Celebrate the Life & Passion of Captain Mel Berman

This is an amateur only, All-Lure “Trout and Redfish”, Catch-And-Release tournament.  This is the fourth annual event.   The event will continue to honor the departed colleague, media icon and friend who graced the airwaves for decades and became the “Granddaddy” of Tampa Bay fishing.   A portion of the tournament proceeds will go to The Humane Society of Pinellas, an animal service that Mel supported.   The event has five divisions:  Open, No-Motor, Fly, Ladies and Junior.

Mandatory Captain’s Meeting- Friday April 25: the Fat Cat Tavern at Tri Cities Plaza, Clearwater   16080 US Hwy 19 N Clearwater 33764.   Participants will receive instructions and be able to ask their questions about the event.    Competitors will check-in and pick up their Angler Bag.

Tournament date: Saturday April 26 with the “Post-fishing party, awards and raffle”- also at the Fat Cat Tavern.  Join in on this fun!  Great food, drinks and camaraderie with fishing folks!

Tournament Format:

Trout and redfish:  The “longest” in each species per division and a “combined inches” one redfish/one trout “Grand Prize” category.

Entry Fee: Open division, $40.00; No-Motor/Kayak; $40.00; Ladies, $30.00; Fly $40; “Junior” (14 yrs. and under) $25.00.  For all divisions, there is a “Bonus” $5 buy-in for Flounder.  The longest flounder in each division wins the total money pool for that division.

New for 2014: An “Overall” Buy-In Contest:    $10 is the fee to enter:  You have the chance to win “overall” best in Redfish, Trout and Combined Inches.    100% payout and prizes.

Check-in-Deadline on tournament day
Anglers must “check in” with their data card/camera by 2:30PM to qualify for a prize.   This rule is rigid: When the alarm sounds, if you are on site but not in line, you will not be in contention for any prizes.

There will be a raffle for great donations made by tournament sponsors.

Door Prizes, Cash & Trophy Presentations will be awarded once the judges have time to review all the photos and tabulate the results.

Visit the messageboard forums at www.capmel.com for event updates.  The web site is a great resource for Florida anglers.   For complete rules, prizes and sponsor information click on “Captain Mel Classic” on the capmel.com home page.

For any other questions you have, call 727-692-6345 or email Livelybaits@aol.com