Veteran IFA anglers claim victory at Houma, take home over $14,000 in winnings
Eddie Adams, of Metairie, Louisiana, and Dwayne Eschete, of Madisonville, Louisiana, weighed a two-day limit that totaled 36.15 pounds to win the second IFA Lucas Oil Redfish Open presented by Cabela’s on June 20 at Houma, Louisiana. The premier team event paid out over $43,000 in total winnings and will be featured on multiple television networks early next year.
Adams and Eschete are familiar faces on the IFA Redfish Tour and have won numerous IFA Redfish Tour events over the years. Eschete said their consistency is due to focusing only on the variables they can control.
“We try to focus on our tasks at hand and not concern ourselves with what others are doing,” said Eschete. “I try to go out each day and execute to the best of my abilities of what I can catch in my area. Most people lose the battle before the fishing starts because they are worried about what Eddie and Dwayne are doing. You have to keep yourself focused on your tasks.”
Without an opportunity to pre-fish much in the Houma area, the anglers decided to make the 100-mile stretch run to fish the east side of the Mississippi River, an area they had already scouted for a different tournament.
“It was a stretch run but 100 miles isn’t bad,” said Eschete. “But we had to go through locks, bridges and long idles. It takes that 100 miles and turns it into 160 to 170 miles.”
During their pre-fishing trips to the east side of the river, the wind blew from the southeast, providing high waters for the anglers. The first day of the tournament, the wind switched to blow from the southwest, pushing the water out.
“Instead of fishing in some broken marshes where we had our fish located, we had to fish the outer edges,” said Eschete. “Fishing was a little bit different than what we had scouted for, but at the first spot we stopped we caught one of our nine-pounders.”
Moving to different locations, the anglers landed another keeper and decided to head back for the weigh-in. Overall, Eschete and Adams landed five fish on day one.
On the return trip the anglers experienced motor issues and were not going to make it back in time for the weigh-in. Eschete made a call to the IFA tournament director and was granted permission for Adams to ride back with their fish in another competitor’s boat. The team weighed 18.36 pounds for day one and sat in first place.
With engine issues, the anglers looked to the Yamaha support trailer and mechanic on hand at each IFA Redfish Tour event for assistance. Three hours later, the motor was up and running so the team decided to return to their same location on day two.
Thirty minutes into their long run on day two, the motor issues returned. Despite the compromised motor output, the team pushed on to the east side of the river. This left the anglers with a short amount of fishing time. Due to the clear, shallow waters, the anglers elected to drift the boat while sight-fishing Berkley Gulp! on a quarter-ounce jighead. The persistent southwest wind offered up tough fishing conditions for the team.
“A west wind is one of the worst winds to have when you are drifting and sight-fishing,” said Eschete. “The problem is that you have the wind in your back and the sun in your face. The sun puts a bad glare on the water so you have to fish slow.”
The tough conditions didn’t hold back the anglers. They managed a two-fish limit of 17.79 pounds, which was enough to hold onto first place. Along with their Angler’s Advantage cash earnings, the anglers won a total of $14,978.
“The Open series is great,” said Eschete. “I like it because you are fishing against the best of the best.”
BEST OF THE REST
Second-place finishers Michael Tindal, of Dauphin Island, Alabama, and Bryan Watts, of Lithia, Florida, brought in a two-day total of 35.01 to win a total of $7,470. The anglers ran 10 miles and sight-fished shallow ponds with Berkley Gulp! and soft plastics.
Marty Simmons and Keith McBride, both of St. Augustine, Florida, weighed 33.28 pounds over two days and took home $7,142 in winnings. The team fished jerkbaits and tube baits in a lake located 20 minutes from the launch.
