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Caloosa Catch & Release

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THE 22ND ANNUAL CALOOSA CATCH & RELEASE
PRESENTED BY Fort Myers Marine & Yamaha
JUNE 9-12, 2011

South Seas Island Resort Captiva Island, FL

The" Return to Paradise" tour did not disappoint anyone involved! The twenty second year of the Caloosa Catch and Release presented by Yamaha and Fort Myers Marine returned to South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. The bar has been set high by the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa over the past couple of years so South Seas Island Resort had high expectations to live up to and we are happy to report, they exceeded all of them! The hospitality suite opened up at 3:00pm in the Cone Room or as many may remember the old Useppa Room on Thursday afternoon for anglers, sponsors and media to get the first glimpse into what an exciting year is in store for everyone.

Bahama Breeze Island Grille was onsite early, stocking and prepping the open bar with everyone's favorite island style cocktails like no other restaurant can! Budweiser was on hand since early morning hanging banners, cooling kegs and saturating the Weigh Station with signage to announce the tourney locations. When the doors opened, many anglers were waiting so they could be one of the first fifty to enter the hospitality suite and receive complimentary custom CCR visors among all of the official tournament gear that all paid anglers would receive. Over 45 teams checked in while enjoying ice cold cocktails, music and the overall island atmosphere amongst good friends while sizing up the competition. The scene was definitely reminiscent of the good ole' days, everyone seemed to have left any care or worry in the world at home and was really on the island to unwind, have fun and relax.

Most of the anglers made it to registration on time, of course there were a few that forgot to plan for the slow speed limits and the occasional tourist taking in the views on the way out. No worries everyone was accounted for and after the Captains Meeting check in reopened so everyone could receive all of their tournament gear. This year, bright lime green, long sleeve, performance, dry fit shirts were produced with island flare to coincide with the return to paradise theme. Due to some last minute angler registrations and the popularity of these shirts there was not one left even for the tournament director himself! More have been ordered and will be available soon…

The Captains Meeting was held at The Pit; formerly known to many as Chadwick's, which now brings BBQ to the island. South Seas has made some major changes to the north end of the island but The Pit is one of the highlighted changes that occurred at Bayside. The Captains Party is always the "casual" night, amongst the three CCR dinners everyone enjoys. Anglers chatted amongst themselves while watching the large projector screen which flashed pictures from the 2010 tournament season reminding many about some old stories. While reminiscing and enjoying BBQ sliders and chicken wings, live music was playing on stage and the drinks were certainly flowing. Once it was time for the rules to be read everyone gathered around picnic tables (now decorating The Pit keeping with true BBQ style) to hear the official 2011 tournament rules. Weigh Master Bob Wasno read the rules, answered any questions and announced the mystery fish: Snapper. The meeting broke for anglers to get some much needed rest before a very early morning of course not all were ready for bed…

Morning came quicker for some than others, many stayed out after the Captains Meeting to put the new game room, The Pit offers to the test by trading competitive tournament banter with some video games and set wagers set on pool games, air hockey and foosball, a great time was had by all! The Caloosa Anglers certainly prove to be tough, most everyone was at the Bayside Marina when check-in opened on Friday morning at 5:30am. Tournament Staff checked all of the teams in, passed out complimentary bags of ice and loaded each angler with lunches from RC Otters specially prepared with the day ahead in mind; soggy was not an option for RC Otters and they sure proved that!

Teams were allowed to head to their first spots prior to lines in the water on Friday morning however were not allowed to begin fishing until 7:00am, anglers honor. What was once not missed was quickly appreciated significantly, THE POOL (at the weigh station)! Spouses, friends and kids began filling the pool area mid-morning, scoping out which lounge chairs would boast the best views. The Weigh Masters Bob Wasno and Lonnie Carson opened the Weigh Station a little early due to many teams calling in with requests. While it was set to open at noon, whenever possible and based on demand, tournament officials will open early to encourage the healthy live release of all Redfish. The first team to weigh in was there just before noon, followed by a dozen teams bringing fish in before one. This is clearly another advantage to the location of this tournament, anglers fishing north made a short run in for a quick weight then right back to where the action was. The first day of fishing wrapped up with a pool full of people, smoking grills and an impressive leader board leaving only speculation as to which team would pull off this year's win. Some contenders after day one were: Team Blackfin with 13.5lbs, Renegade with an impressive 14.6lbs, Cuz' I Can with 13.5lbs and Harry-Dickey with 13.4lbs. Over 22 ladies competed fiercely in the Red Salon and Spa Ladies division, Team Tow BoatUS was in the lead with lady angler Carmen Driscoll's impressive 7.8lb Red followed closely by Get Bit Crews lady angler Anisa Stewart with a 7lb Redfish. Aaron Harris from team Harris Dermatology led the youth division with an impressive 7.9lb Redfish wrapping up day ones scores.

After showering and unwinding for a bit everyone reconvened in the banquet room for the 22nd Annual Caloosa Catch and Release auction. Both silent and live items were up for grabs at some very good prices. Vacation packages, Sporting Events, Jewelry, Framed Art plus camping, fishing and hunting gear were all up for grabs at some amazing prices. The evening was a very well attended public event with auctioneer Bill Banfield leading the action and entertaining everyone until it was time to unveil the winner of the coveted Caloosa Sportsman's Award. The 2011 recipient of this award was described by Tournament Director, Ron Riley as "the epitome of what this award represent: someone who is a conversationalist, environmentalist and outdoor enthusiast". Long time Weigh Master and friend to the CTS Bob Wasno was awarded the 2011 Caloosa Sportsman Award.

Saturday morning ran similarly to Friday morning, all teams checked in, picked up ice and received lunches from Keylime Bistro another welcomed and specially prepared lunch for each angler. Many boats were out even earlier to get bait and be in position for the 7am mark to have their lines in the water especially those teams in the lead from day one. Others hoped to have a better day on the water in order to give themselves a chance to make up for a start. The Weigh Station opened at noon with several boats coming in to weigh before the typical busy hours. All boats had to be back inside the Bayside Marina in line by 5pm to weigh their final Reds and have the last shot at prize money. The scales were crowded and at times people had to be cleared to give the Weigh Masters room to maneuver the large fish. Ladies lined up for pictures in front of the Red Salon and Spa Ladies Division's Backdrop. The kids that fished this two day event proved to be tough little competitors all scoring fish on their respective teams.

The weekend wrapped up with a high end dinner and the awards banquet. Teams gathered back at the main room for the final tallies of two great days of fishing. Team Renegade won the overall tournament with 4 Redfish totaling 27.1lbs, followed by Team Harry Dickey for second place with a total weight of 26.4lbs and close behind was Team Yankee Dooley and the Dandees with 25.8lbs of Redfish securing the third place position. The Caloosa also awards the ninth place team prize money to keep it fun and exciting. Riley says "this payout allows teams to still have a chance to go home with some cash in their pocket even if they didn't make the top three; it keeps things interesting for everyone". Team Suncoast Beverage Sales picked up this check for weighing in a total of 19.9lbs which landed them in the ninth place payout position. A separate entry fee for the "Catch the Big Ones Redfish Bonanza" which is not required just an extra shot cash prize money is comprised of the heaviest weight of two Redfish which could be caught either day of fishing was won by Team Captiva Rod and Gun Club with a total weight of 14.5lbs. The Red Salon and Spa Ladies Division awarded Anisa Stewart of Team Get Bit Crew first place, she had a total weight of 13.9lbs. First place in the youth division was taken by Aaron Harris of Team Harris Dermatology with a total of 14.2lbs, very impressive! To see a full list of all of the 2011 Caloosa Catch and Release winners please click on 2011 results. Special thank you to all of the 2011 sponsors, tournament supporters and anglers for making this "Return to Paradise Tour" such a phenomenal success. Special kudos to all the staff of South Seas for their hard work and dedication.

If you were unable to fish the Caloosa and want to qualify in order to join us back out on Captiva in November for the Grand Championship then make sure to enter to fish the Summer Slam on Fort Myers Beach at the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa for another fun weekend September 23rd-25th and remember the Summer Slam is your last chance to qualify for the Championship.

To see all the photos from this year's Caloosa Catch & Release, visit hookedonphotos.net.

For other info and updates visit: call either Ron Riley at 239-671-9347 or email caloosa14@aol.com or Kristi Riley at 239-850-1707 or email kristiriley@gmail.com

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