Summer Slam at the Boathouse is slamming with fish
Tina HarbuckWith eight weeks down and two to go, the Boathouse Summer Slam Fishing Tournament has been slammed with fish.
In eight weeks, the 34 boats have weighed in 984 fish. The total count last year was 896.
“I’m very pleased with the participation this year, especially for the Angler,” said weighmaster and event organizer Amber Helton, about Toye Hill of the Angler.
“When they come to the leaderboard to weigh their fish and smile for a picture it reminds me, again, why we (at the Boathouse) love hosting this summer-long tournament,” Helton said.
On Sunday, Hill brought in a 20-pound red snapper for the biggest of the day.
The Summer Slam is a 10-week boat tournament that kicked off June 1 with three eligible species: red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack. The boats are separated by federal, state and private. The tournament also has a “pounders” division in which registered boats can weigh their one-person bag limit per trip to keep a running tally of weight throughout the tournament. There also are a Ladies Division and a Juniors Division.
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“With only two weeks left, we are gearing up for the big two-day Garbo World Championship when federal water permitted charters can catch all three of our featured species,” Helton said.
The Garbo Championship is set for Aug. 1-2, the day amberjack season opens. So registered boats in the Summer Slam will be able to weigh in red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack.
As for the standings in the tournament as of July 25, in the Red Snapper Division, Backdown 2 leads the federal boat category with a 28.6-pounder, Alibi leads state boats with a 26.4-pounder and Angler tops the private boats with a 24.2-pounder.
In the Gag Grouper Division, Twilight leads federal boats with a 58.6-pounder, OSeaD tops the state category with 12.6-pounder and Fifty Fifty leads private boats with a 37.8-pounder.
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In the Ladies Division, the Seahorse has the heaviest red snapper, 26.4 pounds, and Twilight has the biggest gag grouper, 36 pounds.
In the Juniors Division, Twilight has the biggest red snapper at 20.6 pounds, and Reel Chill has the largest gag grouper, 15.8 pounds.
As for the Pounders Division, Capt. Robert Hill on the Twilight leads the federal boats with 2,085 pounds of fish. OSeaD leads state boats with 699.8 pounds, and Fifty Fifty leads private boats with 448.2 pounds.
Weigh-ins are daily at the Boathouse from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.