Victory Board, from left: Julie Willis, Sally Stevenson, Courtney Bridges (seated), Martha Williams, Brooke Carter.
The American Cancer Society Victory Board will host its annual Reelin’ in a Cure fishing tournament and band party on April 18th at Morningstar Marina on St. Simons Island.
This year’s tournament will continue to feature the Golden Isles’ beloved tripletail or “Sea Island Grouper.” The water temperature is on the rise and tripletail are headed this way. Tripletail fishing has long played a significant role in sport fishing along our coast, and is often labeled one of the finest sports in all of salt-water fishing. This accolade is due in part to the uniqueness and mystery of the species. While we know tripletail make their annual trip to beaches off of Jekyll Island each April and May, no one has been able to exactly pinpoint why. Many believe they come here to spawn. They are also known for their unusual behavior of floating just beneath the surface of the water with one side exposed, resembling a wounded or dead fish or a piece of floating debris. This seemingly docile behavior is belied by a hardy fight once the fish is on the hook. Many anglers say, “once you’ve caught your first tripletail, you’re hooked.”
Although tripletail is the guest of honor for the tournament, anglers will have additional opportunities to earn points through a “tripletail plus” scoring system. Though rules will be discussed at length at the Captain’s Meeting on April 17; generally speaking, points will be awarded based on fish length with tripletail being scored at a higher point per inch than redfish and trout which will receive the same number of points. Prizes will be awarded for largest tripletail, highest aggregate number of points, and top junior and women anglers.
The cost to participate in Reelin’ in a Cure is $100 per angler. This includes the captain’s meeting, a T-shirt designed by Coastal Georgia Outfitters, participant prizes and tickets to the band party featuring live music by popular local artist Owen Plant. Band party tickets are $35 per person or $65 per couple. This includes food and drinks donated by Coastal Kitchen and Parker’s Convenience Stores. Prizes, including apparel and gear from Gamakatsu Hooks, Sports Fishing Magazine, Salt Water Sportsman, Fathom Offshore, Avid, Yeti, Pelagic, Yamaha, and Regulator Marine – just to name a few – will be raffled off throughout the band party. See the ACS Victory Board website for a complete list of sponsors and partners, information on how to become a sponsor or partner, and to purchase your tickets today. Catch one for the Cure!
