yet, a Sputnik weight by the sinker guy is a must. Um, there was a young lady that was fishing next to us that, um, was using a bank sinker and had a Carolina rig or a double drop rig. And she came up and she's like, what are you doing? 'cause my rigs not working. We cut her gear off, put a rogue reels bull red rig on there, gave her a sinker guy Sputnik a six ounce, taught her how to set the Sputnik, told her the type of bait we were using.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
And she actually reached out to me after the term and she's like, that was so much help. She's like, it totally changed my focus on how I fished the surf. She's like, as a game changer. So there's, there's no secrets here. The the bull red rigs, um, are heavy mono. We use heavy mono here because there's so many shark catches and there's so many stingray catches that you're gonna preserve baits and you're gonna preserve the break offs. And if you haven't invested in Sputnik sinkers by chip, um, to me that's the magic piece. You have to use a Sputnik sinker. Um, and I like to have your mono rigs by rogue reels just because I didn't have a single break off all weekend and we had six rods out for the sponsored kids and I didn't re retire once. Um, and we caught sharks. And to me that's time savings and it keeps bait in the water longer.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Man, the sharks this year were not as bad as I exp or they weren't as bad as I expected. I know couple zones said that they got sharked a lot, but it wasn't nearly as as bad as, as what it could have been. But the gear piece that those sputniks dude, those were a lifesaver, especially on that current movement. It
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Did you see the six foot lemon that was caught by the kid on the front side? Yeah,
Speaker 1 (15:25):
That was awesome. . I was like, okay, that's not a small one. .
Speaker 2 (15:31):
And I think he caught it on a 5,000 spinning reel of some sort . Um, they're there, they are definitely there. The the thing that surprised me is where were the bonnet heads
Speaker 1 (15:41):
And yeah, not one
Speaker 2 (15:43):
The storm, I don't know the storm water temps. I mean usually it's bonnet, bonnet, bonnet. There were a lot of sand sharks. Um, most of the sharks I saw were sand sharks. Some fine tooth. But that lemon, that lemon, when that rod went off, that kid had to think he had a 50 inch plus red fish and probably celebrating before it hit the sand. And then he saw the toothy guy and it's like, no
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Change.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
With that being said, uh, the kid had the most impressive shark catch that was one of our free prizes and he won a, uh, fishing mate, anglers fishing mate, uh, beach cart for that shark, shark catch. So that was pretty cool,
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Man. The smile looked as genuine though. This picture, he is like, I'm good back here, dad. I'm good. I I don't wanna hold the tail. I'm good. .
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, that's a legit shark. That's a, that's a big boy shark right there for sure. It
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Definitely is the, and then you bring up a cool part and thank you for bringing that up. It's not just about money with this. There are so many other things that come with prizes. I mean, you've got the silent auction of so many different pieces of gear. Uh, there was the, let's see here, the raffles the hell, there was a smoker this year. Um, that, that was a wow that was unexpected. Um, the, the forge, uh, the fire pit from them, that was another great piece with another buy-in that turned into the, the foundation there. There's more than just checks being handed out here, um, that complete the whole thing. So what more, I mean better yet, what, what do you, what do you see with that as a, uh, how that helps the foundation but also why that's such a great win to be at the tournaments?
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yeah, so I mean it's no surprise. I mean we do a 60 40 payout. Um, we have the last couple years we raise more money for the charity on raffle sales hand hands down. So when you have a smoker, you have a chainsaw, you have a turtle box, you have, uh, free fishing charters. So we had, um, three charters donated, um, gift cards, fishing rods. I mean our prizes at these parties, there's no smalls. Um, they're all legit very, very nice prizes. I think the lowest, other than the fishing rods, the single fishing rods, the lowest prize that was given away in a raffle was a $250 value. And ranged all the way up to that, you know, 500 plus. So the raffle ticket sales are an immense help. So if anything, if you, if you don't fish the tournament, those events are open to the public come and support in that way. If you're not a a fishing family, but like what we do, come to the welcome party, come to the awards banquet, buy raffle tickets. We make more money in raffles than we do in the tournament, uh, proceeds just because we give 60% back to the, the anglers that participate.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
And all the money that you raised from this, especially at this tournament, 'cause we've talked about it before and you mentioned it earlier, this event pays for the entire year of camps. So every dollar goes into that one kid's smile, that one kid that never had the opportunity to fish before, oh he just got a rod and reel and or he is got a castine net and now he's got the knowledge they're gonna go out there and fish. And that is all thanks to that $1 that you gave in for this or that thing that you bought into the tournament or that, Hey, I wanted this and I spent X dollar. All that goes back.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
And you can look at it this way. The proceeds, the 40% that came back to the foundation in February, we're gonna cut a check to some rod supplier and buy a hundred surf rods. So we're gonna spend between eight and $10,000 in surf rods for the 2025 campaign. Your entries took care of that.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yeah. And see folks, there's your full circle because it all does go back in and it's, these camps are so important. I mean, granted, I'm, I'm feeling extra special because we get our one here in the panhandle and just seeing it firsthand after that was like, yeah, this is what it's about. It's, it's about them. Those kids now have all that gear and they're out at the beach and we've seen families that came out to our panhandle one, we've seen them fishing now, follow them on social. It's kind of cool to see. It's like, oh cool, you got that. And then the cast net ones on your side seen those. We see that live again. Well we've seen it either in the group or I've seen it when we were out at the island. Everything goes back in and it's all just, again, it's a full circle. It's a full infinity movement of how it all ties back. And that's all thanks to you guys.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Well the fundraising part is a small piece 'cause we couldn't buy the supplies to make it happen. But our volunteers, we have the most amazing volunteer group from the Florida folks to the Georgia folks. And, and for those of you that are listening, you know your names, these camps are not possible without people spending their free time with these kids volunteering at our camps. So, um, it's one thing to buy the equipment, but without people that don't believe in what we're doing and don't believe in youth fishing, kids can't, fish doesn't exist. So to all the volunteers that help us at all these camps, thank you so much. It's, it's unbelievably appreciated by us
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Pat yourselves on the back, people. You've earned it seriously. You make this awesome. Well let's tie into the last bit, couple pieces here. Let's talk about some highlights from this year's tournament. Gimme, gimme your hat, your the ones that are sticking out for you, man.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Yeah, so if, if you look on the tournament page or our socials for kids Can't fish. The, the youth winner, um, Baron Strafford, him and his dad, they got the winning fish. So it was a 39 inch red fish at that five spots. It was the largest redfish caught in the tournament, um, in both divisions. And you hear the dad talking to his son about his catch and the kid is the one doing the measurement criteria where you're at, what you caught it on, what beat you're at, the measurement, the whole nine. And to me that is another video that shows the essence of what kids can't fish is, um, that family's from North Atlanta. They've never been to one of our camps, but the dad and I had an opportunity to talk on Sunday night and I said, Zach, your video is exactly what we do and is the essence of what this tournament is about.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
So find, um, baron's, catch his winning catch video from the sand and you'll get the feeling of exactly what we're trying to accomplish in the tournament. That was, that was a huge win seeing that kid's catch, um, the Connor, the Calcutta winner. I'm leaving the beach on Sunday to go, um, fish the or go set up the awards banquet. And Connor's mom is like, where's Connor? Where's Connor? I was like, I don't know where he is at, but I would fish somewhere in this area that I was walking away from. So Connor goes and sets up somewhere in that area and I'm passing him on the beach and this is at like two 30 and I said, Connor, don't be the guy that catches a fish at 2 31 and I have to dq your fish because of the catch, the qualifying catch has to post to the tournament group by three 30 or it would be a DQ fish.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
He's like, no sir, I won't do that, I won't do that. Well, 3 25, he hooks up and he gets the Calcutta winning fish with five minutes to spare. That video is like six minutes long. You hear the joy, you hear the excitement with his family and his friends that were watching. And then Connor gets the fish on his hand. He goes, upload it to the group, upload it to the group . He's like, I don't care. Don't I don't care about a picture. Upload it, upload it. You got three people in their group trying to upload videos. Connor runs to the parking lot of Jekyll Island to try to get better wifi. And at 3 25 it hits. And a 16-year-old kid won $3,800 on our Calcutta
Speaker 1 (23:39):
. He was so excited. It
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Was so that video is awesome. Um, that, that video shows to me not only a young man that's learning how to fish at a high level, but shows the excitement and the competitiveness of what this tournament is and having sound rules that we uphold and making sure, I told people I'm getting my lines out 15 minutes early at the end of the day. So on fr on Saturday we stopped at six 30. My lines were out at six 15 'cause I didn't wanna get put in that spot, but man, he fished to the witching hour and it paid off. Um, it paid off big time for him.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, he was, he was fun. I, I enjoyed, he, he was fishing next to me in the morning, moved, then came back, he's like, all right now I'm, I'm, this is where it is. And I was so happy to see when I, he came to the way and that, uh, his video was like, huh, how'd that feel? He is like, dude, I didn't think it was gonna happen. I really thought, I thought, I didn't think it was gonna upload in time. I was panicking. ,
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I'll tell you what, he, he just got his driver's license and has a pickup truck and he's the essence of, um, mobility. So it was just him. He's fishing two rods. He fished the front side soccer field area, fished behind the Days Inn, fished the pier area, then moved to the point he didn't have the mentality of stick and stay, make him pay. Like I I I stayed in one spot. He was mobile and he found tides he liked, he found structure he liked and he, he bounced around quite a bit, um, did his research and actually had a game plan. And, um, if it didn't pay out for him, um, that proof's in the pudding there.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Definitely on that one. And then I know you definitely have another one to talk about, especially old Aiden coming in big,
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Oh man, Aiden. So Aiden was the first time running the bull sponsored kid. Angler just got into fishing. His, his older brother has been at multiple camps. His older brothers fished the last four running of the Bulls. And Aiden dropped in with our sponsored kids this year. And as a new angler that's never caught a red fish in his life before, to take second, or excuse me, take third and win the Calcutta with two fish is just something that's really special. Just goes to show that angler abilities and angler sizes and ages of all kinds can catch a fish in this event. And you just might get blessed and be fortunate to be the guy or gal that catches two. And Aiden, Aiden definitely had the lucky hand on, uh, on the weekend and I'm really proud of the kid. He, he really handled the fish master, like, like a master and really spent the time and care of like learning the proper release, learning the proper handling. That's another thing too outta all the videos and all the pictures I saw. Nobody's gill a bull red fish. Everyone's supporting the head, supporting the tail, holding it the right way and releasing the fish with care. And to me that just again, embodies what we teach these kids. It's so important a safe release and the proper handling of this fish. And Aiden, he learned some things that weekend and that's a core memory and it's one, one that's gonna stick with me for a long, long time.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Uh, he, again, your teaching has made that and the support of the whole network makes this whole thing grow. Oh man, it was such a good tournament. I know our whole, my family, AJ and I, we had a great time. The entire Fish Bites team. There was, you know, we got back from fishing on Saturday night and Sunday night. We all sat round table, shared memories, ideas for next year, all our happy wins. And it was just, uh, there's nothing negative. I, I wish there, you know, we could say, oh, well if this, no, it was all this is great. And all the kids are all together, they're meeting each other, they're getting outta their Xbox mode and into the good times there. It was a full blown perfect family weekend. And I think that's one of the added advantages to getting out fishing, especially in this tournament, is you get out and you get to go spend time with your kids, spend time with your parents, you know, whatever it is. Spend time on the beach in a new area, learn a different type of fishing. And at the end of the day you get to look back at all the pictures and go, yeah, we did that. We won. And that's huge.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Brian, how many cell phones did you see in the hands of kids?
Speaker 1 (28:00):
? I'd love to say zero, but I'm, it was so minimal. Very minimal.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
It, it's awesome. Uh, I love that you can walk up and down the beach and you see kids interacting with their families. Um, don't get me wrong, sitting down, eating a sandwich, you know, looking at your phone. I do it, I'm guilty of that. But these kids are out playing in the water, playing in the sand, running around with the other kids. Um, to me, you know, as a parent in this day and age where these, the technology is such a part of their lives, this goes back to those old school roots. These kids are enjoying quality time with their loved ones and, and it's a couple hours on a weekend where you get kids being kids.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Mm-Hmm. . Yep. So the thing, you guys need another motivation. Uh, there's one, uh, I gotta share this story just 'cause it's, it kind of fits this one. So we were fishing next to the Smith family and first year fishing with them, just met them, uh, on, and it was, it was great. Like at the first it was kind of like, all right, uh, new people, let's meet 'em. And it thoroughly enjoyed every single conversation I had with them. And we had numerous times, like I crossed his line, he crossed mine and we were just working together. It was no, oh, hey, sorry. It was like, dude, don't even worry about it. We'll, we'll handle it. Well their son takes his, uh, , he takes one of the rods that he got at one of the camps, and I think it was one of the shorties, I believe it was the Dock demon.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
So he takes it out, gets a nice little single rig set up, hooks on some shrimp, walks down to the water, casts it himself, just whips it out there, mean kids getting at least a 30, 40 yard cast, sets it in the rod holder and kind of just okay. Walks around, walks around, walks around. Rod goes off, mom and dad, Hey Rod, he runs over, pulls in a nice whiting, Hey, we need bait. There you go. Grabs it again. Walks and looks around, looks around, hooks it, throws it, sets it in the rod holder. Walks around, walks, oh, runs over and gets his rod. He spent the entire day doing that. And then their rod, oh, can't remember which one it was, one of their rods went off good hit. And uh, they pulled it right out. Mom's holding the rod for him and he's just, he's reeling it in. Dad's up doing leader, you know, he's doing the pull in, checking, watching everything. We're kind of moving around him. And it was a, what was it? It was a toad. I think it was a toad, not
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Toad Fish.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Yeah. Yeah. And it was a big toad. Like I, I don't think I've seen a toad that big. Pulled it in and he's going, oh, well that's cool. Like, he wasn't depressed that it wasn't a red, he was kinda like, huh, what's, you know, just really like, okay, cool, got it off, sent it back out, all was well. And he was like, okay, cool. Sent it back out, grabbed his little rod right back to fishing , he didn't stop. And I was like, this, this is what I love. And even, you know, Wyatt Tiara's son, he was off to the left helping him. AJ was just doing her her happy. Walk around supporting that little circle. It, it just, everything. Put it into such a like this family friends meeting, all right, cool. Everything went perfect. There was no bickering, no arguments. And even it was a tournament. Who cares? Everybody was together. And I loved that. And now I can't, I, I look forward to talking with the Smith family more. You know, I I, we added each other on social. We'll all follow each other and I'm sure we'll meet up again next year, but that stuff builds communities and your tournament does that. It builds people together, uh, from different areas and make friends, lifelong friends.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah. Clayton Young Clayton, he's such a good kid. I've had a chance to fish with him at our camps. And his family's just an active, active outdoor family and great people. Um, same by going to our camps, they become great friends. And that, that, that moment with a dock demon isn't possible without Zep Co. Because on Friday night we gave away a hundred, uh, dock demons. So any kid in attendance that wanted a dock demon to fish, we gave gave a kid a Zep Co. And um, even I told the parents, it's like, look, I've caught some really nice red fish and sheep's head on a dock demon. If you want one, come on up and get 'em in. Zco made that possible. We gave a hundred of those away on Friday night.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
See, everything ties together folks. It all comes back together, man. Well, I, I think this year, like you said, you got the goals were met for the year. Uh, the camps are gonna be set up. So if you guys aren't following Kids Can Fish Foundation and you're interested in one of these camps, make sure you're following it so you know when they are, where they are and what they are. Uh, lots of really cool pieces and it's the opportunity for community to learn to get gear that's going to help you further your time in this fishing community. And, and the knowledge piece. It's mega wins and demo.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Yeah. Can we, can we wrap up and congratulate the winners? Want me to go over the list of the, uh, the top anglers? Yep,
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Let's do that. So perfect. Send it.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
So on, on behalf of title sponsor, cornerstone First Mortgage, we'll go over the adult winners with Pete Tortorella in first with a 38 inch redfish. Second place was Tong Champ with 37.75. Third place was Alex Zeki with uh, 37.25. Fourth was Landon Ballard at 36 and three quarters. Fifth was Champ Bates, 36.256 was Mike Pucci, 36.25. He tiebreaker by the spots. His only had two and then seven place was Devin Loper with 36. Moving on to the youth winners, Baron Stafford, 39 inches. Second place local Angler Amp Kennedy 36.50. Third place, Aiden Fertile, 36.25 Calcutta winner. Connor Ellis, 35.50 14 spots and Youth Calcutta winner, eight infertile, 35 inches, 21 spots,
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Solid list, and God, 39 inches, that was a big fish. It's so many good ones there, man. Well you did this and the foundation built it. Thank you. And your family. The, oh God, everybody everyone. Brandon, your family, everybody. Thank you so much for this. You guys made this possible. I look forward to next year, man. And is there anything else we can, I mean, is there anything else to say really? I mean what, anything else we missed?
Speaker 2 (34:31):
End of March, panhandle Pompano Camp dates coming soon.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
I can't wait. Looking forward to seeing you. All right, sounds good. There you go. Ladies and gentlemen, you've been listening to finding DMO Surf Fishing. Thanks for sticking around. We appreciate you. We'll see you next week. We are. Yep. Outta here.