Pounds go up in Summer Slam
Tina Harbuck
As boats keep bringing in fish, it’s inevitable that the pounds just keep going up in the Summer Slam fishing tournament at the Boathouse Oyster Bar on Destin harbor.
The Summer Slam just wrapped up its seventh week of fishing with participating boats surpassing many numbers from last year, mainly in the Pounders Division. This division is a running tally of pounds brought in by eligible boats. Participating boats can weigh in two fish of each eligible species, per trip.
And right now, Capt. Todd Allen on the Big John leads the Pounders Division in the federal category with 1,346.8 pounds of fish. Capt. Justin Goodin on the Just Reel leads the state boats with 448.3 pounds and the Sea Bandit, with Capt. Forrest Dalton, tops the private boats with 321.8 pounds of fish.
Last year, Capt. Casey Godwin of the Suzie Q won the Pounder’s Division for federal boats with 740 pounds of fish. The Suzie Q has already bested its tally from last year, with 926 pounds thus far.
Still in the lead in the Red Snapper Division for a federal boat is Capt. Robert Hill on the Twilight with a 28.4 pounder. Capt. Jason Rogers on the Great Escape leads the state boats with an 18 pounder and the Angler is on top in the private boats with a 24.6 pounder.
The largest snapper last year was a 27.6 pounder on a federal boat and 23.6 on a private boat.
In the Grouper Division, Twilight sits on top there as well with a 54.4 pounder. Capt. Zach Wolfe on the Malia Ann leads the state boats with a 13 pounder and Coastline Tree Service leads the private boats with a 38 pounder.
The biggest grouper on a federal boat last year was a 53.6 pounder, while the winning private boat grouper was a 61.4 pounder.
In the Ladies Division, Capt. Chris Schofield on the No Alibi has the leading red snapper at 24 pounds and the Suzie Q has the top grouper at 33.6 pounds.
In the Juniors Division, Big John has the lead for both the red snapper, 16.2 pounds, and grouper, 13.2 pounds.
Weigh-in for the Summer Slam is daily behind the Boathouse from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. The tournament wraps up Aug. 9.
