Forty-six teams battled the wind and choppy waters February 3rd, for the Backcountry Fishing Association’s second tournament of the year. At the end of the day, 18 teams weighed fish, with trout being the most prolific at the scales. Only two redfish and one snook were weighed in, and there were no slams.
New members Brian Kerr and Ryan Dupuis pulled it together landing the first-place standing with a 2.23-pound trout and a 10.30-pound snook. The duo won $822.50 for their day of fishing.
Ryan Jouppi and alternate, David Jouppi (Ryan’s father) pulled second-place with a 1.62-pound trout and a 6.30-pound redfish, taking home $493.50. With their red being the biggest of the day, they also received a Taco Dive gift certificate.
Brandon Miller and Mark Williams took home $329.00 for their third-place position with a 4.45-pound redfish. The team also won a Taco Dive gift certificate for being one of the 2 teams out of 46 boats to bring a redfish to the weigh in.
Zack Brady and Eric Newman took fourth-place after catching a 3.53-pound trout, which earned them $230 for the trout Calcutta.
The Backcountry Fishing Association tournament is a ten-month circuit, running January through October, ending with a two-day Classic in October. The 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 eight 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 are given a bye from day one. The remaining eligible teams 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. Tournaments are held the first Saturday of each month, with the captain’s meeting taking place the Friday prior at Little Jim Bait and Tackle on the North Causeway, Fort Pierce.
Currently 54 teams are in the 2018 circuit.
The third tournament of the series takes place on Saturday, March 3rd (Captain’s meeting on Friday, March 2nd).
