Florida anglers are undoubtedly gearing up for the 8th Annual Fillet and Release Fishing Tournament. The venerable, charity event is expected to kick off in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in mid September 2012. The fishing tournament offers anglers a chance to vie for a large prize purse and raise funds for a worthy cause. Here are a few more details:
Fishing Tournament Basics
The Annual Fillet and Release Fishing Tournament is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 15, 2012, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. It is a one-day, inshore fishing tournament that is designed to benefit the non-profit organization, Hope Hospice. Hope Hospice operates in several counties throughout Florida including Lee and Hendry.
During the light tackle, inshore fishing tournament, participating anglers will be fishing for Spotted Seatrout and Redfish. Prizes will be awarded based on a designated weight system. There will be an additional prize awarded to the angler that catches the Redfish with the most spots. Prize amounts will vary based on the number of boat entries received and the category.
The anglers are expected to launch their fishing boats on the bay side of Middle Spoil Island. Weigh-in is scheduled to take place from 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. at the Matanzas Inn located on Crescent Street. An awards dinner is expected to take place at the same location.
Angling teams interested in participating in the charity fishing tournament will need to pre-register, remit a $250 entry fee and attend a pre-tournament meeting. The $250 entry fee does not include admittance into the Calcutta. Entry into the Calcutta is an addition $50 per team. An entry form and additional tournament details are available on the event's website.
Fishing Forecast
Historically speaking, daytime air temperatures around Fort Myers Beach tend to be in the 90 degree Fahrenheit range during the month of September. Sea surface temperatures tend to be in the 80 degree Fahrenheit range. That weather model is predicted to continue in September 2012.
Low tide is forecasted to occur around the Fort Myers Beach area at 10:09 a.m. on Saturday, September 15, 2012 and high tide is slated to take place at 4:11 p.m. A new moon is also predicted to take place on Sunday, September 16, 2012.
For anglers that are interested, nautical charts for the Fort Myers Beach area are available through the NOAA Office of Coast Survey's website. Bathymetric maps, on the other hand, are available through the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center's website.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys fishing with her family. She has also traveled extensively.
More from this contributor:
Bass Fishing Weekend Tournament Results Recap for August 12, 2012
Bassmaster Elite Series' Ramada Championship Starts August 23, 2012
Best 5 Spots for Catching Catfish Along Florida's St. Johns River
