PAMCA OFFSHORE TOURNAMENT 2006
My
son Alex and I got to the beach house that George Leos of Water Damage Recovery
had rented for the weekend Friday afternoon. The house was on the beach, slept
12 and George had also brought a trailer that could sleep 10 more. We had a
great time meeting new friends and seeing old friends. By 6:30 the food George
ordered arrived and we had fried shrimp, fish, fries, mushrooms and Jalapenos
stuffed with crabmeat brought in for an incredible dinner. As the mosquitoes
came out we went upstairs to talk, visit and rest up for the great anticipated
adventure. The group decided to play cards for fun and decided on chip values. After
about 20 minutes of setup they were ready to play. George got the box of cards
out and it was empty! His kids had been playing cards and had not put them back
in the box or at least that is his story.
They
decided on other games and as the night wore on the noise and excitement level
increased to a feverish pitch. Everyone was having a great time but as the boats
would leave the dock at 6 AM we called it a night at about 1 AM.
“We all settled in for a restless
night,
“With visions of a big fish in our sight.”
The day was going to be memorable as the weather was perfect, the seas were only 2 feet and the boat captains were all professional guides that put everyone on fish. We helped load the boats and wished all the fishermen luck. George was going to nap and Alex and I went surf fishing. Alex caught 2 trout and lost a big one and I caught 1 trout, 14 minnows, a turtle, a jelly fish and one tire. At noon we got cleaned up and found George coming back from Wal-Mart with 4 decks of cards and supplies. At 4:30 George got a call and the 1st boat was in. George and Water Damage Recovery had hired 2 boats so they could take John Moore, AAA and other customers fishing and his 2 boats were the first boats in. We started the weigh in while the rest came in. Vermeer had a huge dolphin and it looked like they would win that category. We weighed in long king fish, Red snapper, an angle fish (spade fish) and a bunch of dolphin. The boats brought over their biggest fish and started cleaning the rest. Bobby's boat came in and they had quite a few big fish, but the biggest was Bobby's dolphin was 54 ˝ inches long and beat Cal's 53-inch bull. With 38 participants at the tournament it was one of the biggest at Bridge Bait so far and they had a live band to welcome the returning heroes.
Six boatloads of fishermen and fisherwomen went out, this is the order they came in:
1. Water Damage Recovery
2. Water Damage Recovery
3. Vermeer Equipment of Texas
4. Gulf States Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors
5. Commercial Boiler
6. Walter Pickett Plumbing
All winning fish went by length as that is how Texas Parks and Wildlife determine weather you can keep it and if a tie in length the heavier fish would win. Here are the winners:
KING FISH
3rd Place - Rick Romero Water Damage Recovery boat with a 42 1/4 inch, 14.2 pounds
2nd Place - Doug Rooks Vermeer boat with a 42 1/2 inch, 14 pounds
1st Place - Commercial Boiler boat Robert Schmidt with a 43 1/8 inch, 15.4 pounds
DOLPHIN
4th Place – Water Damage Recovery boat John Tyler 40 1/2 inch, 12.5 pounds
3rd Place - Gulf States Plumbing boat Jennifer Bachand 43 1/2 inch, 13.9 pounds
2nd Place - Vermeer boat Cal Booth 53 inch, 23.6 pounds
1st Place - Commercial Boiler boat Bobby Schmidt 53 1/2 inch, 22.9 pounds
RED SNAPPER
3rd Place - Gulf States Plumbing Boat Pat Henson 15 1/2 inch, 2 pounds
2nd Place - Water Damage Recovery Boat Rick Romero 18 inch, 2.4 pounds
1st Place – Walter Pickett Plumbing Boat Ken Snow 24 1/2 inch, 6.9 pounds
The most unusual fish prize went to Gulf States Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors’ Steve Halverson for an Angle fish (Spade fish)
No Ling were brought in so we gave a 4th place prize for the Dolphin, as they were close in size.
3rd place winners got a certificate and a fisherman's kit.
2nd place winners got a certificate and a tackle bag
1st place winners got a certificate, a bay fishing rod and a 10-ball Bering Bass Proshop reel.
Most unusual catch won a certificate and a yard decoration; bear carrying a basket of fish
After the weigh in we went back to George’s beach house for fishing stories about the big, I mean really big one that got away, drinks, fresh grilled fish and stories of the day’s fishing. Some drove home but all were welcome to stay and spend the night and have more fun. Thanks to George Leos and Water Damage Recovery for hosting a great time for all of the participants of PAMCA's first of many offshore fishing tournaments.
Thanks to Gander Mountain for donating hats and
prizes
Sponsors
Included:
Shanan
Wagoner - Frost Insurance Services – Awards and Prizes
Bobby
Schmidt - Commercial Boiler – Tallest Tail
Ty
and Bill Tipton – The Tipton Company – Weigh In And Honest Weight
Jerry
Farmer - Gulf States Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors - Smallest Fish and
Most Tangled Line
George
Leos - Water Damage Recovery – Most Unusual Catch
Sam
Snow – AC Supply – Biggest That Got Away
Bob
Merchant - John Moore Plumbing – Overall Tournament Sponsor
Cesar
Lima – AAA Plumbers – Overall Tournament Sponsor
Gerald
Aldridge, Jr. - Property Damage Restoration Services – Overall Tournament
Sponsor
AAA Plumbers – Octopus and Squid (and the Loch Ness Monster)
Thanks
to the PAMCA Fishing Committee for their hard work: Chairman Bobby Schmidt.
Committee Members Jen Bachand, Shanan Wagoner, Jerry Duke, George Leos,
Brandon Jager, Jerry Duke and Ty Tipton.
We
are considering a second PAMCA bay fishing tournament in October for Redfish,
Trout and Flounder. It will be held in a Texas Bay.
Sign up now to get a guide, find a friend with a boat, buy a boat, get an
inner tube or you can wade fish the surf and bay. More information will be
available on the website www.pamca.net as the
fishing committee meets. If you want information on upcoming events, want to be
a sponsor, be on a committee or want to fish call me at 281-469-0276 or email me
at mark@sciangler.com
Mark Harper, Associate Director
