J. R. Witt, of Sarasota, Florida, and Jason Tari, of North Port, Florida, weighed a two-redfish limit that totaled 14.78 pounds to win the first regular-season event for the Florida West Division of the IFA Redfish Tour presented by Cabela’s on March 7 at Punta Gorda, Florida.
After fishing the IFA for many years and a few top-five finishes, Witt and Tari finally pushed their way into first place despite less-than-ideal conditions.
"We did not expect it to be as low as it was," said Witt. "We were limited to where we could fish. We thank God we were able to get out of where we were."
The anglers took a 45 minute run to fish the Pine Island area with soft plastics including Berkley Gulp! jerk shads.
"We feel very blessed and thankful for today’s win," said Witt. "It was not expected."
The custom Ranger 1862CC IFA Edition Prize Boat is valued at $25,995
The team took home the first-place prize – a new a new fully rigged Ranger boat powered by a Yamaha outboard, valued at $25,995. The anglers also added $2,730 in Anglers Advantage contingency cash.
Wayne Kerry and Tyler Kerry, both of Port Charlotte, Florida, brought 13.59 pounds of redfish to the scales to win the $4,000 second-place prize. The anglers also took advantage of Anglers Advantage contingency program for an additional $1,330 in cash.
The team ran 16 miles to fish the Sound with top-water baits and Berkley Gulp!.
Third-place finishers John Ochs, of Englewood, Florida, and Fred Myers, of Panama City, Florida, also experienced low waters, making for a tough day of fishing. At the end of the day, they brought in a two-redfish limit of 13.36 pounds.
The anglers jigged with twitch baits close to Pine Island for their limit, which netted them a total of $3,760 in winnings.
The next stop for the IFA Redfish Tour is at Titusville, Florida, March 28. All teams that enter at least a minimum of two events and compete in at least one event will qualify for the 2015 IFA Redfish championship.
Next Stop: IFA Redfish Tour Heads to Titusville
First Florida East Division Event set for March 28th
The IFA Redfish Tour will visit Titusville, Florida (March 28th) for the first 2015 event of the Florida East Division.
The Titusville event will begin its activities on Friday, March 27, with tournament registration at Crackerjacks Tiki Bar and Grill (2A Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville, FL 32796) from 5-7 p.m. followed by the captain’s meeting. Anglers will launch from Parrish Park Boat Ramp at safe light on Saturday, March 28 and return to the park for the weigh-in. Check-in times will be assigned at Friday’s captain’s meeting.
In addition to nearly 200% payback, the upcoming Georgetown event guarantees a new, fully-rigged Ranger boat powered by a Yamaha outboard valued at $25,995 for first place.
By: Palmer Conrad, Palmer Conrad Consulting
