The Redfish Guys competed on March 22, 2014 in the Riley Rods Redfish Shootout Series at the West Beaufort Regional Access ramp at Event #1, (3 events, and a Championship Shootout). Directed by Captain Mike Pedersen, and Daniel Sbrocco as the Weighmaster, ten (10) teams competed.
Dwayne and I had been scouting for the past few weeks, and we spent an entire day in Swansboro on a cold, windy Saturday with water temps around 43. We saw 3 fish and caught none during practice in Area Code 910. We had found some fish locally, and we thought we could catch between 9.5 - 11 pounds, with our two-fish limit. Last year, 10 lbs of two redfish would get you in the money, so we stayed with the local plan.
The field headed toward the No Wake Zone at 6:45 AM, and a shotgun start sent boats heading different directions. Four teams headed across Bogue Sound toward the Swansboro area, the rest of the field stayed in the 252 area code.In the local area, Dwayne and I were fishing a slick calm morning with a 7:22 AM low tide, and rising throughout the morning. We fished out of Dwayne's 18' Shallow Sport Bahia, and jacked the motor up to the 4 mark on the jackplate. Took a few short cuts, then Dwayne gave me the honor of running a shallow flat toward our fish. I bumped twice on the ride into our spot, intending to set the boat down in 2' of water. Pulled back on the throttle as we arrived in deeper water, and fish scattered. Uh oh, I think I just ran across the fish.
After rigging up for a morning of fishing, Dwayne and I started to fancast Salty Bay Red Devils (in gold flake and lime jello) around the boat. We fished slowly, but kept spooking the fish in the shallow water. Finally, I hooked up on a mid-slot red, and we had a 3.8 lb fish in the livewell. The bite was slow, and the wind increased to 15 knots.
Dwayne caught a 4.9 lb fish to round out our limit, then it was time for an upgrade. We had a few bites, and tried several techniques. Jigs/Red Devils, weedless soft plastics in Pro-Cure and scented baits under popping corks. Dwayne hooked up with a nice fish, and handed me the rod as he grabbed the net. We boated a 5.7 lb fish, and upgraded our smaller red. We had about 10.6 lbs of fish in the livewell, and we thought our weight was enough to cash. 
Pulled a hook on another fish, then it was time to weigh our fish in at 4 PM. We loaded the boat on the trailer, and grabbed a basket to put our fish in. There was already 4 teams with 11+ lbs on the board! These guys brought their 'A' games. Our bag weighed in at 10.67 lbs, good enough for 6th place in the event.
Had a great time fishing with Dwayne and fishing against some great competitors. Captain Robbie Hall and Jon Morton won with 12.30 lbs, a well deserved win! Captain Allen Jernigan and Tim Chavez weighed in 11.94 lbs for second place, and Captain Johnathan Garrett/Prestidge came in third place with 11.81 lbs. All of the top three teams fished south of the Hwy 58 bridge. I want to thank Hook and Bones, Salty Bay Baits, Temple Fork Outfitters, Pro-Cure Bait Scents, Fins Premium Superlines, No Slack Tackle, Bubba Blade, and PointClickFish.com for keeping us on the water.
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| 6th place with 10.67 lbs |
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