Last weekend’s Elite Redfish Series “Redfish Classic” held at the City of Orange Boat Ramp showed that Texas has what it takes when it comes to redfish and redfish anglers.
Texas Angler Clark Jordan weighed in a 3-day total of 70 pounds for a big win.
This was his second victory in as many classics and he won handily. Second place Dwayne Eschette had a 65.40 bag. Third place was Kevin Broussard with 61.38 while Kevin Akin took fourth with 59.92 and Mark Sepe with 59.63 at fifth.
Jordan won a $75,000 Yellowfin boat and $5,000 cash for his efforts and set himself up as being the top angler on the Redfish Elite Series trail.
A three-day total of 70 pound is impressive when you consider that is with a three fish limit here in Texas. Overall the average redfish weighed at the event was 7.01 pounds and the average weight per participant was 28.06 pounds.
A total of 31 anglers weighed in 128 redfish weighing 897.91 pounds. The average angler catch was 4.13 fish and the live release weight was 127. In other words only one fish perished at or before the scales.
The well-attended event put on by the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Stark Cultural Venues will help put the Sabine area on the map at a whole other level in terms of redfish recognition.
The competition will be broadcast on Discovery Channel’s “Destination America” network and will highlight a hard fought event that saw truly impressive.
Jordan’s winning big of 70 pounds consisted of nine reds. That’s a nearly 8-pound average and when you are talking about fish in the Texas slot limit of 20-28 inches those are huge.
The Sabine area is attracting world-class competition in the redfish and bass world and that is a very good thing for our area. The more people who fish and spend money here the better chance we have of conserving vital fish habitat and getting the kinds of conservation projects that help sustain fisheries for years to come.
This is a big, big deal and positions us as a truly premiere fishing destination.
And if you like competitive fishing, there is more good news. The Elite Redfish Series returns to the area with a tournament at Pleasure Island April 28-30. Look for more details on that big event soon here on these pages.
Until then, go out and catch some redfish. It is one thing to follow competition but it is even more fun to get in on the action yourself.
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To contact Chester Moore, email him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.