The Stuart Sailfish Club (SSC) hosted its 38th Annual Junior Angler Tournament on August 13, 2016, at Sailfish Marina and with 70 kids participating. It is one of the largest junior tournaments on the Treasure Coast, bringing children in from the local community and from the two Florida Sheriff Youth Ranches in Live Oak and Bartow for a day of fishing and fun. The SSC also donated $2,000 to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches.
Dave Powell, in his eighth year as tournament chairman, said the tournament was successful in many ways. “We had great weather and superb fishing. A total of nine sailfish were caught. We were able to provide 70 kids, 30 of them from the Youth Ranches, with a real offshore fishing experience, that included going through a true weigh in, training and more. The kids that come in from the Youth Ranches come from a very difficult environment. They live at the Florida Sheriff Youth Ranch and don’t have these types of opportunities. We’re happy to be able to do this for these kids.”
The tournament also hosted seven youth from Lahia House, an organization for underprivileged children in Port Salerno, and seven youth from Scout Troop 888 in Hobe Sound. A total of seventeen boats participated this year, with most of the youth fishing on Safari I.
The children, which also included SSC members’ children and grandchildren, as well as community residents, fished on Saturday morning, then were given training on catch and release, fishing ethics, safety and knot tying. They were provided a barbecue lunch by Southern Pig and Cattle Company. A large part of the experience are the raffles and awards. Each child is given a ticket for a chance to win bikes, skateboards and other fun prizes. Three of the children who won bikes donated them back so that kids from the Youth Ranches would have a chance to win them. More than half the participants won trophies during the award ceremony.
This year, quite a few girls took place in the tournament, including nine from the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch for Girls in Bartow. One of the top winners was Amayah Caidedo, 5, the grandchild of club member Terry Frederickson. Amaya tied for first place with Beau Scammell, who caught a kingfish, bonita and three sailfish on board Floridian, captained by Glen Cameron. Both will have their name in perpetuity on the three-and-a half-foot tall trophy that resides in sponsor Ted Glasruds’ office. Glasrud and his wife, Lynne, are the primary sponsors of the tournament every year. After the awards program, each child was given a rod, reel and tackle box. Prior to fishing, each child was also given an angler bag filled with hats and school supplies.
The SSC also hosted a raffle of a six-horsepower motor donated by Manatee Island Marina. Local physician Dr. Roger Nicosia was the winner. The SSC also donated $2,000 to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches.
Club president Tom Dyer said the response from the kids, the sponsors and the community was overwhelming this year. “This is one of the best events we host each year, but this year we had more sponsors, more volunteers and more prizes than we’ve ever had.”
For complete tournament results or more information about the Stuart Sailfish Club visit www.StuartSailfishClub.com, email sailfish@stuartsailfishclub.com or call (772) 286-9373.
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