Tidelines – May 9, 2013
When I struggle to find time to fish (yes, the wind has continued to blow for the past two weeks since my last Tidelines column), then I throw more time at the business of fishing. And if I’m looking for a silver lining in this ridiculously windy spring, then the blessing would be increased efforts towards our first tournament of 2013, the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge.
The tournament booklet for this event is being delivered with the May 9 issue of Fisherman’s Post, and we like the tone it sets for the other four inshore tournaments we have planned for 2013.
Those that have fished any of our tournaments in the past know that we like to put on event and not just a “money in the hat” gathering. Thanks to Barrett McMullan, the new owner of the Carolina Wing Company, anglers that fish with us in Ocean Isle will be able to share stories after weigh-in while filling themselves on complimentary wings. And if free wings alone don’t get you excited, then we’ll provide Sweetwater Brewery and Anheuser Busch products to wash the food down.
As if you couldn’t tell, I’m trying to attract more boats to fish the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, so I want you to start doing the math. If you have four people on your boat, and those four people get to enjoy free wings and beer, what is the price tag for wings and beer for four people? How close have we already come to giving you value for your $125 entry fee into the tournament?
In addition, we’ll also provide pizza and drinks (beer, water, and sodas) on Friday during Registration and the Captains’ Parties. Even if you only fish two people, I think free food and drinks on both Friday and Saturday gets me over $125.
Now let’s talk about your chances of winning cash and prizes, perhaps the main reason you would enter a fishing tournament. We have a leaderboard that pays out 10 places, so you have 10 chances to get cash back. We also have secondary prizes for junior, lady, and senior anglers, as well as SeaTow members. The chances are strong that you’ll win your entry fee back.
We’ll also be offering a Century rod raffle prize to all anglers. Any boat that weighs in a flounder is automatically entered into this raffle where we are giving away a $300+ factory-custom rod. So even if your fish doesn’t make the leaderboard, you could still walk away with a $300+ prize.
What’s that? You want guaranteed prizes for everyone whether you weigh in a fish or not? Here’s the preliminary list of freebies you’ll get as soon as you pay your entry fee: a 5-gallon bucket, samples of Pro-Cure, Intracoastal Angler sticker, Fish Post sticker, a Fish Post koozie, and more to be added later (call me if you want to place products in these captains’ buckets).
Enough with the logos appeal. How about a pathos appeal? The Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge encourages anglers to weigh their fish in alive (through bonus cash payouts) so that the fish can either be released after weigh-in, or donated to the South Brunswick High School Aquaculture Program whose goal is to increase the population of southern flounder.
We’ll also be raising funds and awareness for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a non-profit working for water quality, shoreline protection, and oyster restoration.
Finally, Fisherman’s Post and the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge are big supporters of junior anglers, and to that end we’ll be giving every junior angler that weighs in a flounder a free Betts Nets cast net. Every junior angler will feel like a winner.
Ethos? Of course I’m a credible author with strong character. Just ask me.
So there’s my argument to fish with us in the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge. We have a great crowd that fishes with us at all of our inshore tournaments, so if Ocean Isle is a little out of reach, then consider these other locations for 2013 Inshore Challenge events: June 21-22 in Southport; July 19-20 in Wrightsville Beach; August 23-24 in Topsail; and September 13-14 in Carolina Beach.
And for the voyeurs, you can check out all of the weigh-ins for all of our tournaments on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FishPost. We’ll be posting photos of anglers and their fish in real time, so for Ocean Isle be sure to log on from 1:00-4:00 pm on Saturday, June 1.
Better yet, how about you go now to Facebook and tell us you’re coming to Ocean Isle.
