|
First Tampa Bay Tarpon Rodeo Rewards Catch And Release |
|
|
Saturday, 01 July 2006 |
 |
|
Tampa Bay Tarpon Rodeo
Winner Steve Updegraff (l) and fishing partner Larry Weiner accept the first
place prize in Tampa Bay Watch’s all-release tournament.
|
St. Petersburg fishermen Stephan Updegraff and Larry Weiner won
the amateur division of the first annual Tampa Bay Tarpon Rodeo with the catch
and release of an 80-pound tarpon on Saturday, June 10. Updegraff caught the
fish on a fly rod using a cockroach fly after a full day of casting crabs and
fish to no avail. His efforts were rewarded with a $2,000 first prize check.
Updegraff and Weiner were aboard the Magic Carpet II just off
the south end of Egmont Key when the tarpon struck. After a “birdsnest” snarled
his line and became stuck outside the first guide, Updegraff had to bring the
line in by hand while Weiner delicately maneuvered the boat. The pair caught
and released the fish unharmed.
The Tarpon Rodeo was hosted by Tampa Bay Watch, which enlists thousands
of volunteers each year in the restoration of the Tampa Bay estuary. The all-release
tournament was designed to increase survivability of the tarpon by utilizing
the IGFA rule which recognizes an angler’s touch of the leader within 15 feet
of the fish as an official catch and release.
Tampa Bay Watch is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) stewardship program
dedicated to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring
the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary encompassing over 400
square miles of open water and 2,300 square miles of highly developed watershed.
Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year
in hands on habitat restoration projects. For more information on upcoming
events, becoming a volunteer or member, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.
|
Front Page 
News 
