Treasure Island, Florida -  Dante Fabbro, Kyle Martin, and Mike Tomaino fished the Due West, a Yamaha powered Cape Horn, in 155 feet of water north west of Johns Pass.

“It was rough but we knew this was the place to go,” said team captain Dante Fabbro.  “We had fished this area last week and found fish.’ Fabbro went on to explain, “ She hit at nine o’clock enticed by a big blue runner on the surface.”

Mike Tomaino was the guy who made the team hero’s this weekend easing the 41.53 to the waiting gaff, not to mention putting some jingle in their pockets.
The Due West team was one of the early teams back at Gator’s dock. “It took us five hours to get back in fighting those east winds. Seas were four to seven feet, and we couldn’t move faster than 15 knots,” Fabbro elaborated. They had the salt on their dark t-top canvas to prove it. But serious tournament anglers do what they think is necessary to win an event.

When asked if this was their first victory, Fabbro told me that he had won the BudLight tournament in Pensacola back in ’04. Winning one in their back yard certainly will be memorable.

This team has certainly paid their dues in our sport and deserve this win.

One name synonymous with leader boards in Division Six is the G-Force. Jason Gell and Scott Lavieri earned second place this weekend with a nice 37.26.

“We fished the shipping channel but we almost didn’t fish this weekend,” said Gell. “I’m in law school at Stetson and didn’t get here in time to pre-fish or catch bait because of exams. If it wasn’t for J-Bird hooking us up with some good baits we would have stayed on the hill.”

Scott hooked the fish at one o’clock after she ate a ladyfish on the surface and fought the king for over an hour. “She was foul hooked on the side and just kept circling the boat. Finally I got her just doing circles off the bow and eventually to the surface.

Bimini Twist, a Suzuki powered Cigarette, picked up third with a 36.54.

Matt Tarrance’s Idle Time earned fourth. “We have one goal this year and that’s to win the Division title,” said Matt. “Jack Penny won the Division in ’06, we won it in ’07, and he finished at the top again in ’08. We’ve got something to prove!”

At the TOC this year his team, Eric Sidor, Jeff Houser, Ed Gunn, and Doug Paul, went south to Venice but didn’t find any fish so kept going south to Boca Grand.

“We paid attention to the wind and water temperatures,” Matt added. “It was about noon our 35.91 hit a blue runner on the surface in sixty feet of water. Doug did the honors and kept us in the hunt for the title.”

Idle Time is a Mercury powered Fountain and now have a two fish aggregate of 68.78 and second place in the Division.

“We went one tower too many,” said Jack Penny at the awards ceremony. “We had her, she would have gone at least fifty pounds but we needed another forty five minutes to make it to the scale.” The Penny is still in contentention but must scale fish in the final two events. They are already qualified from Division 11.

Rounding out the top five was Travis Maxwell and Casey Bryde on the Constant Chaos.

Delosa’s Marshall Law had a good weekend earning sixth after scaling a 29.47. Jim Breazeale, Kevin Grissinger, and Don Wiwi already have a 41.07 in the point’s race from Sarasota so this 29 has to be looking pretty good right now. Their two fish Division leading aggregate totals 70.54.

Poon Daddy scaled a 28.38, the eighth biggest king out of seventy-four teams fishing this weekend. Steve McCracken, Mike Milisits, and Benny Calzon fished the Egmont Channel and hooked up around one o’clock. “Benny, who had a blue runner at the end of his line, made short order of the fight,” explained McCracken. “It was a team effort and we’re real happy considering fishing was not the best and a lot of teams ran south.”

The team fishes an Evinrude powered Hydra Sports. They qualified last year after earning eleventh in the Class. This is a great start!

Team Booth Construction fishing a Yamaha powered Cape Horn, earned second place in the Class with a nice 25.89. Matt Boothe and John Celestian fished thirty miles west of Johns Pass at a spot John described, “a favorite area they’ve been fishing for a year.”

“We finished third last year in this same tournament so I guess we’re improving,” Matt said. “John caught her at ten thirty using a blue runner.”

Rounding out the top three money spots in the Class of 23 was Jeffri Durrance’s Top Down. Fishing their Mercury powered Triton walk around, with Todd Parrish, Jim Long, Ryan Parrish, and Joe Bazenas, they scaled a 24.14. After scaling a 29 second place 29.02 in the season opener in Sarasota’s this team finds itself leading the Division in the Class.

The top lady angler of the tournament was Karen Bixler on the Sea Dog who caught a 25.31.

Seventh place in the overall event fell to David Heavenridge on the Yamaha powered Spectre, Courtside Grill / Top Gun. They scaled a 28.88 giving Josh and Cameron Heavenridge the top junior angler honors. They were our Junior Division winners in Division 6 last year and are well on their way to repeating. They are third in the Division with a two fish aggregate of 57.24.

Eighth place went to Robert McRanie’s C.R.A.P. Happens with a 26.78 and Todd Guarnieri’s Fish Bonz with a 26.62 earned ninth.

Rounding out the top ten was Steve Hays and Perry Warner on the Surreel.

The weather at check out heralded strong winds out of the east that allowed for calm seas all along the beaches but the further out you traveled the rougher it got. By one o’clock however winds died and proved to be a beautiful afternoon.

The Tournament of Champions event was produced by the Southern Kingfish staff.

Next and final spring event of Division Six takes place May 8th and 9th at Gator’s on the Pass. The final event of the Division does not take place till October 23rd and 24th. For SKA members, the top twenty-five open class boats and twenty Class of 23 boats will qualify for the Nineteenth National Championship in Biloxi, Mississippi.  The winners of both the Open Class and Class of 23 gets entry fees and rooms compliments of the SKA and Mercury Marine.



TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
FINAL STANDINGS
1.    DUE WEST
      Cape Horn / Yamaha
       Dante Fabbro
       Kyle Martin
       Mike Tomaino    41.53
2.    G-FORCE
       Contender / Yamaha
       Jason Gell
       Scott Lavieri    37.26
3.    BIMINI TWIST
       Cigarette / Suzuki
       Grant Johnston
       Dane Karcher
       Mike Grasso    36.54
4.    IDLE TIME
       Fountain / Mercury
       Matt Tarrance
       Eric Sidor
       Jeff Houser
       Ed Gunn
       Doug Paul    35.91
5.    CONSTANT CHAOS
       Contender / Yamaha
       Travis Maxwell
       Casey Bryde    29.79
6.    DELOSA'S / MARSHALL LAW
       Yellowfin / Mercury
       Jim Breazeale
       Kevin Grissinger
       Don Wiwi    29.47
7.    COURTSIDE GRILL / TOP GUN
       Spectre / Yanmar
       David Heavenridge
       Warren Williams
       Ron Kien
       Cameron Heavenridge
       Josh Heavenridge
       Morgan Kien    28.88
8.    C.R.A.P. HAPPENS
       Hydra Sports / Yamaha
       Robert McRanie
       Cody McRanie
       Tommy Ziesman
       Bill Chancey    26.78
9.    FISH BONZ
       Yellowfin / Evinrude
       Todd Guarnieri
       Ed Hodgson
       Mike Bjurmask
       Blak Guarnieri    26.62
10.    SURREEL
       Fountain / Mercury
       Steve Hays
       Perry Warner    28.55


CLASS OF 23
1.    POON DADDY
       Hydra Sports / Evinrude
       Steve McCracken
       Mike Milisits
       Benny Calzon    28.38
2.    TEAM BOOTHE CONSTRUCTION
       Cape Horn / Yamaha
       Matt Boothe
       John Celestian    25.89
3.    TOP DOWN
       Triton / Mercury
       Jeffri Durrance
       Todd Parrish
       Jim Long
       Ryan Parrish
       Joe Bazenas    24.14


TOP JUNIOR ANGLER

SPONSORED BY N.B.O.A. MARINE INSURANCE
1.    Josh & Cameron Heavenridge
       COURTSIDE GRILL / TOP GUN    28.88
2.    Landon Howes
       TEAM MARLAGO    23.22
3.    Zac Howes
       REEL KNOTTY    13.14


TOP LADY ANGLER
1.    Karen Bixler
       SEA DOG    25.31