Cape Fear Disabled Sportsman Tournament 2009
This spadefish was one of many fish of a variety of species that delighted anglers at the 2009 Cape Fear Disabled Sportsman Fishing Tournament. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Lippard and Pleasure Island Photography.
The Got-Em-On fishing Club hosted the 11th Cape Fear Disabled Sportsman Fishing Tournament on Friday, May 15, on Kure Pier. This annual May event welcomes disabled anglers from around the country to enjoy a relaxing day on the pier with a little friendly competition thrown in.
This year the tournament welcomed over 300 anglers with 100 volunteers and over 150 friends, family, and other attendees.
“It’s neat to see the people who’ve been there all 11 years come back and look for the friends they’ve made through the tournament,” said event organizer Dawson Freuler. “It’s a great reunion every year.”
The event was blessed with good fishing, and the anglers hooked a wide variety of fish, including black drum, whiting, flounder, trout, white perch, spadefish, and many more, keeping the volunteers busy baiting lines, unhooking fish, re-rigging lines, and generally ensuring that the participants had a good time.
Tracie Mintz landed the event’s largest fish, a 1.65 lb. black drum. Close behind was Laurie Cline, with a 1.3 lb. pompano. A 1.1 lb. spadefish earned Paul Allen the third place honors. Spadefish weighing 0.7 and 0.65 lbs. also put Susan Parkhill and Ashley Edwards in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Prizes were awarded to all winners along with a fish bowl raffle where each contestant receives one ticket, then gets an additional ticket for each fish they catch. A goody bag with a tournament t-shirt and a variety of other gifts made sure that everyone left the event with something.
The event’s participants were treated to a biscuit breakfast courtesy of the Carolina Beach McDonald’s, Britt’s Donuts during the morning, and a hot dog lunch provided by A & G Barbeque.
Freuler would like to thank all the event’s sponsors, volunteers, and the Kure Beach Pier for making it another fantastic event for all the anglers.
