You know 30 years ago when we started the cobia tournament it was a dream amongst friends. Thirty years later it is a celebration of fishing and the friends we have made along the way.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors who have stood by us over the years, and a special thanks to two of our good friends and weigh masters Errol White and Jim Franks. Without them this achievement would not have been possible. We would also like to thank our volunteers and employees over the years who have helped to make this tournament possible.
A special thanks to all of the fishermen who have participated in the Gorenflo’s Annual Cobia Tournament over the years.
One of our proudest achievements with the cobia tournament is the re-establishment of the cobia tagging program in conjunction with The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and Marine Research Biologist Jim Franks. Some of the best memories were the 1996 and 2006 tournaments. In 1996 ( our 10 year anniversary ) three fish hit the scales all of them weighing in over 100 pounds, with the largest being 106.8 lbs. setting a new tournament and state record. In 2006 with all that was going on after Hurricane Katrina we debated whether to have the tournament. We decided to have the tournament ( being our 20th Annual ),it was probably the best decision we could have made. With everyone’s losses it was uplifting to see the crowds of people and all of the fishermen who came out to support it.
We look forward this year to seeing the fishermen returning as well as all the families coming out to view the weigh-in.
Thanks again,
Danny and Laurie Pitalo