|
Laguna Legends Trout Tournament
With over four dozen anglers competing for the $1,500 top prize money, Chris Vanderpool of South Padre Island cashed in on the $50 entry fee his fiancee paid for him as a birthday gift by landing a 27 1/16-inch, 6.41-pound speckled trout. Catching the largest trout netted Vanderpool $1,000. Since he was able to keep his fish alive and release it back into the Laguna Madre following the weigh-in, Vanderpool was awarded an additional $500.
Keeping the fish alive was a team effort, according to Vanderpool. Since he was not equipped with a aeration system, his fiancée continued to pour buckets of water into the cooler holding the trout until they made it to the weigh station.
With an additional $500 hanging in the balance for a live release on the winning fish, the vast majority of the anglers returning to the weigh station at Pirate’s Pier in Port Isabel made every effort to keep their fish alive. On the day, only three weighed fish were dead or died after being weighed.
Rounding out the top three finishers were Albert Ruiz of Brownsville with a 5.570-pound fish and Capt. Vere Wells of Port Isabel with a 4.355-pound trout. Ruiz and Wells earned rods and reels for their efforts.
Tournament Entry Fee: Entry fee for Laguna Legends is $50 per adult angler and $25 per child angler. Paid entrees received before April 1 will be entered in a drawing for a All-Star rod and Pflueger reel.
Boundaries: All fish must be caught in the Lower Laguna Madre between the Brazos Santiago Pass and the Land Cut north of Port Mansfield, including South Bay south of the Brownsville Ship Channel.
Fishing hours: Legal fishing time is between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Weigh In: The weigh in scale will be open beginning at 11 a.m. Tournament standings shall be determined by the accumulated weight measured in pounds and 1000ths of a pound of each angler's catch during the tournament. Only speckled trout will be weighed, the limit shall be one (1) fish per angler. The legal length for speckled trout shall be not less than 15-inches, in accordance with Texas Parks & Wildlife regulations. All fish must be checked in at the weigh site by 2 p.m.
Tournament Champion: The heaviest single speckled trout weighed in the adult division will be awarded the Grand Champion prize of $1,000. If that fish is alive and able to be released following weigh-in, the winning angler will receive an additional $500. The heaviest single speckled trout weighed in the junior division will be the Junior Division Champion. In the event of a tie, the earliest weigh in time will be the determining factor in making the decision. Any angler setting a new All-Tackle State Record for speckled trout (spotted seatrout) will be awarded a new boat/motor/trailer package. Catch-and-release and/or fly rod records will not be eligible for the prize boat. Any angler winning any amount of prize money or awards must be willing to submit to a polygraph test if asked.
Official Checkpoints and Official Clock: There will be only one official checkpoint for boat check-in in the afternoon. All fishing must cease upon check-in. Boats must check in by 3 p.m. at Pirate's Pier for the weigh in on April 19, 2008. The official clock will be displayed at the weigh in scale beginning at 11 a.m. on tournament day.
Sportsmanship: All contestants are required to practice courtesy, safety and follow Texas Parks & Wildlife regulations. Anyone displaying poor sportsmanship or violating game laws will be disqualified.
State (TPWD) Laws: All contestants are required to follow all applicable Texas Parks & Wildlife regulations and laws. Any violation of such rules will result in disqualification from the tournament.
Protests: All protests must be submitted in writing, along with a potentially refundable $100. The decision of the tournament director and tournament committee will be final. If the protest is upheld, the $100 deposit will be refunded. All decisions made by the tournament director and or tournament committee will be final in all matters. The tournament director and/or the tournament committee can make a change when the safety of a contestant is in question. Read the following rules prior to signing the entry form.
Liability: Participants in the Laguna Legends Fishing Tournament enter at their OWN RISK. Fish Across Texas, its volunteers, judges, officials, sponsors, and any and all persons directly or indirectly affiliated with the operation of the tournament are exempt from liability for loss, damage, negligence, harm and/or injury suffered by any participant, entrant, sport fisherman, his/her companions, which may occur during the tournament or in going to and from the tournament.
Eligible anglers: All anglers on a boat entered in the tournament must be registered. | 
