Releases – August 3, 2017
Breece Gahl reeled in a 47 lb., 6 oz. North Carolina state record gag grouper on May 20 while fishing in the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles off Wrightsville Beach.
The fish measured 48 inches total length (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail) and had a girth of 26 inches.
The former state record for gag grouper was 46 pounds. It was caught off the coast of Ocean Isle in 2011. The world record for gag grouper is 80 lbs., 6 oz. That fish was caught off the coast of Destin, FL, in 1993.
Gahl caught his fish using cigar minnows for bait and 120 lb. test braided line.
For more information, contact Carole Willis, with the North Carolina Saltwater Fishing Tournament, at (252) 808-8081 or carole.y.willis@ncdenr.gov.
The second annual Mandie Phillips Memorial Inshore/Offshore Fishing Tournament will take place September 28-30, 2017. One hundred percent of net proceeds of this “family friendly” event will go to help local Appalachian State University college students like Mary Connelly Wade with his/her higher education expenses.
The Mandie Phillips Memorial Fishing Tournament Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Mary Connelly Wade, a graduate of E.A. Laney High School, is the recipient of the 2016 Mandie Phillips Memorial Scholarship and has been awarded $5,000 towards her education at Appalachian State University.
Ms. Wade said, “I am so excited to start college in the fall. I am studying psychology in the hopes to enter a field where I can help others be their best self. One reason I am so thankful for this scholarship is because it is helping me achieve a goal that will, in turn, help me become the best version of myself.”
The inaugural fishing tournament took place at Mott’s Channel Seafood in October of 2016. Family and friends of Mandie Phillips coordinated the three-day event. Before she passed in 2014, Mandie was a beloved employee at Mott’s and a senior at Appalachian State, majoring in political science with a minor in physics.
Sponsors, donors, and volunteers came together to help bring in gross proceeds of approximately $45,000.
The proceeds of the tournament helped to fund an initial endowment of $25,000 with the goal of creating a lasting legacy in Mandie’s name, as well as benefiting generations of students for years to come.
“The biggest fear when you lose someone is they’ll be forgotten,” said Allie Phillips, twin sister of Mandie Phillips. “We’ve made sure that’s never going to happen. That’s the best feeling in the world,”
The second annual Mandie Phillips Memorial Fishing Tournament will take place September 28-30, 2017. It will once again be hosted by Alison and Gene Long at Mott’s Channel Seafood.
Information on how to apply for the 2018-2019 Mandie Phillips Memorial Scholarship will be available soon.
For more information on this year’s event please visit www.mottschannelseafood.com/fish-mandie-hook-scholarship.
Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation and The Reel Outdoors are sponsoring the 2017 Flounder Fishing tournament to kick off the surf fishing and beach driving season that starts September 15th.
The tournament will run from 8:00 am on Saturday, September 16, to 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 30th. Registration is free, and The Reel Outdoors will be providing prizes for the top three anglers.
Registration starts on August 14th and lasts until 5:00 pm on September 14th.
The Reel Outdoors is the official weigh-in station. All flounder must be caught by fishing on foot (surf, pier, inlet, sound) from Fort Macon to Emerald Isle; no boats. You can see complete rules on the back of the registration form, which will be available on August 14th at The Reel Outdoors or the Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation Community Center.
Registration forms and rules may also be downloaded at www.emeraldisle-nc.org/eiprd.
Contact Emerald Isle Parks and Recreation for further information or questions at (252) 354-6350.
The world’s largest sportfishing trade show, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades, better known as ICAST, was held from July 11-14, at the Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL.
Produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the industry’s trade association, ICAST—in its 60th year as the industry’s trade show—is the annual destination for representatives from the global recreational fishing industry to see the latest innovations in tackle, gear, accessories, and apparel.
One of the most important features for ICAST exhibitors and attendees alike is the New Product Showcase. The New Product Showcase, sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer, embodies the sportfishing industry’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and rewards that ingenuity through the New Product Showcase awards competition.
This year, 1263 products, accessories, and apparel were entered by 280 companies into 26 “Best of Category” awards in the New Product Showcase, all vying for the overall ICAST 2017 “Best of Show” award. This year, the Lure category was divided into hard and soft Freshwater and Saltwater lures.
BOTE’s Rover was voted by buyers and media as the best product in both the Boat Accessories category and the overall “Best of Show.”
Other ICAST 2017 winners include:
Boating Accessories – Yeti Coolers’ LoadOut Bucket
Boats and Watercraft – Bote’s Rover
Eyewear – Costa’s Sunrise Mirror Lens
Footwear – Huk Performance Fishing’s Attack
Giftware – The Catch and Release Print Shop’s Fish Prints – Actual Size
Lifestyle Apparel – Frogg Toggs’ Prym1 Series Pilot II Jacket & Bibs
Technical Apparel – Frogg Toggs’ Sierran Transition Wader
Electronics – Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc.’s Solix 15 Chirp Mega SI GPS
Fishing Accessory – YETI Coolers’ Panga Duffel
Fly Fishing Accessory – Simms Fishing Products’ G3 Guide Stockingfoot Wader
Fishing Line – Pure Fishing Inc.’s Berkley Fireline Ultra 8
FishSmart – Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle’s 2017 Flounder Sample Pack
Kids’ Tackle – 13 Fishing’s Ambition Combo
Tackle Management – Daiwa Corporation’s Tactical Backpack
Terminal Tackle – Trapper Tackle’s Trapper Round Bend Treble
Saltwater Hard Lure – Rapala’s X-Rap Magnum 40
Saltwater Soft Lure – LIVETARGET’s Hollow Body Mullet
Fly Reel – Pure Fishing, Inc.’s Pflueger Supreme QRS Fly Reel
Saltwater Reel – Shimano American Corp.’s Sustain Reels C4000/5000
Rod & Reel Combo – Lew’s Fishing Tackle’s Mach Crush Speed Spool Combo
Fly Fishing Rod – G. Loomis, Inc.’s IMX-Pro Fly Rod
Saltwater Rod – St. Croix Rods’ Legend Tournament Inshore
