On March 3rd, the third installment of the Backcountry Fishing Association (BCFA) tournament had 44 boats check in, and 20 boats fight the wind long enough to weigh in fish at Little Jim Bait and Tackle. No snook were weighed in, but plenty of trout (18) and a few reds (6) were weighed in.
Derek Engle and Darren Frost took first-place with a 2.59-pound trout and a 5.49-pound redfish, winning $788, and an additional $440 for the redfish Calcutta.
Dustin Bragman and Jason Wrubel pulled a second-place finish with a 3.25-pound trout and a 3.15-pound redfish, taking home $472.80.
Backcounty Fishing Association President Zach Foltz and ‘First Lady’ Lorae’ Simpson took third-place, bringing to the scale a 1.96-pound trout and a 3.40-pound redfish. They walked away with $315.20.
Lewis Arnold and Jason Bailey won $200 for the trout Calcutta with a 4.60 -pound trout.
Taco Dive is sponsoring the Lady Angler of each tournament, and in addition to the ten-percent off on tournament days for all BCFA members, they will give a $25 gift card to the Lady Angler who brings in the most weight each month. This month, the Lady Angler bringing in the most weight was Stephanie Compton, who caught a 1.44-pound trout.
The BCFA tournament is a ten-month circuit which runs from January through October, with a two-day Classic being held in October. This artificial lure only tournament gives two-person teams and solo anglers the opportunity to win cash and gain points. Redfish, trout and snook (seasonal) are the qualified species. Anglers attempt to bring one legal fish of each species to the scales for weigh in and live release. Teams must participate in at least five tournaments and pay for eighty to be eligible to fish the Classic which is a two-day event. The top five eligible teams with the highest accumulated points from the season will be given a bye from day one. The remaining eligible teams will compete on an elimination basis the first day, where only the top five teams of day one will progress to day two to compete against the season point leaders for the grand prize and cash for the top four teams. A Billfish 14-foot boat, motor and trailer combo is the grand prize for the winners.
Membership fees are $25 for the year. To enter the tournaments each month, the fee is $60 per team. Tournament is held the first Saturday of each month. Captain’s meeting is held the Friday prior at Little Jim Bait and Tackle.
The fourth tournament of the series takes place on Saturday April 7; Captain’s meeting on Friday, April 6th.
For complete tournament results or more information, email Zachary Foltz at foltzz@gmail.com, or call (772) 882-8721 or visit Backcountry Fishing Association on Facebook.
