LIZELLA, Ga. (June 7, 2011) – Dolphin Hamilton, of Charleston, S.C., caught a redfish and speckled sea trout that measured a combined 44.25 inches in length to win the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour Presented by Hobie Fishing event at Charleston on June 5. The event, which operated out of St. Johns Yacht Harbor, was the second of three regular-season events for the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour’s Atlantic Division.
Fishing in and around Wadmalaw Sound and Charleston Harbor, Hamilton relied on scented soft baits and paddle-tailed grubs to take home a Hobie Mirage Pro-Angler Kayak valued at $2,499, plus a contingency prize from PENN Reels for winning the tournament with PENN gear.
“I had a good plan and stuck to it,” Hamilton said. “In the morning, with the tide coming in, I stuck to the mud flats. In the afternoon, when the tide was falling, I fished a lot of structure. I love it when a plan comes together.”
Second-place finisher, Justin Carter, of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., measured a 23.375-inch redfish and a 19.125-inch trout for a total length measurement of 42.50 inches to secure the $1,000 second-place prize.
Fishing North Wando and Charleston Harbor areas, Carter looked to deep pockets adjacent to structure to find his fish, using scented soft baits, picked up the $1,000 second-place prize, $200 Hobie contingency for competing from his Hobie kayak, and $50 for catching the Big Redfish and Big Trout of the tournament with an Ego Net.
Third-place finisher, Trey Leggett, won $500 for his redfish and trout, which measured a combined 41 inches.
Each of the Cabela’s IFA Redfish Tour 18 regular-season events will commence on Saturday with the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour Presented by Hobie Fishing contested the following day (Sundays). In its second season, the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour Presented by Hobie will feature 18 regular-season, catch-photograph-release events across six different division (mirroring the IFA Redfish Tour format, location and scheduling) as well as extremely lucrative payouts and expanded fishing opportunities for non-motorized fishing crafts.
The redfish/trout tournament will pay twenty places (based on a 100-boat field) plus Big Redfish, Big Trout and Junior Angler Awards. The winner will take home a Hobie Mirage Pro-Angler valued at $2,499, 2nd place prize will be a $1,000 and 3rd place $500 Hobie cash. New for 2011, kayak anglers can take advantage of the Angler’s Advantage program. Anglers who participate in the program can pay an additional $25 entry fee, which is paid back at 100 percent to participants, based on place of finish. Lucrative contingency programs added for 2011 include $50 prize to the team claiming the big fish award in an IFA Redfish Tour event if the fish is landed with an EGO Net, $25 prize for both the big redfish and big trout in IFA Kayak Fishing Tour events; a PENN reel for tournament-winning angler who competes with PENN reel.
The IFA Redfish and IFA Kayak Fishing Tours continues to draw redfish anglers from Texas to the Carolinas and beyond, offering anglers the opportunity to compete in six different divisions, each offering a three-event regular season. Low entry fees for the one-day, regular-season tournaments allows anglers to fish close to home and minimize expenses, while still being a part of a premier inshore, catch-and-release redfish tournament organization. Teams fishing any three of the IFA’s 18 regular-season events are automatically qualified for a no-entry-fee championship event, pitting qualifiers from each of the six divisions for money and prize packages, as well as a shot at the coveted Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award for the six regular-season division winners.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online towww.redfishtour.com or www.ifakayakfishingtour.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of the fishing industry’s most respected brands: Ranger Boats, Hobie Fishing, Cabela's, Gulp!, Gulp! Alive, PENN reels, Yamaha Outboards, Columbia Sportswear, Minn Kota, Humminbird, OPTIMA Batteries, Power-Pole, Wrap This, Blue Point Fabrication, EGO Nets, Spiderwire, Sebile, Bob’s Machine Shop, 321fish.com, Kayak Angler Magazine, Loadmaster, NBOA Marina Insurance, Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and St. Johns Yacht Harbor.
IFA Atlantic Division
Charleston, S.C. (Top 10)
1. Dolphin Hamilton – 44.25 inches
2. Justin Carter – 42.50 inches
3. Trey Leggett – 41 inches
4. John Chapman – 27.625 inches
5. Frank Gregg – 27.25 inches
6. Rory Gregg – 26 inches
7. Erick Bell – 25.50 inches
8. Neal Ward – 23.75 inches
9. Robby Freeman – 23.50 inches
10. Larry Hancock – 17.50 inches
$200 Hobie Contingency:
Justin Carter
PENN Reel Contingency:
Dolphin Hamilton
$100 Berkley GULP! Big Redfish Award:
John Chapman (27.625 inches)
$100 Berkley GULP! Big Trout Award:
Justin Carter (19.125 inches)
$25 Ego Net Redfish Award:
Justin Carter
$25 Ego Net Trout Award:
Justin Carter
