Total Year Standings
Total Fish Caught 110
Total Dead Fish 1
Total Limits 12
Big Fish 4.00
Total Fish Weight 154.74 lbs

Tournament Results

The Hawg Hunters held their December tournament on the lovely, fish filled Perdido River.  We fished out of Seminole landing on the Alabama side.  The Perdido is a small coastal river that forms the boundary between the western border of Florida panhandle and Alabama.  We had an incoming cold front and temps stayed in the low 50’s all day with a very cool north wind. We had a falling tide and the water was basically gin clear all over with 6-8 foot visibility in most places. Water temps ranged from about 57-59.  We had 21 members fishing and no guests.

My partner for the tournament was Steve Meadows.  Steve and I had never fished together so I was looking forward to this.  He and I decided to go up Blackwater Creek as far as we could until we could not get through the laydowns and jams.   We reached our fishing spot and both started pitching jigs.  Within about 20 minutes we put 3 keepers in the boat.  We really thought that we were “on the bite”.  However, we soon realized that our good fortune was short lived!  We fished very hard all day and I caught only 2 more short bass.  Our totals for the day were Steve had 1 keeper and I had 2.  Steve caught 1 keeper, 1 grinnel, and 1 redfish, and I caught 2 keepers and 2 shorts and 1 redfish.  It reminded me of the late 70’s when you needed dynamite to get bites in our area.  Oh well, there is always next time!

At the weigh-in there were 3 who caught limits.  Also, several told stories of catching many short fish but only one or two keepers.  Taking first place honors was Jeff Weaver with a limit @ 7.77 lbs.  Better watch out guys looks like he’s going for it all again.  2^nd place went to Mack Cramer weigh 5 fish @ 7.67 lbs.   He won FOY last year and looks like he wants to make it 2 in a row!  3^rd place was Jere Jailitte with 5 fish @ 5.20 lbs.  Don’t count him out folks. Better keep an eye on him.   Bill Myrick was 4^th place with 4 fish @ 4.44 lbs.  Look out if he is fishing from the back of the boat…he’ll beat you!  The lunker was caught by Jeff Weaver @ 2.62 lbs.

Most fish were caught on soft plastics and spinner baits.  The main colors for soft plastics were junebug, redbug, and green pumpkin…no secrets there.   We had a total of 39 fish weighed in and most were small, but coming from the clear water they were really pretty in color and markings.  Really sad numbers for 21 fishermen, I hope this is not a trend.

On a somber note, we will all miss Andy Gunn.  Andy passed away recently after a short illness.  Our sympathy and prayer go out to his family and relatives.   Also another member Roger Helm, lost his grandson recently. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family also.

Special “kudos” to those who put the end of the year banquet together, especially to Dave Dyess for all his efforts.  Dave has been president of the club for the past several years and he has done a great job.   Our club has really been going great for several years now mainly due to the efforts of our e-board and the support from the membership in general.  Let’s continue to keep this support for the guys who have stepped up and taken a leadership role in our club. 

Next month our tournament is on the Mobile River out of Steele Creek landing.  Make your plans to attend the meeting and fish the tournament.   Be prepared this time of year for the weather conditions as they can change rapidly during the day in our area.  Winter here can be great delta fishing, but with the stronger tides, it can be dangerous, especially at low tide with a north wind.  It best to know you way before you try to power up across our bays and flats.

Best wishes to all for a Most Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year!!  Until next time …keep your hooks sharp!

John