Left to Right –Bottom Row - 3” Mullet in Rootbeer / Gold Flake - 5” Flats Chub in Firefly – 3.5” Shirmp in Gold n Glow. Top Row – 4.5” Inshore Minnow in Bunker - 2” Blue Crab - 3.5” Top water shad. Jigs L to R – 1/16 oz Screw Lock – 1/8 0z HD Pro Jig

With lures in hand, the competitors launched within the designated boundaries, which were the Weedon Island area of Tampa Bay. With a weather forecast calling for increased winds, many anglers chose to find spots that afford them protection from the wind, while others braved it and hit the exposed flats. Despite the gusty winds, all anglers reported good catches with the lures provided by our gracious sponsors. The Pic-N-Sip, our name for a “weigh-in”, was held at “Harveys”, a local establishment in the area.

1st place Slam (Snook, Redfish, Trout) of 75” went to Walt Ruda. Walt used the 3.5” Shrimp in Gold N Glow to land this beautiful snook

2nd Place Slam went to Justin Chaoun with 65.5”

Justin used the 3.5” Mullet in Root beer and Gold Flake, rigged on a 1/16th oz weedless Mustad Power lock hook to catch his slam.

3rd Place Slam went to Chuck Statham with 64” (Chuck could not be contacted for this interview)

PFTS top finalists from left to right, Justin Chaoun, Walt Ruda and Chuck Statham.

Again, from everyone at the PFTS we wish to thanks Culprit Riptide for the generous contribution to this years PFTS.

The next tournament in the series is “The Tackle Box”, on Jan 28th 2012. Competitors will be allowed to bring whatever they chose to fish with as they chase the Angler of the Year, which is sponsored by Jackson Kayaks

About the Author: Bill Howard is a Pro Staff Member at Yakangler.com, as well as Malibu Kayaks. He is also on the Columbia Sportswear Pro Team. Bill is an avid photographer and writer, contributing to numerous websites and publications in the Tampa Bay area. In 2008 he completed a 17 day, 129 mile trip around Tampa Bay raising nearly $4000 dollars for the American Heart Association. He is also a board member for the Tampa Bay Chapter of Hero's on the Water.