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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 (00:00:00):
This episode of Finding Demo, most surf fishing is being brought to you by the Kids Can Fish. This organization is creating real opportunities for kids to learn for, for learning how to fish, confidence, patience, and outdoor skills. The tournament that they do, the big one, the monster that we're gonna be talking about today with Kelly and Landon. Yeah, it directly supports the mission. Every angler that signs up, every sponsor, every volunteer at all gourd goes towards giving kids rods, a reel and a chance, an opportunity to do these camps. If you're listening, you want to help 'em out. Make a difference in 2026, whether that's donating, volunteering, or sponsoring for the next tournament, head over to Kids Can fish.net. Even $5 helps put fishing gear in a kid's hands. And you're listening to Finding Demo Surf Fishing. Here we go.
Speaker 1 (00:01:16):
Welcome back. Hope everyone's doing well. Wherever you are, uh, today we've got a great story for you. And we're talking with Kelly and Landon Ballard. And if the name kind of rings familiar, you also heard it in a recent episode. That's 'cause Kelly just won the 2025 running of the Bulls Redfish tournament for a $10,000 purse, the first largest monster purse ever for the Kids Can Fish tournament. It's huge big win there. And Landon, if that name sounds familiar, yeah, he took fourth place in the 2024. So one house is winning pretty good . That's going real well. The tournament itself is run by kids can fish. Really big, uh, great tournament. I love going down there for it. And if you can go, I highly recommend it for next year. It's October. And tonight we're gonna dig into the story of the win, the strategy, surprise, teamwork, everything in between.
Speaker 1 (00:02:02):
We're gonna go through the whole gambit. Landon's also gonna dig into some of the fun pieces with sharing his knowledge and experiences with us by breaking down some technical side things, reading beach gear, set up, you know, the fun stuff that we also wanna know about. And of course, the most important there. I don't know. Yeah. How do I say it? Celebrating a huge win. I mean, this is monster. So good. So grab some rigs or you know, follow me with a cup of coffee. Yeah, it's gonna be a good one. Here we go. So welcome to the stage, helping to the show Kelly and Landing. Hi guys. Good morning. Hi. How's it going? Oh, it's a great day to start. I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (00:02:41):
.
Speaker 1 (00:02:42):
So first and foremost, Kelly. Yes, big congratulations. Thank
Speaker 2 (00:02:46):
You so much. Huge
Speaker 1 (00:02:47):
Win right there. Yes. That, that day was uh, that was a heck of a day to fish.
Speaker 2 (00:02:54):
Oh my gosh. Yes. The weather was horrid.
Speaker 1 (00:02:58):
Because you caught on Sunday, right?
Speaker 2 (00:03:00):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (00:03:00):
Yeah. I mean Saturday was, Saturday was special.
Speaker 2 (00:03:04):
No, Saturday. I caught on
Speaker 1 (00:03:06):
Saturday. Oh, you did catch on Saturday. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Saturday was that day started rough and just, man, it was a long one there.
Speaker 2 (00:03:15):
It was. Yes, it was crazy. Cold and high. What, what do they call it? King Tide? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:03:21):
Yeah. It was another, yeah, that was the first. So I've been only going for what, I think I've gone four years. And Landon, you were there last year. Last year wasn't, last year was nice. Last year was kind of a surprise, except for Sunday when it did that weird cold snap. And we're like, when did winter get here? Mm-hmm . . Um, but the year, the first year I went, I won King of the smallest. We had a king tide and that was my first experience with it. I'd never seen it. And last this year I think was worse than that one.
Speaker 2 (00:03:48):
Oh yeah. I don't know. We didn't experience that first one. But yeah, this one, I'd never seen that before. Yeah,
Speaker 1 (00:03:53):
It's, it's a good way. It's a good, it's a good break in. It's a good
Speaker 2 (00:03:57):
Break. Oh gosh. Yeah. I guess .
Speaker 1 (00:03:59):
Alright, Kelly, so walk me through the moment that, uh, you decided, hey, we're gonna finish this tournament. What made you say yes?
Speaker 2 (00:04:05):
So Landon, since he got fourth place last year, I just went and watched for some of it last year. So I figured he was doing it again and I would go watch anyways. So I wasn't expecting to win anything or catch anything really. I just figured might as well put my pole in while I'm sitting there watching.
Speaker 1 (00:04:24):
Nice
Speaker 2 (00:04:26):
.
Speaker 1 (00:04:27):
I love that. I didn't know that. I feel even better not knowing this story that just made it even better. .
Speaker 2 (00:04:33):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:04:33):
I just wanna hang out with you. Gosh.
Speaker 2 (00:04:35):
Yeah. .
Speaker 1 (00:04:37):
All right. So what were you feeling leading up to it?
Speaker 2 (00:04:40):
Um, I was a little bit anxious, just nervous about the weather and all the gear and all that stuff, but I was excited also 'cause I figured this guy, he could do it.
Speaker 1 (00:04:55):
And he did. You, you both did
Speaker 2 (00:04:57):
? Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:04:59):
Uh, I, it's, I know this some of, but by the way, there are times I will ask questions that aren't on the paper. . Normally I don't do that much. So leading up to it, 'cause y'all live in the area, you're, you're within a hundred miles and you were really paying attention to the weather there, or was it all of a sudden leading up to it like, oh, this is gonna be bad.
Speaker 2 (00:05:16):
No, honestly, I didn't really think it, I mean, it gets rainy and stuff here, but I didn't think it was that bad until we got to the actual beach and saw, 'cause the waves usually are super mellow. There's really not much movement where we're at. And it was crazy waves. So then we knew it was a little different than we anticipated .
Speaker 1 (00:05:38):
Yeah, that was an extra little challenge right there. So what, what went from the tournament day stands out, the clearest in your mind?
Speaker 2 (00:05:45):
Uh, when I started to catch my big fish and there was a crowd up in, there's a lookout on what they call Wanderers Trail. It's like a trail at Jekyll Island that has some African American history on it. There's a big lookout. And I didn't realize there were a ton of people up there, but all of a sudden I turn around and I've got like a crowd and I felt like a celebrity . So that was cool. .
Speaker 1 (00:06:10):
Well, you know, with that next piece of, what did it feel like? What did it feel like when you hooked in? You're like, oh, oh, hello.
Speaker 2 (00:06:17):
I honestly, I thought I lost it because they took call it running of the bulls. Right. So it's supposed to run. So the line ran a little bit, but then it stopped. And so I thought, well, I I probably lost it. I don't know. I don't know what's going on. And our neighbor that was fishing with us, he goes, it's probably swimming towards you. And sure enough, I started reeling some more and then you could see it jump a little out of the water and Oh, okay, it's still on there. All right, let's go. .
Speaker 1 (00:06:45):
. It's such an evil trick when they do that and then they run in on you. It's like, oh man, and then you tighten. I was like, oh. Oh, okay. Nevermind. I'm sorry. .
Speaker 2 (00:06:53):
Yeah,
Speaker 1 (00:06:54):
It's like they know right there that they're just gonna mess with you.
Speaker 2 (00:06:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:06:59):
All right, Landon, let's break down into the fun stuff here. What was your game plan heading into tournament day? Because like, like we talked about, you know, weather was crazy. It was gonna be a little bit of change. And last year you placed fourth in the tournament, which was definitely not easy at all. Last year was even, in my opinion, more, more difficult.
Speaker 3 (00:07:17):
Yeah. I mean, to be honest, I didn't really have a laid out game plan. But, um, initially we were just gonna go to the Great Dunes, which was where I was at last year and hang out there. 'cause it's actually a nice spot. Not a lot of people go there. So it wasn't gonna be super crowded, wouldn't have to worry about people getting mad about crossing lines or anything like that. But, uh, yeah, we went out there and the waves were really large, really windy and wasn't that great of a spot for that day.
Speaker 1 (00:07:57):
Oh, I mean apparently it was, it turned out pretty good.
Speaker 3 (00:08:00):
Well,
Speaker 2 (00:08:01):
We moved, yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:08:02):
Oh, okay. Uh, okay. That makes sense. Uh, I'll ask this one. How long did you wait before you moved?
Speaker 3 (00:08:10):
Uh, it was, we didn't move until noon.
Speaker 1 (00:08:12):
Okay. She gave four hours or so.
Speaker 3 (00:08:15):
Yep. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:08:16):
Four or five hours. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:08:19):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (00:08:19):
But it was Kelly's decision to move 'cause I probably would've just sat it out. It's true. Yeah, I
Speaker 1 (00:08:25):
Understand
Speaker 2 (00:08:26):
. I know. I felt like I was whining. He hates moving 'cause of all the gear and everything, but I was like, I'm catching sticks man. I'm catching sticks. I think the water's moving the opposite way on the other side of the island. So let's try that.
Speaker 1 (00:08:40):
I get it. I think every person that fishes, especially in the surf with all the gear that we have to haul, it's like, ah, I think my roots are pretty well planted here. Whether I succeed or fail, I'm staying
Speaker 2 (00:08:51):
. Of course.
Speaker 1 (00:08:52):
Well it was a good decision to move there that, that, that decision. Very much so. Paid off,
Speaker 2 (00:08:56):
Right? Yes. unexpectedly .
Speaker 1 (00:09:01):
You know, I'm glad you said that. I really am because that is, I think too many people come into the so many tournaments and they think, I'm gonna catch, I'm gonna catch. And it's like, no, the majority of us don't catch. It's, it's luck of the draw. It really is. You gotta be right place, right time, right bait, right moment. It's, it's all the rights. You have to hit all the rights.
Speaker 2 (00:09:22):
Exactly. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09:25):
People don't like me saying that apparently , it's a skill thing. You're right bro. You're right. It's a skill thing. I'm sorry that I have no skills and you have all the skills.
Speaker 2 (00:09:35):
Right. We had a line of very seasoned fishermen next to us on the second day and you know, it's just the luck. I've never caught anything. And they're experts, you know. So
Speaker 1 (00:09:48):
. Yeah,
Speaker 2 (00:09:51):
,
Speaker 1 (00:09:53):
. No, I'm not. I I don't, I don't get angry. I don't get annoyed. No, no. Not
Speaker 2 (00:10:00):
.
Speaker 1 (00:10:01):
So this keeps conditions a little bit different with the rain and the wind. That was something that I did not expect. Um, I don't think a lot of us did. I think we're all kinda like, oh hey, this is a, a new challenge. What were, when you letting, leading up to when you got to the second spot, what were the conditions that you were working with?
Speaker 3 (00:10:20):
So at the second spot, I think, um, let's see, was it, uh, low tide?
Speaker 2 (00:10:29):
I
Speaker 3 (00:10:30):
Or it would,
Speaker 2 (00:10:31):
I don't know because the king
Speaker 1 (00:10:32):
Probably lower. I'm not sure. Yeah, tide. We had the king tide in the morning when we got there and then we're receding and then it didn't, yeah, we were receding until, God it felt like two o'clock. It was a long time. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:10:43):
So maybe it was just at high tide we're just like,
Speaker 2 (00:10:48):
Yeah, it was low tide, I think anyways. Um, yeah, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (00:10:51):
, he was on the way out. That spot was actually a lot better. The wind wasn't in your face. Um, and the waves were a lot smaller. 'cause on the other side I got soaked waiting out and I was already freezing , so I was pretty much like, oh my gosh, when will this day end?
Speaker 1 (00:11:12):
Speaker 2 (00:11:14):
Right? No. And I kept catching trees, you know, like I caught, it was a giant piece of tree and I was like, I can't reel this inland and I can't get it. So he had to take the pole and he reels it in and it's crap. You know, it's just the tree. So that's when we decided to move to the other side. So there was less trees on that side. So That's good. .
Speaker 1 (00:11:37):
You weren't kidding about a tree. 'cause I, I saw said tree moving down the beach. That was awful.
Speaker 2 (00:11:45):
Yes, it was. It was horrible. . Hence my throwing a fit. I think we need to move 'cause I'm tired of catching trees.
Speaker 1 (00:11:54):
So I, I, you know, you said that and I kind of, I hear my wife in the background. Um, so was it a, I think we need to move, uh, or was it more of a hey we're moving?
Speaker 2 (00:12:04):
Well, it kind of was a little nudge at first and then it was like, okay, I'm having like my temper tantrum. I really don't even wanna fish anymore because I'm catching trees. So I think we need to switch. And then I, you know, I have to talk him into it, you know, I know you hate moving all the stuff, but I think it might be moving the other way on the other side. . Oh
Speaker 1 (00:12:32):
See that tells me everything. That tells me everything right there about you guys. You're good communicators. You already too many people wouldn't have that one.
Speaker 2 (00:12:39):
Oh, right. Or I'm just kind of bossy. There's that. No,
Speaker 1 (00:12:45):
It's you bossy. You have leadership skills. I totally understand. . Right.
Speaker 2 (00:12:51):
That sounds better. We'll go with that.
Speaker 1 (00:12:53):
Yeah, there you go. Hey, I'm glad I could assist . . All right Landon, let's talk about the, let's talk about the gear. What was the winning setup for you?
Speaker 3 (00:13:01):
So the winning pole, it was a Daiwa 6,500 odor spinning reel with a diwa eliminator 10 foot rod that 30 pound beyond braid line. A rogue reels bull drum leader, the fish bites, easy pro mullet and cut mullet. And then a five ounce Sputnik weight from sinker guy.
Speaker 1 (00:13:26):
I could not believe we were using only fives. I really thought we were gonna have to go to sevens.
Speaker 2 (00:13:31):
Oh yeah, I know. Yeah. That was kind of crazy. But the funny thing about all that equipment came from kids can Fish surf camp.
Speaker 1 (00:13:40):
Nice. That wow. So that was all from one of the camps.
Speaker 3 (00:13:43):
It's actually the, aside from the reel, the same setup that I used for mine
Speaker 2 (00:13:51):
Last year. Yeah,
Speaker 3 (00:13:52):
The previous year.
Speaker 1 (00:13:54):
Oh, that Rod's got voodoo on it.
Speaker 2 (00:13:57):
Yeah, I know. It's, it's good karma. 'cause it's for a good cause, right?
Speaker 1 (00:14:02):
That's, yes. All, all the great things right there. Dang. A 10 footer. I'm impressed.
Speaker 2 (00:14:10):
.
Speaker 1 (00:14:11):
I I didn't know you were rocking a 10. That's
Speaker 2 (00:14:13):
Yeah. 10 footer.
Speaker 1 (00:14:15):
Well done. Well
Speaker 2 (00:14:16):
Done. Thank you .
Speaker 1 (00:14:18):
Um, that actually begs a question then, so, 'cause I think I already know the answer, but I'm gonna ask 'cause I know you were waiting out, you didn't have to whip it way out there then.
Speaker 2 (00:14:28):
No. Uhuh. It was pretty close up. Yeah, I can't remember. 'cause sometimes I have Landon cast for me. 'cause you know, I can't get it nearly as far as he can. But I can't remember on that one if I did or not. But it wasn't that far out.
Speaker 3 (00:14:43):
But that, sorry. Yeah, that beach, uh, the, the depth drops off pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (00:14:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:14:51):
I still feel like it's one of the biggest mistakes surf anglers make is overcasting fish. You don't need to send it out there up 200 yards to catch. You really don't.
Speaker 2 (00:15:02):
Landon likes to.
Speaker 1 (00:15:04):
It's fun
Speaker 2 (00:15:05):
, don't
Speaker 1 (00:15:06):
Get me wrong,
Speaker 3 (00:15:08):
Speaker 1 (00:15:08):
There, there's, it's not a guy thing. No. We just like to see it go far.
Speaker 2 (00:15:15):
Yeah. And then have people on the beach watching. Oh my gosh. Did you see how far that went?
Speaker 1 (00:15:20):
Yeah. Do you, uh, is the gym over there?
Speaker 2 (00:15:22):
Yeah. For real.
Speaker 1 (00:15:24):
Yeah, that's, that's really good times right there.
Speaker 2 (00:15:30):
Your giant muscles. Our boys always say like joke because he does, he works out, you know, he, he does have muscles, but they always say he lifts things with his pinky. Oh daddy. Yeah. You could just lift that with your pinky
Speaker 3 (00:15:42):
Or what's, uh, no, what do they say? I can't remember.
Speaker 2 (00:15:51):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (00:15:51):
The fact that they even say that you can lift with your pinky is already a parenting win. Dad.
Speaker 2 (00:15:56):
, right? . I know. I got the lawnmower stuck one time and he lifted it. So the boys, you probably lifted it with your pinky.
Speaker 1 (00:16:04):
That's because it's the one finger. I'm okay with losing . Probably.
Speaker 2 (00:16:10):
Yeah. I hadn't thought about that. .
Speaker 1 (00:16:12):
No, that's maybe just a Brian thing. I don't know. It's like I can live without the pinky. I don't need that one. . Um, alright, so let's talk about the, let let's, oh no, actually we got one more here. When the bite slowed, because it did, it really played in between, on the tide run there, there. What adjustments did you make?
Speaker 3 (00:16:29):
Well, so initially the pole, it bent, so Kelly had her poles one on the left side and one on the right side. So she was actually walking over to check the right pole. And then there were four poles in between hers, so it's a little bit of a distance. And she was running over to check something on that. But that beach had a whole bunch of stickers on it too. Um, so I looked over and I saw her pole bend and I was like, Kelly. And then she's like, oh, you know, she kind of looks over and starts trying to get over there, but trying to move that way without getting stickers in her feet.
Speaker 2 (00:17:15):
I was playing the Flora's lava, trying not to get, 'cause I already had one stuck in my heel earlier. And he's like, hurry up. I'm like, I don't wanna get stickers,
Speaker 3 (00:17:23):
. And then I saw it start to go again, but this time I saw the sand spike starting to move. So I had to run over because the, it was about to tip over and pull the pole into the ocean. So I ran over, I grabbed it, brought it back, tightened the drag just a little bit. And I didn't even reel it very much, just a little bit to make sure it was still on there. And then I was just holding it, waiting, uh, for Kelly to get over there to grab her pole.
Speaker 1 (00:17:57):
Teamwork. Teamwork makes the dream work. It's
Speaker 2 (00:17:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:18:00):
I mean, that's not you in my opinion. That's not a, that's not a catch on. No, that, that wouldn't be a catch, that's a teamwork move right there. 'cause somebody else grabbed my pole to hold it for me. It would be the same thing. I Right. That makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:18:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:18:14):
I would've started freaking out if I had a on the sand spike that, that's when you know is a problem, is when the sand spike, sand spike starts going down. I'm like, this is not a time to dally.
Speaker 2 (00:18:23):
I know. That's why he was yelling at me and I'm like, I'm coming. But I wear these little like sandals when I go fishing. You
Speaker 1 (00:18:30):
Were wearing sandals.
Speaker 2 (00:18:32):
Yes. I, that's what I always wear. I know, but I had, that's why I had the sticker stuck in the back of my heel. So I was trying not to get anymore. So that was the problem with the king tide and everything. It was everywhere. It was like a landmine. So,
Speaker 1 (00:18:45):
Oh, . It was too cold for that. What
Speaker 2 (00:18:49):
I had shorts on too.
Speaker 1 (00:18:53):
What
Speaker 2 (00:18:55):
. I know. But upper half I had my hoodie and my raincoat. So
Speaker 1 (00:19:00):
I saw, I saw that in the, the, the winning pictures. It was like 40.
Speaker 2 (00:19:06):
I know it was cold. It really was.
Speaker 1 (00:19:09):
Oh, I was in waiters, polypro bottoms. Like and you rocking shorts. I
Speaker 2 (00:19:16):
Weak.
Speaker 1 (00:19:17):
I admit that now. Goodness. Way to go, Kelly. Oh,
Speaker 2 (00:19:20):
Thank you. . Tough or stupid? I dunno.
Speaker 1 (00:19:27):
Well, I mean tough. We'll go with tough. Okay. That, that's all that was. It was pure tough . Oh. Um, we've been going for about 20 minutes here, so we're gonna pause to do a paycheck. And uh, for those of you listening here, you're not gonna see it 'cause you know it's new. But this paycheck's being brought to you by Ninja Tackle. Y'all know I absolutely love Ninja Tackle the rods, the rigs, the gear ninja tackle va.com. Great website. Good stuff. But uh, welcome to the new paycheck for Ninja tackle
Speaker 4 (00:20:00):
Gear. Your gear on tight ninja tackle in the zone. Ready for the fight. The water's calling in our arm with the best. With those ninja dagger rods, you know, we ain't stressed from lakes to the rivers we're slaying the scene. Casting lines feeling fine. Living that dream ninja tackle got fines made for the pros. Light is the feather for winning Bening glows. Stick to the rhythm. Let the tackle unfold. Every single cast a new story told high tech can't miss the from
Speaker 5 (00:20:28):
Game, the movement Tide join.
Speaker 1 (00:20:52):
Yay. I'm so proud of that. I shouldn't be, oh God. I'm not a YouTuber so I can't do commercials to save my life, but hey, I told Matt I'd give it an old college try.
Speaker 2 (00:21:00):
Just say hi real quick.
Speaker 1 (00:21:02):
Oh, do we have guest appearances?
Speaker 6 (00:21:04):
Guest appearances? Hello,
Speaker 1 (00:21:07):
Guest appearances. Hello. How are you today? Good. Anything good for you? On a Saturday today. Is it proteins and cereal? Like our childhood?
Speaker 2 (00:21:17):
No, we had a sleepover last night. Oh.
Speaker 1 (00:21:20):
Oh, . And you're awake already? I am impressed.
Speaker 2 (00:21:26):
We went to bed at one, woke at five 30 and woke up at five 30. How? Okay.
Speaker 6 (00:21:31):
Today
Speaker 1 (00:21:31):
It's gonna be a
Speaker 2 (00:21:32):
Rough day. You don't need a nap today.
Speaker 6 (00:21:34):
.
Speaker 1 (00:21:34):
I'm even feeling it for like, eh, the day
Speaker 2 (00:21:37):
.
Speaker 1 (00:21:39):
Oh, okay. So let's get back to the winning fish here and we'll talk about the hookups. So you, you Rob was starting to go and then Landon you were like, hello, come get the road. Um, and then we got in there. So Kelly you mentioned too in the back there. So the fish started finish, uh, fishing, swimming, I know words. , uh, it started swimming back in. So you were kind of on the game there of trying to play catch up. Then you got caught back up, locked in Rod bent. When did you, or how did you, ah, did you know it was a money fish when you were actually reeling in there at the end?
Speaker 2 (00:22:11):
No, not at all. I saw, you know, I could see the, the fish when it jumped a little bit out of the water, but I still wasn't sure even if it was a red fish. I didn't know. You know, I don't, I've never caught a redfish. I've seen Landon catch redfish. I've never caught anything big. 'cause I usually use the small hooks. So I had no idea what I had.
Speaker 1 (00:22:32):
Hey, don't discount small hooks. Kelly. Never discount a small hook. A one off can still bring in a monster. I really can't. Um, so you saw the fish jump you were getting there now what was going through your mind after you saw the fish jump?
Speaker 2 (00:22:46):
Holy crap, I can't lose this.
Speaker 6 (00:22:49):
. .
Speaker 2 (00:22:50):
I gotta keep this thing on here. .
Speaker 6 (00:22:55):
That's
Speaker 1 (00:22:55):
A very, very good thought. Uh, right. So we get the fish. We brought it up here. Um, we haven't really got to that one, but let, let's kind of go outta order here for that. How did it feel when you got that slab of fish on the, on the beach?
Speaker 2 (00:23:11):
It was like an out of body experience. Like, I can't believe I just caught this giant thing and it's just on the sand and I don't know what to do at this point because I don't, I don't handle the fish really. So I had, I'm like, Landon, come help me. I dunno what to do with this
Speaker 6 (00:23:30):
Speaker 1 (00:23:32):
There. Kay. Um, I don't know, maybe it was for you Landon or Kelly. What moment did you realize you might have just won a $10,000 purse?
Speaker 2 (00:23:42):
Um, honestly I didn't really know. Like Landon did the measuring whatever and you know, they have the face, they have the running of the Bulls tournament Facebook page. So we just kept following that, you know, that was the very first day and there was still several hours in the first day, so I didn't really think anything of it. Um, but I just kept following the page, the tournament page to see who else caught and how big they were. And once I got to that final hour and then the last 30 minutes, I was like, holy crap, I'm still on top. I can't believe this. And I didn't realize it had up to $10,000 because originally it was 7,000 and our neighbor was like, did you see the posts on their page that they upped to 10,000? I was like, what whatcha talking about? I've seen all the posts. How did I miss this? So he showed me and I was like, oh my gosh,
Speaker 1 (00:24:36):
. Well, Landon what about for you? You, I mean you did that, the measuring in the catch and what was your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (00:24:42):
Well, honestly, I don't, I try not to look at the board while I'm fishing. 'cause I don't know if it, it just, uh, it's weird. I just don't like seeing who's winning or, 'cause last year when I brought mine in, I was actually first place for four hours. And so then you're already like, oh, that'd be cool. This would be cool. And then of course you lose your spot and you're like, well I don't know why I even was thinking about that stuff anyways because it wasn't a done deal.
Speaker 1 (00:25:18):
, it's like the miniature foot stomp person's like, come I caught up bigger one. for
Speaker 2 (00:25:25):
Real.
Speaker 1 (00:25:26):
Well, so Kelly, now that you've, uh, you've experienced that from catching on the first day and then constantly looking back at the board, what, what does that, what does that turmoil like when you see somebody post like, oh no, well what, what are you thinking when you see a post of hey, there's a catch?
Speaker 2 (00:25:39):
Oh gosh. Well most of 'em, you know, you, when they would post, they would post the video, their videos, but they would also post in like written text how big their fish was. But there was one that didn't write it. And so I had to watch the video and I was freaking out. 'cause theirs was 38 and three quarters, so mine was 39 and a half. So I was like, oh crap, I think I just got beat, which would've been, you know, I didn't expect to win anything so I could've got second place. It would've been fine, but, whew. That one had to watch the video to find out.
Speaker 1 (00:26:14):
They YouTubed you, they got you a little, little click bait made you watch the whole thing for the extra dollar though. No,
Speaker 2 (00:26:20):
. And they apparently they were actually biased and I didn't even, they didn't make any kind of ruckus, I guess. Really trying to be like sly
Speaker 1 (00:26:29):
, . That's getting a marker. Oh, that's a good one. . Uh, that's funny. There, there are, I will say, there are some people that'll be like, Nope, you don't see anything going on here. I'm just doing a little bit of work. Um, I was two spots down from Tom. Yeah, I was just two down from him. 'cause of, well we were doing the setup and I kept seeing the rods go for the kids. Oh. And my daughter was like, they're gonna come like, easy, killer, easy patience, . So, uh, I, I almost, I'm in between, I wanna see the sly ones. I'm like, oh, okay, I'm on to you. And then the ones that are excited, I'm like, okay, now I'm excited. So
Speaker 2 (00:27:11):
Speaker 1 (00:27:12):
That's, that's fun times. Uh, and now since we're talking about the couple piece there, 'cause we'll back it in. Uh, Landon, you said to you earlier, you mentioned that you made the call on the spot because that's where you were last year. Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (00:27:25):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (00:27:25):
Okay. So when you guys were deciding to change spots, what, what made you decide, okay, I wanna go to this spot on the second spot?
Speaker 3 (00:27:36):
Well, I guess that first spot, it was nothing like what I was expecting to be because of the weather. Um, like I said, it was windy. I was freezing cold because I was soaking wet, top to bottom. And, uh, Kelly made some good points about the wind, the weather and whatnot. It's like, you know what, I guess may as well, most people might be taking a lunch break, so now would be the perfect time to jump over. And it was deeper over on that side. 'cause over on the Great Dunes, I think, you know, at low tide it's like two, three feet max and you can walk out quite a long ways. But, uh, over on the other side, I just felt like it was a better choice. So went ahead and went with it.
Speaker 1 (00:28:28):
So you fished, was that kind of a, Hey, I know this is my number two spot? Or was that just kind of a driving, driving around like, you know what, this one looks good, we're going here.
Speaker 2 (00:28:38):
I think I had seen on the um, tournament page that there were people on that side and it looked like they were not catching as much debris. So I thought, you know, let's go check out the opposite side and see.
Speaker 1 (00:28:50):
Oh, okay. So nice. All right. That's a, that's a good move.
Speaker 2 (00:28:54):
Cheating maybe.
Speaker 1 (00:28:55):
Mm-hmm . No, that's not cheating. That's called intel gathering. Whole different ball game . And if you're not, and if, we'll be honest, I mean, I'll say it like this in fishing, if you're not cheating, you're not trying to find a good spot, come on. I mean, as long as you're not, as long as you're not putting weights in a fish or any of that crap, that, that, that's a difference. And you're not leaving a fish hooked. There's a difference between cheating and intel. So don't take it wrong people. I really don't think it
Speaker 2 (00:29:18):
.
Speaker 1 (00:29:19):
Um, so we did talk about this next one. So if, did you have any marriage moments during the day? And it kind of sounds like the first one was, uh, a little bit of that marriage moment, but did you have any other ones where it's like, really, really this is what we're doing?
Speaker 2 (00:29:33):
Um, not like a really, but I have, I have a funny one.
Speaker 1 (00:29:36):
. I like funny, funny is good. So
Speaker 2 (00:29:38):
I was behind Landon and I was rubbing his shoulders like this and I felt his collarbone and I was like, holy cow, you have like huge collar bones. And what did you say babe?
Speaker 3 (00:29:49):
I said, oh, it's because of all that cauliflower that I eat it.
Speaker 2 (00:29:56):
Dad joke for the wind.
Speaker 1 (00:29:58):
Dad joke. Mid massage. Well done .
Speaker 2 (00:30:02):
It's all that cauliflower .
Speaker 1 (00:30:07):
What was, okay, I gotta ask. So what was the look or the, the comment after that one? Was it just pure laughter? Like I cannot believe you. Ugh.
Speaker 2 (00:30:13):
Yeah, it was the typical role in my eyes. Oh my gosh, the boys are gonna love your dad joke. And actually they thought it was stupid. So I know normally they tell me I'm cringe, but they didn't even like dad's joke that time.
Speaker 1 (00:30:28):
I mean that hurts. And I'm not even involved. That was a good one.
Speaker 2 (00:30:31):
. So
Speaker 1 (00:30:32):
Well put
Speaker 2 (00:30:34):
What,
Speaker 1 (00:30:35):
And
Speaker 2 (00:30:36):
There's another funny one if you wanna know, please. This one is like out of blocks, . So Landon was wearing, were you wearing your keen, did you already have those? No. Or you had your flip flops?
Speaker 3 (00:30:49):
I had my, I
Speaker 2 (00:30:52):
Don't know, he had, I had
Speaker 3 (00:30:53):
Flip flops the second day 'cause I wore boots the first day.
Speaker 2 (00:30:56):
Anyways, his, his calves were hurting really bad. 'cause he normally has, he wears like, you know, he was prior military in the army. So he wears boots all the time. He tells us all of our shoes are not actual shoes anyway. They're
Speaker 1 (00:31:10):
Not, they're not.
Speaker 2 (00:31:11):
Right. So his, his calves were hurting. So I was like, well maybe next year you should wear high heels . And uh, he has, he's in technology. So he has a how many? 3D printers. He has like five. I have four. Four. I said you should 3D print some heels for next year and you, we can market them real. REEL. Men wear heels.
Speaker 1 (00:31:41):
Don't hate it. I really don't hate it.
Speaker 2 (00:31:44):
I was like, you can even do use your, uh, glow in the dark filament. So they're glow in the dark heels.
Speaker 1 (00:31:50):
That's expensive filament though.
Speaker 2 (00:31:53):
. Oh. Oh. Because that's the only problem with this whole thing.
Speaker 1 (00:31:57):
Yes. I'm a very simple person. It comes down to cost ratio.
Speaker 2 (00:32:02):
Aw. But those are fun conversations that occur when you're out fishing and random things happen. ,
Speaker 1 (00:32:07):
Is it bad that my brain is picking like, all right, I think you can attach it to the heel of the boot. You can put a bigger end on it. That'll give you a little bit of more stability. It'll kind of mess with the cast a little bit, but it's gonna give you that upper pole. Yeah. Now my brain
Speaker 2 (00:32:21):
and I already have the marketing, like real fishing real men, you know,
Speaker 1 (00:32:27):
You better go buy that after this errors. You know, somebody might be like, Hmm, I'm gonna get that domain. But, uh,
Speaker 2 (00:32:32):
pretty, it's, I'll let him steal it because I,
Speaker 1 (00:32:35):
I like it. I mean that, that's, you're giving me ideas for my 3D printer. I just got mine in the mail last night, so I'm excited for you.
Speaker 2 (00:32:42):
Fun.
Speaker 1 (00:32:43):
Uh, I hope so. I put myself back on track here. My, my squirrel brain doesn't do well. You guys. I have a DD so bad.
Speaker 2 (00:32:52):
, well, high heels kind of.
Speaker 1 (00:32:55):
So after the catch and the weigh in and you won and it was a, a marathon weekend. So I have a feeling I already know the answer to this, but how did you celebrate after the weigh in,
Speaker 2 (00:33:04):
After the actual, uh, ceremony? We really didn't do anything too exciting. , we had our boys with us at the, um, ceremony. So we stopped at McDonald's.
Speaker 1 (00:33:21):
Now it's her tradition.
Speaker 2 (00:33:22):
That was exciting. Except for, not really for us. We actually wanted to go to somewhere nicer. But the time, it was later at night.
Speaker 1 (00:33:31):
It was what, almost nine I think when Yeah, it was, it was eight or nine. Yeah, I can understand. And after a marathon weekend, I totally get that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:33:39):
Yeah. We were, yeah, pretty wiped out with all the weather and standing out there for two days. So,
Speaker 1 (00:33:46):
Well again, you did phenomenal. So that was really good. And you guys worked so well together, it sounds like. And that, that's, that's a lot of fun. Well, let's, uh, let's kind of get into a little bit of the technical side here along with some other thoughts. Uh, what advice would you give to a first time Anglo that wants to enter a tournament?
Speaker 2 (00:34:04):
Just do it. I didn't know anything about fishing really. I mean, I watched Landon and I have cast out a few times and I had just started to learn the tying of the knots, you know, but like, I didn't know, just like I was saying, I didn't anticipate winning anything or doing anything. It was just, I was gonna be with my husband and that's what I like to do is just be with him. So just give it a, give it a shot. You might be a big fish winner.
Speaker 1 (00:34:39):
. Nice. Very good. Uh, let's talk about fishing into the trips. How do you plan your fishing trips?
Speaker 3 (00:34:49):
?
Speaker 1 (00:34:50):
Dude, don't tell me you're the same way as me. Please don't tell me you're the same as like I'm going.
Speaker 3 (00:34:54):
Joey is very spur of the moment, whereas I like to at least know that I'm going to go the next day. So I'll try to go there early to get set up so you have the most amount of time to actually fish. Um, but really that's about it. Just kind of like, oh, do we want to fish in the shallow or in the deep and then look it up on a fishing app to see where we want to try and see what we get.
Speaker 1 (00:35:26):
Is there any app you really like?
Speaker 3 (00:35:29):
Uh, the one I use that I, I just use the free portion of it. Savvy Nabby. It's like a, uh, a boat GPS app, but it actually has, it shows all the depths and gives you good info as far as I can tell.
Speaker 1 (00:35:44):
Nice. Okay. That's been super helpful then. So you've used the app, you kind of got an idea. How do you select your spot?
Speaker 2 (00:35:52):
Well, normally not during a tournament. Um, it's just, we try to avoid any of the kiddos that are out swimming because we, we only go to really the two areas here. So St. Simon's and Jekyll. So there's usually a lot of tourists and people swimming and they don't pay attention to fishing lines. And then parents get mad and all of that lovely stuff. So that's mostly it. But then Landon will check for the depths and stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:36:27):
Okay. So when you look out there, so you've already picked a spot there. No kids not around. You don't have to worry about moms and dads coming and yelling at you. Be like, come on vacation, why are you fishing? 'cause I
Speaker 2 (00:36:36):
Like to fish.
Speaker 3 (00:36:37):
Right,
Speaker 1 (00:36:38):
because
Speaker 2 (00:36:39):
You don't own the ocean.
Speaker 3 (00:36:41):
Hey, that means so
Speaker 2 (00:36:44):
Speaker 1 (00:36:46):
Boy, I love that conversation. Uh, so you've already done, you've done the research, you've got an idea here. You've got a kind of an idea of where you're gonna go into a sector there. So how can anglers read and interpret beach conditions to identify productive fishing spots and locate kind of schools or fish to go after?
Speaker 3 (00:37:04):
So I'm not, I'm not a pro fisherman, so I don't know all the secrets or any, probably any secrets, but just from what I've seen, um, you kind of watch the waves and of course on the app I try to look for sandbars so that I'm not casting onto something that no fish can even swim onto. Um, but I guess you just kind of look for the spots that you can get into that are a little bit deeper in my opinion, in those areas depending on where you're at. But, um,
Speaker 2 (00:37:48):
As far as schools of fish and everything here, our water is super murky. It's brown, so you can't see. So we can't, we don't really know how to gauge if there's any si schools of fish 'cause we can't see.
Speaker 3 (00:38:03):
Yeah, I mean mainly I just watch for the sandbars
Speaker 2 (00:38:07):
Or if there's like a lot bird activity over, then you can see there might be some fish there.
Speaker 1 (00:38:14):
Okay. So looking for sandbars, looking for that piece. I like what you threw in there too, Landon, about throwing it on the sandbar fish can't get to it. That's kind of a cool little tip. I haven't heard anybody say that before. What, uh, what brought you to learn that one?
Speaker 3 (00:38:27):
Uh, I don't know if it was more of just, uh, because if you throw it up on the sandbar, you know, the tide's coming in and out, it's gonna get really shallow right there. So you, the fish exposure is a lot less in my opinion. I don't know if I've ever picked that up from anybody else. It was just kind of something that I assumed, which could be wrong. But I
Speaker 1 (00:38:51):
Don't think you're wrong. ,
Speaker 2 (00:38:53):
.
Speaker 1 (00:38:55):
I don't be the first one to tell you. I don't think you're wrong, man.
Speaker 2 (00:38:58):
Look, someone's telling you you're right.
Speaker 1 (00:39:00):
Hold on, hold on. Say it again. That was nice. You're
Speaker 2 (00:39:04):
Right. You're right babe.
Speaker 1 (00:39:07):
Every husband you are welcome to celebrate now. You're welcome. Thank Landon for that one. Uh, so let's talk about lures and bait and, um, I don't know about you. I'm kind of a, I I, I'm a set rig fisherman personally. I like throw my line out there with the sinker and on the, on the hooks and just let it sit, soak. And I'll do my times like I do with the bait checks here. That's my happy. Um, I'll eventually throw lures if I'm bored. But I don't know if you're the same type angler, are you?
Speaker 3 (00:39:34):
No. So we haven't used any lures while doing uh, okay. Ocean fishing.
Speaker 1 (00:39:41):
I understand. Uh, so what are some of the effective bait choices that you like to use then when you're going out to do fishing?
Speaker 3 (00:39:47):
So most of the time I guess it, it depends on the size of the hook too. So my, I'll usually take out the rogue reels that has that a dock hook on it. Um, 'cause of course I want to try to get something that's gonna pull against me 'cause I really enjoy the fight. But, uh, so a lot of times we'll use cut mullet. Um, I haven't had very much luck with finger mullet. Of course that's always frozen. I don't have live finger mullet. That would be a different story. But, uh, shrimp, live shrimp or dead shrimp, it seems to be like candy. Like you put it out there and it's almost immediately gone if the fish are there or they bite on really quick. Um, we have used some fish bites with the other bait, but I think, uh, by far the shrimp, especially live shrimp is the best way to go. I've tried, uh, squid, but I didn't get any, I didn't get any, uh, luck with the squid bits.
Speaker 2 (00:41:01):
We did sand fleas at one of the camps and we had never seen those before.
Speaker 1 (00:41:07):
But sand fleas are great.
Speaker 3 (00:41:09):
Speaker 2 (00:41:09):
and we caught, um, we got a ghost shrimp pump. Oh yeah. I'd never seen those before. They're like gummy worms, like they're really weird texture, but I haven't caught anything with them yet. But
Speaker 3 (00:41:24):
They're
Speaker 2 (00:41:24):
In the sand. It might as well try
Speaker 1 (00:41:25):
It. Their pinchers are awful. Uh, fair worth. Oh. Um, don't I take the claws off? 'cause I, uh, I don't, I don't, I don't like it. No . We're not gonna cut it any other way. I don't like getting pinched by things like that. Mm-hmm . . Um, but you made me think of something funny as soon as you said the ghost shrimp, but that's why I cringed a little. Uh, my buddy Dustin be there, uh, just north of y'all. He, we were in a tournament there and he loves ghost shrimp. Most anglers from Florida will tell you, go shrimp is the ultimate candy. Mm-hmm . Um, and Berg loves his go shrimp. And he threw it out there and he caught us a cow noses Ray took it off like stop at Berg, threw out another go shrimp within three minutes. Another stingray did it one more time and we pulled the old, uh, the Mr. Garbage man. You do it again. I'm gonna cut your line. sure enough caught a one. He is like, all right, I'm done using it. So I I know it produces for rays there. ,
Speaker 2 (00:42:23):
. Hey, you know, anything that we can actually pull in that's still fun.
Speaker 1 (00:42:30):
Yeah, that's, that's a good, it's a good tool to use. It really is. Uh, go shrimp's a very, it's a very interesting bait. Um, and I'm, I'm learning that in different areas. It really produces different things. It's, it's a very interesting game with fishing. Uh, you know, we go to the beach, we intend to catch X, but then we catch YZTA. It's like, how, why mm-hmm . It's just such an interesting thing. And bait being such a, a strange producer for that really does make a weird difference. Mm-hmm
Speaker 2 (00:43:00):
.
Speaker 1 (00:43:02):
Um, it's been 43 minutes now, so that's another 20 into that. That means you gotta check your bait. So you gotta bring that line back in, make sure it's good. If it's got bait on it, use it. If it doesn't, hey, uh, you got, uh, you're not gonna win with no bait there. So get on, get it checked, get your bait.
Speaker 1 (00:43:22):
This bait check is being brought to you by DS custom tackle. Ds custom tackle.com is the website. Go on over there and take a look. As you can see, it is jam packed full of gear. Yeah. If you need some stuff. Yeah. I think you covered here. If you need rigs, look at this. There are so many in the shop. You need to get your hands on anything from drums. Look at that. Kings pos down here. Perch. It's not just Florida. This has got you covered up and down the east coast and the West coast. It doesn't matter where it is. You're all set up there. And if you are a rig maker and you're looking to get your hands on beads, floats, things of that nature, Hey look at that. Tons of beads right here. And the floats is in another section. There is a bunch. The cully. Get the Cully. Yeah. Ds custom tackle.com. Go take a look. Get your order in today. Great product, great people. And they're doing great things. Love my DS stuff. Always fun to get there. Uh, so that brings us into the fun part of pop. Let's talk about gear and tackle. What are the essential gear and tackle needs for successful fishing trip and how can anglers choose the right equipment for their needs?
Speaker 3 (00:44:33):
My opinion, I think it depends on the fish that you're going after. So as far as, you probably would start with the pole figuring out if you need something that's, um,
Speaker 3 (00:44:49):
That will bend more or less depending on the size of the fish you're going after. And then the reel needs to be able to hold the amount of line that you expect to be putting out. So I've been told by the kids can fish. 'cause that's where my education with this stuff started was taking the kids to the camps is needs to be a 5,000, at least a 5,000 series reel. So it gives you that much needed amount of line to be able to put it out into the ocean with those muscles. for the pinky or the pinky.
Speaker 1 (00:45:28):
Oh, I love it. Nice throat
Speaker 3 (00:45:31):
. Um, but once you have your pole in your setup, I guess you just have to get the leaders would for again, for whatever kind of fish you're going after. Um, the bait, you know, one of the more essential pieces that I would get is a finger cover for when you're casting. 'cause I've slipped my finger open with the line and that felt really nice.
Speaker 1 (00:46:00):
For days. Mm-hmm
Speaker 3 (00:46:02):
. Um, one other, I guess one thing that I would recommend is, and I can't remember the name of it, but it's a flexible string that you use to wrap the bait so it stays on your hook
Speaker 1 (00:46:18):
Bait thread.
Speaker 3 (00:46:19):
There you go. Bait thread. Um, I found that stuff and I was like, this is amazing. It's pretty sweet, especially for like shrimp. 'cause sometimes they'll just fall off. But with that bait thread, it uh, helps hold it on there really well. And it's pretty cheap.
Speaker 1 (00:46:37):
You can also use the thread from your sock if you run out. Yeah. not saying I've ever done that.
Speaker 3 (00:46:45):
Ooh,
Speaker 1 (00:46:46):
That was a good day. That was a really weird day. But it worked and I didn't care. .
Speaker 1 (00:46:53):
Oh yeah. Bay Thread. Bay Thread is, uh, it's an underrated tool. I I I think people are intimidated by it, but uh, also 'cause they don't know how to use it. They don't want to touch it. It's like, it's not that hard. It's just, it's funky and it's not, fish is not gonna swim by it and like, ugh, thread on my meal. How dare you. So , you don't care. Uh, with those pieces, what are some top surf mistakes you would feel that need to be avoided? And how can English continuously improve their skill and knowledge to this site? Really fun form of fishing.
Speaker 3 (00:47:30):
Well, I mean, you just gotta do it . You just gotta go fishing. , uh, I mean some mistakes you don't learn from until you make 'em. But, uh, I guess that was my experience with cutting my finger, you know, is you don't think about it until it actually happens and then you're like, oh crap. Well I don't want that to happen again. So find a way to stop it from happening. Um,
Speaker 2 (00:48:03):
And I think, um, especially I, we're from Idaho originally and so it's a totally different kind of fishing here. Um, so here you cast in, like you said with the sinkers and it takes a long time sometimes. So I think you just have to be patient. So I think that's one of the things that fishermen, a mistake that'll make is just give up. Like, oh my gosh, I haven't caught anything. I'm just gonna leave. But you gotta be patient and just enjoy the scenery. You're on the beach. It's fun.
Speaker 1 (00:48:35):
Kelly.
Speaker 2 (00:48:37):
Aw,
Speaker 1 (00:48:37):
Nice because that last part I think Landon, I don't know if you wanna back me up on this or tell me I'm outta my mind, but I think so many of us when we go fishing so often we forget, holy crap, I'm on the beach. I'm here with prob. If I'm with my family, I'm with my family on the beach and I'm fishing.
Speaker 2 (00:48:55):
Mm-hmm .
Speaker 1 (00:48:57):
Does it get better?
Speaker 3 (00:48:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (00:49:01):
Uh, IIII just don't, I, I guess I'm jaded, but I don't know why people forget that. So That's a great one, Kelly. I mean, seriously.
Speaker 2 (00:49:08):
Yeah. And now that is, um, our, you know, we don't really know what we're gonna do obviously when we retire, which is a long time away, . But for Landon and I now we have to be somewhere where we can surf fish every day. So I understand. It's so fun. You're on the beach.
Speaker 3 (00:49:25):
Mm-hmm .
Speaker 1 (00:49:26):
, eh, that's really, yes. So that, that ties so well to this other question here. What's one thing that you learned about yourselves through this entire fishing experience in the tournament?
Speaker 2 (00:49:39):
I think for me, I learned that I was resilient. Um, in that I stick stuck with it even with those nasty weather. 'cause I normally probably would've just been like, I'm so cold and catching trees, let's just go home. Which obviously you're motivated 'cause you're in a tournament and you can win $10,000. But I learned that I was resilient and that I'm tougher than I thought.
Speaker 1 (00:50:13):
Landon, did you learn anything for yourself on, through this whole experience? Yeah,
Speaker 3 (00:50:17):
I don't, I guess that it would be almost along the same lines. 'cause there were a lot of times I was freezing cold and I was like, oh my gosh, why am I doing this? But um, I would also yell at myself and say, shut up . Quit being a big baby. It's only one day or two days, so, uh, suck it up and finish it. But, uh, yeah, just resilience
Speaker 1 (00:50:47):
Your army. I was a Marine, so I have a feeling you and I are that had that same voice in our head. Get up and keep going. You've done worse. Keep going.
Speaker 2 (00:50:57):
. Yeah. .
Speaker 1 (00:50:59):
That's weird. That plaguing thing just magically stays with you for the rest of your life. What do you do four years or 20 years, folks, if you've been in the military and you were listening to this, you know, you know that voice like, ah, I think I'm done. You're not right. I'm not. You're
Speaker 2 (00:51:12):
Right. . Yeah. I don't know that voice.
Speaker 1 (00:51:17):
. No, you've, you've got No, come on. You
Speaker 2 (00:51:21):
Just the mom voice I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:51:23):
Yes. And that one, that one's scarier actually. , uh, but I mean , that one comes with consequences. Um, but no, you, that, that's important. I mean, you, the mom voice is real. It, we all have that one. It just depends on what your level is, I guess. But yeah, it's important that let that one run. Let let's talk about the community impact here. Um, I mean this tournament with supports, kids can fish. It's their biggest tournament of the year. Uh, a lot of times this tournament, uh, pays for the entire series of camps many times over to be able to get Rods, rigs, gear for them to purchase it, and then to be able to host these camps. Um, and you all went to one. You've seen what they're about. That's how great that this program is. What does it mean to win an event that helps more kids go fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:52:15):
I think it's incredible because in this generation, my boys especially are so glued to their video games. Like that is what they do all day, every day. And it drives me absolutely crazy. But taking 'em out to some of these fishing camps, you know, we started, I think, I don't know if it was a surf fishing camp first or the cast net, but all these different camps, they're learning different types of fishing, different skills. And now they get excited about, oh, I can come to the beach and I can cast net and it'd be fun. I could catch this. Our younger boy that you saw earlier, he's 10 and he likes the cast netting. Whereas our older one who's 14, he has now decided that he likes the surf fishing. And so next year I think he wants to do the tournament. He wanted to do it this year, but of course he decided like after the fact that it was already full. Um, but I just think it's great because it is getting kids out there away from technology with nature and especially with their families. So we're making memories altogether. Doing something that kids can fish is teaching us the skills we don't have to guess or all that stuff. They're actually giving us all of the tools and the equipment and everything, just giving us the opportunity to have something for life.
Speaker 1 (00:53:42):
Mm-hmm. Nice. Why was this one? Like why is this charity all of a sudden become like, I I wouldn't say all of a sudden, why is this charity important to you guys?
Speaker 2 (00:53:55):
I, we got exposed to it because Landon actually works at Fletc with Tom. So I think it's just happenstance that this one, you know, that it came into our lives. But now we just, I think because we've learned all this knowledge from them and he's just a really super nice guy and he will do anything for you even outside of, you know, of the, um, kids can fish events and all that stuff. He's just a really nice guy. So I think you, it is easy to get sucked into a foundation that does great things for kids, but also has great people.
Speaker 1 (00:54:34):
Yeah. He, he has somewhat of a personality that weirdly brings you in closer and you didn't even know it .
Speaker 2 (00:54:40):
Right? He just so approachable. He is such a nice guy.
Speaker 1 (00:54:44):
Yeah. He's got the, he's got that charisma or whatever the cur or kids call it, the riz, I guess, or I'm, I'm not gonna try. I'm, I'm in my forties. I can't use their cool words. I can't.
Speaker 2 (00:54:52):
And Caroline is great too. Her speech at the ceremony, I was like, wow. She is so mature and such a good kid.
Speaker 1 (00:54:59):
If you get a chance to have a lot of conversations with her, she'll blow your mind. Mm. Like I, I've always like my, her and my daughter are the same age. Um, so they've had a couple of fun conversations at the tournament's. We don't, you know, we don't see them that often, but, uh, even AJ's like, I can't have a conversation with her. I, that's weird. I can't normally talk to teenagers. She's, she's really good. So that's, it's kind of a cool thing. She's done, they've done really well and she's just a good human. Well let's, let's get you guys outta here. We only got a couple more questions. Uh, do you have any thoughts or tips you'd like to share with listeners who are interested in getting into fishing, especially surf fishing?
Speaker 2 (00:55:37):
Uh, like I said, just do it. Just give it a try. You're on the beach anyways, you're enjoying the scenery and everything. Just get a pole, cast it out there and see what happens and then you'll be hooked. It doesn't have to be expensive. It's true.
Speaker 1 (00:55:55):
Definitely doesn't. That's a huge one. Uh, for someone who's just starting out into this, what's one piece of advice you'd give them to just, Hey, start here besides go fish , because I know that's my answer, I'm like, just go. Uh, but what other thing would you say this will help you?
Speaker 2 (00:56:14):
Um, I don't know. I mostly, I just watched Landon at the beginning, so I think for me, um, just pay attention to people that are around you that are doing it and ask questions. Like, I will approach people on the beach that are out fishing if they catch something or if they're doing something that I haven't seen before. I'll go and I'll start a conversation and then that's how I'm learning, you know, I'm learning from the locals. So for me it's like just pay attention and learn from the people around you.
Speaker 1 (00:56:55):
Good one. Landon, anything on yours?
Speaker 3 (00:56:58):
Uh, I mean, YouTube, , it's a great, you know, uh, I've gone out there and looked and more of just interested in seeing what other people are pulling in or how they're doing it. But, uh, you know, whenever I look for something that I am curious about or need instruction in, a lot of times I'll go look at YouTube videos and find out how other people are doing it. And that helps me be, uh, be I guess educated. Yes. Be more educated in what I think I'm doing and hopefully do it right.
Speaker 1 (00:57:40):
Nice. Any other, are there any YouTubers that have been, uh, helpful for you for phishing?
Speaker 3 (00:57:45):
Oh, I don't even know if I know their names. That's okay. But one of 'em, one of them was in Texas .
Speaker 2 (00:57:52):
Some are in a giant state
Speaker 1 (00:57:54):
That works. It may be a giant state. They do not have as much. They've got coastline, but not, nah, not many people play our game down there. It's kind of a weird thing. I was surprised by that. Okay. Well 10 years from now, when you look back at this win, what's one moment you'll remember the most?
Speaker 2 (00:58:13):
Um, so this is kind of like sentimental weird, but, so my mom died from Parkinson's disease in 2017. She had it for a very long time, but her favorite color was yellow. And while we were fishing, I saw lots of yellow butterflies and then there were these cute little birds that are yellow belied. And so I felt like, hey, my mom is here watching and she's proud of me doing this. So I think I'll just remember the feeling of her presence doing something fun.
Speaker 1 (00:58:56):
That was, that was good.
Speaker 2 (00:58:58):
. Get a tissue. It's okay.
Speaker 1 (00:59:00):
I, I might have to Come on, man. I'm a big old softy Landon.
Speaker 3 (00:59:07):
So I think, um, I'll probably remember when Kelly pulled it in and all the people up on the, uh, lookout started cheering and just the smile on Kelly's face.
Speaker 2 (00:59:21):
. Yes. I was freaking out. If you ha, if you haven't seen the video of me catching , like you should watch it because I was so freaking out. .
Speaker 1 (00:59:34):
Yeah. I think I need to try to download that 'cause uh, that I'm gonna have to put that in the preview. 'cause that was, that, that was raw emotion . That was so great.
Speaker 2 (00:59:42):
That totally was.
Speaker 1 (00:59:43):
You can't con you can't cont you can't manufacture, you can't fake that kind of excitement. You just can't. That was so real.
Speaker 2 (00:59:49):
Yes, for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:59:52):
All right, you two last question. That gets you outta here. What's next for you? Two
Speaker 2 (00:59:58):
More fishing. Always . I like it. Yeah, so I think we'll just be, I don't know exactly what we'll do, we fish here locally, but Landon's talked about going Florida and other places and seeing what sort of things there, which will be interesting. Like I said, the water here is so brown and murky, but in parts of Florida it's so clear. So it'll be a totally different ballgame. So I think we'll be learning different areas and different types of fishing. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:34):
Well if you do want to go to Florida, let me know. I might have some people that you can get in touch with to have a little bit more of a easier layup depending on what area you want to go to. And if
Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
That'd
Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
Be great. I'm sure the listeners will have plenty to be like, Hey, hey, hey, come down here.
Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
Right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:48):
bo. Well, and the whole thing, the start of this, congratulations you guys, Kelly for this year, Landon for last year. Significantly. Well done. You, I'm glad that y'all did it. And it's so cool that you got LinkedIn through Kids Can Fish and you're just continuing this journey and you're passing it on to your kids. Uh, that's so wonderful. And pun just perfect. And thank you for coming on the show and just telling us your story and sharing it. That that was really great. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (01:01:14):
Thank you so much. It was fun. And we love Kids Can Fish.
Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
Excellent. All right, well you're going back in the green room, so hang out there and we'll get you outta here. Thanks again.
Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, heartwarming winnings, great feelings. All, all the good things. There's so much in there. This episode had it all, I mean between knowledge and wins all across the board, just perfection really was. So if you want, uh, again, share this out, people will share their story out there so people can also see how great it is to get the family involved. Living with this and just going out and fishing and having a good time. You've been listening to Finding Dimo Surf. And thank you again for sticking around. Thanks for coming out next week. We'll have more. Until then, I'll see you. Stay glorious. I'm outta here.