Chris Hanson, of Wilmington, took home top prize this past weekend in the 14th annual Carousel Center’s Flounder Tournament. This is the third year that Hanson has taken the prize, winning the event in 2013 and 2014.
Conditions on the day of the event were rough, with high winds keeping most anglers close to shore. Hanson, along with his longtime co-angler Troy Philip, hit the water early, but weather kept him mostly in the Cape Fear River and around Snow’s Cut.
“The weather was nasty,” said Hanson. “The wind was whippin’ pretty hard.”
The duo caught several flounder throughout the day. “Most of them were pretty small. We probably caught nine in all,” said Hanson.
The team hooked a 3.5 lb. fish before snagging the winning fish with a live pogie on a Carolina rig around 10:00 am.
“I felt pretty good about it, but I didn’t think it would be a winning fish,” explained Hanson.
However, the 5.8 lb. fish was enough to secure the win for Hanson, net him a check for $1,000, and reclaim his winning spot (for three out of four years).
The Carousel Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a child friendly environment for abused and neglected children and to support child abuse prevention efforts in Southeastern North Carolina. For more information on the tournament and the Carousel Center, visit their website at www.carouselcenter.org.