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2012 Flounder Bowl

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Flounder Bowl 2012

This was the 4th Flounder Bowl and there are now four different Flounder Bowl Champions.

The event began on Friday evening with a captains meeting and a barbecue. It finished Saturday evening with the awards presentations and a seafood party.

In between these two, there was a lot of action and it was not all flounder fishing. It takes a lot of work by a lot of volunteers to set up for this event each year. A line of storms came through Friday night and wiped out everything. All of the tents were not just knocked over, they were destroyed. All of the tables and chairs were blown all over the place. It looked like a disaster area. The word “heartbreaking” was used many times. The volunteers fishing wished those staying behind, the best of luck and just hoped something could be done in time for the party. When we got back in, we were amazed at what those people were able to do. I do not know all that helped out but some are: Charles Southall, John Hunt, Mike and Christy Hanna and some very fast, emergency deliveries and set up by ABZ Rentals. It looked like nothing had happened at all.

117 boats fished this year’s event. Boats were greeted by rough seas left over from the storm front. It calmed down as the day progressed and it turned out to be a very nice day on the water. Large flounder proved to be hard to come by for most of the fleet. Boats using wire-line to work hard structure had the most success.

This year’s Flounder Bowl Champion is the “Wired Out” captained by Jim Davis. Their 3-fish stringer weighed 18.43 pounds. They received the Flounder Bowl trophy and $5,000.

Second Place is the “Fatty Flatty” captained by Barry Bradley. They weighed in 16.97 pounds. They won $2,000.

Bryan Cockrell and the “T-Mo Express” came in third place with a weight of 16.05 pounds. They won $1,500.

Fourth Place is the “Tip Top” captained by Glen West. They weighed in 16.03 pounds. They won $1,000.

The “Albemarle 24”, captained by Alan Hall, came in Fifth Place with a weight of 15.34 pounds. They won $500.

Sixth Place is the “Miss Janet II” captained by Weil Taylor with a weight of 14.79 pounds. They won $250.

59 boats entered into the Big Fish Calcutta. The winner is the “Tip Top” with an 8.5 pound flounder. The Calcutta win was $5,900 bringing the “Tip Top’s” winnings to $6,900.

The Top Lady Angler is Jennifer Hall, fishing on the “Albemarle 24”, with a 5.23 pound fish. She won $100 and a pair of Costa sunglasses.

The Top Youth Angler is James Dearnley, fishing on the “Out Numbered”, with a 3.66 pound flounder. He won $100 and a pair of Costa Sunglasses.

The Sponsors Challenge was won by Capt. Craig Paige of “Paige II Charters” with a stringer weight of 13.35 pounds.

Teams not placing in the top six were placed into a drawing for a “Lucky Dog” award. This year’s winner is “Reel Tease II” captained by Randy Richardson. They won $500.

The member of the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association weighing in the heaviest flounder is Scott Davenport fishing on the “Double Digits”. His 5.58 pound fish earned him $500.

Congratulation to this year’s Flounder Bowl Champion, “Wired Out” captained by Jim Davis!

Previous Flounder Bowl Champions are: Capt. Craig Paige of “Paige II Charters”, Brian Hogg-team “Hogchoker”, and Capt. Kenny Jarvis of “Reelentless Charters”.

The Flounder Bowl is made possible through the hard work of many volunteers and it is only possible with the support of the amazing sponsors.

2012 Flounder Bowl Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Thomas E Wilson Insurance Agency, Mercury Mulch, Inc., The Goose Creek Rockfish Tournament, Yorktown Materials, Harbor Mechanical, Pomoco Auto Group, Dare Marina & Yacht Sales, Multi-Print Inc., Virginia Beach Sport Fishing.net, Douglas Aquatics, York River Electric, Inc., Comfort Technology Heating & Air Conditioning, Randy Blanchard, MD Plastic Surgery Center of Hampton Roads, Green Top Sporting Goods, M and M Custom Painting, Michael Surveying & Mapping, P. C., Boat U.S., C. A. Barrs Contractor, The Bush Companies, Wanchese Fish Company, Atlantic Marine Service, Parks Orthodontics, Tidewater Family Dentistry, Seaford Scallop Company, Bay Propeller, Portsmouth Trailer Supply, Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.

2011 Flounder Bowl

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

2011 Flounder Bowl Results

Some of the areas best flounder anglers gathered together to determine who would be crowned this year’s Flounder Bowl Champion. They also came to have a good time. The event began on Friday, June 24th at Dare Marina and Yacht Sales with registration and a big barbeque. The event ended Saturday night with a seafood cookout and party. There was a little flounder fishing in-between.

111 boats competed in the event. The combined weight of each team’s top 3 fish determined the winners. Prize money was paid to the top six teams. There was an optional big-fish Calcutta in which the single heaviest fish won. 60 boats entered the Calcutta. In addition to the regular tournament, there was a Sponsors Challenge competition where sponsored boats competed to win a large trophy that their sponsor gets to keep for the following year, until the next Flounder Bowl. There were awards for the top fish weighed in by a lady, a youth, and a member of the host of the tournament: the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association. On top of all of these prizes, all boats that did not place in the top six were entered into a drawing for a Lucky Dog award.

The Winners

The top boat this year was the Paige II captained by Craig Paige. Their 3-fish stringer weighed an impressive 25.23 pounds.

Second Place was the Healthy Grin captained by Ken Neill and sponsored by the office of Dr. K E. Neill. Their stringer weight was 21.28 pounds.

Third Place was the High Point captained by Chris Bently with a weight of 19.82 pounds.

Fourth Place was Relentless Charters with Capt. Kenny Jarvis. They weighed in18.67 pounds.

Fifth Place was the Mulch Man captained by Clifton Rowe and sponsored by Mercury Mulch. They weighed 18.06 pounds.

Fatty Flatty, captained by Barry Bradley, rounded out the top six. Their stringer weighed 17.61 pounds.

The big fish Calcutta was won with a monster, 12.24 pound flounder. Hunter Gray fishing as part of the Paige II team caught this fish.

The top lady angler was Tricia Neill. She caught a 5.25 pound flounder while fishing on the Healthy Grin. She won $100 plus a pair of Costa sunglasses.

The top youth angler was James Dearnley. He caught a 5.99 pound flounder while fishing on the Outnumbered, sponsored by Pankoke Marine Construction. He won $100 plus a pair of Costa sunglasses.

The top fish weighed in by a member of the PSWSFA was a 11.59 pound flounder caught by Ken Neill fishing on the Healthy Grin. He won $500.

The Healthy Grin, sponsored by the office of Dr. K. E. Neill, won the sponsors challenge trophy.

The Lucky Dog really was a lucky dog. The rule is that you must be present to win. The first boat drawn had already left the party so another team was selected. This year’s Lucky Dog is Tyler Blanks. He received a prize of $500.

The total payout for the tournament was $17,450 plus merchandise.

Cash payouts per team

Paige II: $11,000

Healthy Grin: $2,600

High Point: $1,500

Reelentless Charters: $1,000

Mulch Man: $500

Tyler Blanks: $500

Fatty Flatty: $250

Outnumbered: $100

Each team received door prize tickets as part of their registration. These tickets were used to give out the many prizes donated by the sponsors of the tournament. We had one raffle for a flounder artwork donated by Mountain Breeze Taxidermy.

The many volunteers that worked very hard to make this event happen are too numerous to mention but we do have to recognize Capt. Jorj Head, the tournament organizer. This tournament is his idea. Without him and his large circle of friends (that he somehow gets to help) there would not be a Flounder Bowl. This is all volunteer work and I have no idea how many hours he puts into this event each year. We are done with him for a little bit so if you would like to charter a fishing trip call him at (757) 262-9004.

The other folks that have to be mentioned are Mike and Christy Hanna and the entire staff at Dare Marina. They put an amazing amount of effort into this event. The comments that I kept hearing were about how great this place was and how friendly all of the staff were. They really are good people. If you are in the market for a boat, want to sell yours, need boat work done or a place to keep your boat, check out Dare Marina. They will treat you right. www.daremarina.com

The sponsors are everything. They are the reason this event has become such a large success. Besides all of the prize money and merchandize prizes that were given away, we went through: 150 pounds of barbecue, 200 pounds of fried fish, 80 pounds of scallops, 5 bushels of steamed crabs, a couple hundred hot dogs, 15 kegs of beer, and whole lot of other food and drink. We had an unexpected donation of a large amount of margaritas, Long Island iced tea, and rum punch. That all disappeared also. The anglers must have been thirsty. The sponsors provide all of this stuff from the team buckets to the $5,000 1st place prize money.

2011 Flounder Bowl Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Thomas E Wilson Insurance Agency
(757) 283-6351

York River Electric, Inc.
www.yorkriverelectric.com

Michael Surveying & Mapping, P. C.
www.msmva.com

Pankoke Marine Construction
www.pmcmarineconstruction.com

Dare Marina & Yacht Sales
www.daremarina.com

Multi-Print Inc
www.multiprintinc.com

Harbor Mechanical
(757) 872-4166

Douglas Aquatics
(in memory of Eric Arnold)
www.dapoolsandspas.com

Randy Blanchard, MD
Plastic Surgery Center of Hampton Roads
www.pschr.com

Comfort Technology Heating & Air Conditioning
www.comforttechnologyinc.com

Pomoco Auto Group
www.pomoco.com

Bay Propeller
www.baypropeller.com

Grass Roots of Virginia, LLC
(757) 890-5300

The Goose Creek Rockfish Tournament
(757) 871-2250

C. A. Barrs Contractor
www.cabarrs.com

Boat U.S.
www.boatus.com

Yorktown Materials
www.yorktownmaterials.com

Portsmouth Trailer Supply
www.ptrailerusa.com

Seaford Scallop Company
(757) 898-8512

Wanchese Fish Company
www.wanchese.com

New Image
www.newimageva.net

Garnett Construction, LLC
www.garnettconstructionllc.com

Green Top Sporting Goods
www.greentophuntfish.com

2010 Flounder Bowl

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Flounder Bowl 2010

Four Hundred of the finest flounder fishermen gathered to participate in the Flounder Bowl hosted by the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association. This event was held June 26 out of Dare Marina. A total of 97 boats entered the competition to try and win the $5,000 first place prize money. More importantly, they were competing to be crowned the flounder champions of the Chesapeake Bay for 2010.

All participants were treated to free food and drink both at the captains meeting Friday night and at the weigh in on Saturday. This is a sponsor driven event where donations from many businesses allow for this tournament to have low entry fees and high payouts. The many donated prizes allow everybody in the tournament a chance to be a winner. Door prize tickets were included in each team’s package.

Forty-five of the sponsors entered boats into the tournament and in the Sponsors Challenge Division. These boats competed in the regular tournament and also for the Sponsors Trophy that the winning business will display for the next year.

Tournament winners were determined by the combined weight of the team’s three largest fish. There was an optional Big Fish Calcutta which fifty-five boats chose to enter. The team with the single largest fish won the entire pot. There were also awards for the largest flounder caught by a youth and by a lady. All teams not finishing in the top six places were entered into a “lucky dog” drawing for a $500 prize.

Both the weather and the flounder cooperated for a fantastic day of flounder fishing. Flatfish were caught from buoy 42, the Cell, 36A, the Hump, Back River Reef, Cape Henry Wreck and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Anglers fishing the buoy 42/Cell area had a slow day. That area was where the winning fish were caught in the 2009 tournament. This year, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was the place to be. Almost all of the large flounder caught came from between the 4th island and the high rise section. The one exception was a flatfish, over 8 pounds which Skid Joyner, caught at Back River Reef. Live bait, mostly spot, produced most of the large fish.

This year’s Bay Champion is Brian Hogge and his “Hogchoker” team. Their 3-fish stringer weight was a very impressive, 26.03 pounds. They earned a check for $5,000. They won the championship cup and they also won the sponsors challenge trophy for their sponsor, Grafton Fishing Supply.

Second place was won by the team captained by Donald Bowers. They weighed in 24.20 pounds of flounder. They received a check for $1,500.

The third place team was the “Hell Bent” captained by Rudy Levasseur. They weighed 23.72 pounds. Their largest fish weighed 10.84 pounds and it won the Big Fish Calcutta. Their total winnings were $6,500.

Fourth place was won by team “Choo Choo” captained by John Perry. They weighed in 21.39 pounds. They received a check for $500.

The fifth place team was “Turkey Man”. This team, captained by Benji Lineberry, weighed 17.82 pounds of flounder. They won $250.

Finishing out the top six was team “Salt Lick” captained by Mark McIlwean. They weighed a stringer of 17.16 pounds.

The Youth winner was Fisher Dedmon who was fishing on the Bull Island Express sponsored by Bishop Fishing Supply. He won $100 and a prize donated by West Marine.

The Lady winner was Hilary Polk fishing on a boat sponsored by TPMG Internal Medicine. She won $100 and a pair of sunglasses donated by Costa.

This year’s “Lucky Dog” is Jason Wright of team “Summer Hunt’n” He received a check for $500.

Total payout was $14,700 plus merchandise donated by the many wonderful sponsors. The businesses supporting this tournament make this event possible. The one prize that was raffled was a flounder artwork donated by Mountain Breeze Taxidermy. David Brabrand won that prize. All of the other donated merchandise was given out via door prize tickets included with team registration.

Gold Sponsors: Thomas E. Wilson Insurance Agency, Garnett Construction, LLC, Just Plumbing, Douglas Aquatics, Pomoco Auto Group, Dare Marina & Yacht Sales, Multi-Print Inc, T. Randle Blanchard MD, York River Electric Inc., Comfort Technology Heating & Air Conditioning, Ayers Marine Electronics, Seaford Scallop Company, Michael Surveying & Mapping PC.

Sponsors: Rudees Inlet Station Marina, Bishop Fishing Supply, Sinkerman’s Wholesale Sinkers & Lures, Charlie’s Auto Repair, Dock 2 Sea, Cinco De Mayo, Coastal Services, Auto Haus, Norm’s Taxidermy, The Pizza Shop, Amory Funeral Home, Beachcomber Restaurant, Yorktown Pub, Bay Propeller, Aero Colours Auto Body & Paint, The Fisherman Magazine, Dr. K. E. Neill, Relentless Charters, York River Feed & Fishing Supply, ASI Security, Grass Roots of Virginia LLC, Wayne Harbin Builders, Sea Tow Lower Chesapeake, Zero’s Subs, Williams Facility Services, Casey Cycle City, Sheeran Sothebys International Reality, Drucker & Falk Real Estate, Tidwater Properties, Grafton Fishing Supply, Wallace’s Bait and Tackle, Back River Outfitters, Paige II Charters, Wilcox Bait & Tackle, Boat US, Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association, Mountain Breeze Taxidermy, J Henry Holland Corporation, American Chemical Concepts, Parker Piano Outlet, Coca Cola Enterprises, Cactus Restaurant, McPherson’s Garage, Tidewater Family Dentistry, Pembroke Stone Mart, Parks Orthodontics, Costa Sunglasses, K D Price Contracting, Atlantic Landscapes & Irrigation, Lila Nicolls Inc, TPMG Internal Medicine, Troy Marine, Southern Plumbing & Heating Supply, Bill’s Seafood House, True Value Hardware, Green Top Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops, West Marine, Trident Marine Electronics, Oyster Cove Boatworks & Yacht Brokerage, Sage Custom Contracting Inc, Pop’s Drive In, Castaway’s, Greg’s Bait Shack, Mercury Mulch Inc.

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2009 Flounder Bowl

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Flounder Bowl 2009

Sixty-two of Virginia’s top flounder fishing teams gathered together, on June 27, to compete in the Flounder Bowl to determine who would be the top team this year. Seas higher than predicted and strong current made flounder fishing difficult but these anglers still managed to catch fish.

There were two divisions in this tournament. Sponsored boats entered with a $200 entry fee. They competed in the regular division as well as for a sponsors division trophy.

The regular division entry fee was $100 per boat with an optional Big-Fish Calcutta. First prize was $3,000 provided by the sponsors entry fees. The rest of the cash awards were to be based on a percentage of entry fees in the regular division. Thirty-four boats entered the regular division but due to overwhelming sponsor support, prize payout was based on fifty boats.

The Flounder Bowl is conducted by the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association (www.pswsfa.com) and hosted by Dare Marina and Yacht Sales (www.daremarina.com). Participants were treated to free food and beer (and non-alcoholic beverages) both at the Captains Meeting on Friday the 26th and at the Weigh-in Party on Saturday the 27th. Friday night’s event was a pizza party. Saturday was a fish-fry. The fish were caught and prepared by members of the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association and fresh scallops were donated by Seaford Scallop Company. Sponsors donated multiple free door prizes which everyone had a chance to win. A large flounder mount, donated by Mountain Breeze Taxidermy, was raffled off.

The top teams were determined by the combined weight of the heaviest three fish. Teams also could enter a Big-Fish Calcutta where the single heaviest fish won a 100% payout. There were also awards for the heaviest fish caught by a Youth and the heaviest fish caught by a lady.

The Reelentless team, captained by Kenny Jarvis, won most of the honors in this year’s event. Their 16.16 pound stringer was heavy enough to win the Flounder Bowl trophy. Their single heaviest fish was a 7.04 pound doormat caught by Richie Allen. This won the Big Fish Calcutta and also earned Richie his first ever citation. Kathy Jarvis weighed in a 5.09 pound flounder which earned her Top Lady honors. Total winnings for the Reelentless were $6,800 plus merchandise.

Above Average, captained by Rudy Levasseur, took second place honors. Their 14.49 pound stringer weight earned them $1,500.

Third place was the Paige II, captained by Craig Paige and sponsored by Paige II Charters. They weighed in 14.14 pounds. They took home a check for $1,000 and Paige II Charters won the Sponsors Division trophy.

Fourth Place was won by the Miss B Haven team, captained by Allen Williams. Also a member of this team was Capt. Jorj Head. Jorj was the organizer of the Flounder Bowl. The Miss B Haven was sponsored by Druker & Falk Commercial Real Estate. They weighed in 14.04 pounds and won $500.

Fifth Place was won by the Special Kate, captained by Charles Southall and sponsored by Southern Plumbing. They weighed in 11.10 pounds and took home $250.

Choo Choo, captained by Jerry Maxey, won sixth place with 10.98 pounds, earning them $250.

The Top Youth award was won by 15-year-old Jack Galing fishing aboard the Summertime, captained by Wayne Summerfield. Jack’s 3.38 pound fish beat out Hunter Southall by .01 pound. That .01 pound was good enough for Jack to take home $100 plus merchandise.

All of the teams not placing in the top six were entered into a Lucky Dog drawing for a $500 prize. This year’s Lucky Dog was the Shari Gail, captained by Norm French.

Most of the fish caught in this tournament came from three locations. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Back River Reef, and the Cell were the flounder hot spots. Live baiting and wire-line trolling were most productive techniques.

Total cash payout for the tournament was $10,900. This event was made possible by the tremendous support of many local businesses.

Tagged Tautog

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin

This was the largest of 8 tagged tautog we caught this past weekend. It turns out that I had tagged this fish April 2008. It was 17 inches then. It had grown to 25 inches, 11 pounds 8 ounces. The fish was on the same wreck.

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Tautog and a lost Rockfish

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin

We ran back out after tautog yesterday. It was cold and the a bit rough. The fishing seemed slower than our last few trips but at the end of the day, we had caught 29 tautog.

We caught 8 tautog with tags in them, multiple different series of tags. 7 of the fish were released with their tags. We killed one. It was 25 inches long and weighed in at 11 pounds 8 ounces. Tag number: 133411. That was our largest fish of the day. It was caught on blue crab. We caught three tog large enough to qualify for citations.

Wes Blow caught a 25-inch tautog that weighed 10 pounds on the boat scale. To the chagrin of some of the more hungry crew, Wes decided to tag and release that fish. He said that he had already weighed in a larger tog this year and that he had eaten tautog for lunch four times this past week.

Wes had an unusual catch when he managed to catch a nice tautog and a sea bass at the same time, on a single-hook rig. Somehow, he managed to hook both fish in the mouth, with the same hook.

Hunter Southall caught a lost rockfish that thought it was a tautog. He caught it on a piece of clam. The fish was released along with the other by-catch of sea bass, dogfish and cunner. A hake was not as lucky and joined the tautog in the cooler.