Mike McDonald, of Sarasota, Florida, measured a combined limit of 55.13 inches to win the first 2017 regular-season event for the Florida West Division of the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour presented by Hobie Fishing in early March at Punta Gorda, Florida.
Over his seven years fishing the IFA Kayak Tour, McDonald has racked up an impressive list of first-place and runner-up finishes. High winds caused McDonald to abandon his original plans and head to his home waters of Sarasota to put in his kayak.
“I fished the boat division the day before and the wind was blowing so hard it blew out all the water where we wanted to fish,” said McDonald. “So I felt comfortable fishing my home turf on Sunday.”
The angler launched from Durante Park and located baitfish via diving pelicans. His first cast with a topwater bait hooked an 18-inch trout. Looking to upgrade his trout, McDonald cast again and hooked into a large snook.
“I figured I would take another cast and hooked the biggest snook of my life,” said McDonald. “I was bound and determined to catch him, but he ended up cutting me off after 10 minutes.”
After retying, McDonald landed a 24-inch trout. Thinking he would not be able to upgrade anymore, he made his way across the bay in search of redfish. On his first cast, the angler pulled in a 31-inch redfish.
“At this point in time, I hadn’t made a cast without catching a fish,” McDonald said. “I was very lucky. I couldn’t do anything wrong today except lose that snook.”
McDonald won the $1,500 first-place prize, $420 in Anglers Advantage Cash, $250 from Power-Pole, the $100 Berkley Gulp! Big Trout Award and the $100 Berkley Gulp! Big Redfish Award along with $100 credit for Berkley’s website for catching his 31-inch redfish with Berkley Gulp!.
Derek Engle, of Spring Hill, Fla., measured a combined 49.88 inches to win the $1,000 second-place prize. Engle concentrated in the Tampa and Sarasota areas, fishing potholes with plastics and hardbaits. The angler added $315 in Angler Advantage cash.
Third-place finisher David Shields, of Erdenheim, Pennsylvania, measured a total of 47.75 inches for a total of $477. Although the wind howled and the water was lower than he expected, Shields stuck with his plan and fished hard. The angler fished around Pine Island and traveled approximately 4 miles.
“I threw a gold spoon, topwater and a jerkshad at creek mouths and small potholes,” said Shields. “I was very excited to catch two fish in these conditions.”
While the IFA Kayak Tour is usually dominated by local anglers, some fishermen are willing to travel long distances to get their redfish tournament fix. Shield flew in from Philadelphia to fish, and his winnings helped pay for his mini-vacation.
The IFA Kayak Fishing Tour events are catch-photograph-release tournaments with low entry fees and minimal travel requirements. For information, visit www.ifatours.com.