POMPANO BEACH, FL—Fishing was rather tough on Saturday, June 11th as 97 boats competed in the 2011 Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Slam. Captain Mike Genoun’s Florida Sportfishing team was the 2nd boat to weigh in, thinking they had a shot at placing in the top 15 teams with 4 kingfish weighing 16.62, 20.32, 26.22, and 30.22 pounds. Little did they know, that catch would turn out to be enough to claim victory in the Saltwater Slam earning $8,000 and their first PBSC win. Second place team Covered Up weighed in less than a pound fewer than Florida Sportfishing, with 92.41 pounds in 4 kingfish as well. Covered Up cashed in on over $13,000 in Slam prize money. They also hold a 9 point lead over team Kimbuktu for the elite Showdown Crown award which is sponsored by Simrad Electronics. The Showdown Crown pinpoints the top overall team in the 3-leg PBSC trail. 5 time winner Native Son, currently sits in 3rd place, 29-points behind Covered Up.
Summerwind took home 3rd place in the Slam with 91.28 pounds, Goin Raptor placed in 4th with 91.1 pounds, and Conched Out landed in 5th with 85.34 pounds. Slim pickin’s for a day of fishing in June!
Fourth place team Goin Raptor also landed the heaviest fish of the tournament, a 45.46-pound kingfish, worth $14,142, bring their total winnings to $17,586 for the tournament--not bad for 4th place! Following Goin Raptor in the heaviest fish category was second place team Covered Up with a 43.31-pound kingfish. Rounding out the top three was SKA team Spiced Rum III with a 42.9-pound kingfish. Spiced Rum III also took home top SKA team honors at the Slam, bringing their total winnings to $6,805…also not bad for a 14th place overall finish!
The infamous KDW Jackpot strikes again. No team managed to bring the trio of fish to the scales on Saturday, rolling over for the second time this season and leaving the Jackpot at $10,260. It is expected to reach $15,000 during the Pompano Beach Saltwater Showdown on August 6th.
The 3 fish selected from a sealed container in the new “Pick 3” category were dolphin, wahoo and cobia, a pretty tall order for any team. The category prevailed this time around. No one was successful in catching the Pick 3, so the purse will roll over for the first time, standing at $2,970. It is expected to reach $6,000 or more during the Showdown.
Also, the top Average Joe team No Drama took home almost $4,000 for their 13th place finish and for 61.37 pounds of fish.
If there was a hard luck award in the Slam, it no doubt would have gone to Bernard Paul-Hus and his Shaka fishing team. They boated 4 Kings and 1 Blackfin Tuna in the tournament for a total of 119 pounds. Unfortunately, they arrived back at the inlet about 8 minutes after the deadline and none of the points counted. They didn’t think their catch was a standout when they first arrived at the weigh-in. I bet it was truly a Shaka when they realized they in fact had the catch to win the whole shootin’ match!
Total payouts for the 2011 Saltwater Slam were $92,633. For more information on the upcoming 2011 Saltwater Showdown, please call 954-725-4010 or visit www.saltwatershowdown.com.
Top Teams:
1st Florida Sportfishing 93.38 pts
2nd Covered Up 92.41 pts
3rd Summerwind 91.28 pts
4th Goin Raptor 91.10 pts
5th Conched Out 85.34 pts
6th Native Son 83.81 pts
7th Hard Way 82.20 pts
8th Kimbuktu 75.19 pts
9th Hook Me Up 73.32 pts
10th Team Gordon & Doner 71.84pts
Top Anglers:
Male Meir Genoun/Florida Sportfishing 56.44 pts
Female Darla Cheshier/Hook Me Up 48.22 pts
Junior Chase Large/Bandit 39.36 pts
PeeWee Hunter Irvine/Young Guns 68.90 pts
Heaviest Fish:
Dolphin McMan 18.86 lbs
Wahoo NONE
Kingfish Goin Raptor 45.46 lbs
Tuna Summerwind 33.13 lbs
Cobia Boat Center 26.18 lbs
Top Average Joe Team:
No Drama 61.37 pts
Top Small Boat:
Wet Hooker 44.78 pts
Top Family Team:
Native Son 83.81 pts
Notable Winnings:
Goin Raptor $17,586
Covered Up $13,235
Florida Sportfishing $8,000
Conched Out $6,050
Please see www.bluewatermovements.com/saltwater_slam_past_results/ for additional payouts.
