Third triumph for Team Koldtogo at Big Bend

The fishing was great and the weather perfect for this year’s premier fishing tournament in the Big Bend.

Over 500 anglers on June 18 and 19 participated in this year’s Big Bend Saltwater Classic. Organizer Darren Webb said the number was a little down from previous years, but he was very pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the contestants.

For the third year in a row, Team Koldtogo out of Thomasville, Ga. took first place in the Masters Division.

Two tournament records were set this year. Julie Hilton set a record with her 28.7-pound red snapper and George Kilgore’s 7.6-pound speckled was a record breaker as well. Pat Partin won $1,000 for a “Big Ass” 52-pound Wahoo.

Once again, the “Take a Soldier Fishing” program enabled soldiers, two from Fort Stewart and two from Colorado Springs, to team up with a contestant and fish for free.

This year, Budweiser provided a kayak and fishing set up as the grand prize for the points leader in the recreational division Brad Wheeler.

Chris Lewis of Medart won the “Weigh a Fish” drawing for a four-day all-expense-paid fishing trip to Islamorada.

The Big Bend Saltwater Classic was launched in 1989 by The Organization for Artificial Reefs, Inc, (OAR), based in Tallahassee. The tournament was started by Shawn Abbott, Ron Harrigan, Skip Hood, the late Dave Iacampo, Steve Leukanech, Jim Sapp, Frank Stephenson, and Quill Turk and was intended to serve as OAR's primary fund-raising project each year.

The event quickly established itself as the largest professionally-run fishing tournament in the Florida Big Bend Gulf Coast.

The first tournament was held at Shield's Marina in St. Marks. In 1990, the event moved to Panacea Harbor Marina, then in 1991 to the Moorings Marina in Carrabelle where it was staged for the next 15 years. In 2006, the Carrabelle Boat Club became the tournament headquarters.

Since 1990, the Tournament has been a three-day event set on Father's Day Weekend. It is a rodeo format featuring multiple species in three divisions for competitive fishing for Juniors to Pros.

Today, the Tournament is under the direct control of a non-paid board of directors. Currently, all of the proceeds derived from the event are used to expand and develop a system of artificial reefs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.