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Cronk, Taylor win final Atlantic Division IFA Redfish Tour crown
LIZELLA, Ga. (September 29, 2009) - Jeffrey Cronk and Mike Taylor, both of Swansboro, NC, weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 12.83 pounds to win the 2009 IFA Redfish Tour event at Morehead City, NC, on September 26. To win the one-day event, which launched from Town Creek Marina, Cronk and Taylor bested a field of other two-angler teams en route to claiming the final regular-season event in the Atlantic Division.
The pair, fishing for their second year in IFA Redfish Tour competition, reported catching 25 fish during the tournament using a 4-inch Berkley Pogy rigged on a 2-ounce jig head. The weight of the jig head, the teammates said, was critical for casting far enough to reach the fish as the two battled rough water conditions for most of the day. In addition to the win, Cronk and Lamb also took home the $2,000 Ranger Cup prize for winning the tournament as a Ranger Cup-qualified team. "Anyone who caught a fish today was a very good fisherman with the weather," Cronk said. "We were in five- and six-foot breakers almost all day and had about 2,000 gallons of water flow through our livewell. Thanks to Mike controlling the boat, I was able to stay on the bow of the Ranger and catch enough fish to win." With the win, the pair won a 2009 Ranger Banshee Extreme valued at more than $30,000. The boat is powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and is equipped with a Bob's four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work and Loadmaster trailer. The second-place team of Mike and Ray Lamb, a father-and-son team from Atlantic Beach, NC, brought the tournament's largest redfish to the scales on Saturday (7.04 pounds) as part of their 11.80-pound total weight. Their kicker fish brought the team the Rapala Big Fish Award for the tournament, giving the pair $1,500 in cash and prizes. "We prefished for about two weeks and where we live isn't too far from here," Mike Lamb said. "We caught about a dozen or so fish on the day and there weren't too many surprises. We fished this water quite a bit and know it pretty well." The third-place team of Chris Floyd and Dave Hopper, both of Charleston, SC, weighed in a two-fish limit that tipped the scales at 11.74 pounds, using a spinnerbait to find the three fish they boated during Saturday's inclement conditions. Though the team finished out of the Top 3, a fifth-place finish was enough to deliver the IFA Redfish Cup Team of the Year Award to Rennie Clark Jr. and Drew Arndt. With a final weight of 11.47 pounds on Saturday, the pair won the award by four points, qualifying them to compete for the Cabela's Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award at November's IFA Redfish Tour Championship in Orange Beach, Ala. Only one regular-season event remains in the 2009 IFA Redfish Tour regular season. On October 17 in Orange Beach, Ala., the Gulf Coast Division Team of the Year title will be awarded, filling the final spot in the Cabela's Overall Division Team of the Year field for November's championship event. The IFA Redfish Tour continues to draw redfish anglers from Texas to the Carolinas and beyond, offering two-angler teams the opportunity to compete in six different divisions, each offering a three-event regular season. With low entry fees for the one-day, regular-season tournaments allow anglers to fish close to home and minimize expenses, while still being a part of a premier inshore, catch-and-release redfish tournament organization. Teams fishing any three of the IFA's 18 regular-season events are automatically qualified for a no-entry-fee championship event, pitting qualifiers from each of the six divisions for a combined $77,000 in payouts and prize packages, as well as a shot at the coveted Cabela's Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award for the six regular-season division winners. Added this year as an incentive for the very active anglers capitalizing on the opportunities to fish close to home for big money and valuable prizes, teams fishing at least six tournaments in any combination of divisions are automatically eligible to compete for the IFA Redfish Tour "Ultra 6" award. The award consists of a $5,000 cash prize, presented to the highest-finishing eligible team at the IFA Redfish Tour championship tournament. This year, in addition to $47,000 in payouts per event (based on a 100-boat field), the first-place prize package for all 18 IFA Redfish Tour regular-season events has been increased. In 2009, every regular-season tournament winner is guaranteed - regardless of field size - a fully loaded 2009 Ranger Banshee Extreme. The boat is powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and is equipped with a Bob's four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work and Loadmaster trailer. The entire first-place prize package is valued at $30,000. For more information on the IFA Redfish Tour, to become a member of the IFA or to become a part of the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to redfishtour.com. IFA Redfish Tour events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of the fishing industry's most respected brands: Ranger Boats, Hobie Fishing, Cabela's, Yamaha Outboards, Rapala, Trigger X, Sufix, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, Wrap This, CW Crab, Charter Lakes Marine Insurance, Solar Bat, Gemini Custom Apparel, Navionics, Bob's Machine Shop, Blue Point Fabrication, Terminator, VMC Hooks, Loadmaster Trailers, Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Port Aransas Chamber or Commerce, Beaufort Inn and Town Creek Marina. IFA Atlantic Division Morehead City, NC (Top 10) 1. Cronk/Taylor - 12.83 lbs. 2. Lamb/Lamb - 11.80 lbs. 3. Floyd/Hopper - 11.74 lbs. 4. Mace/Nuzzo - 11.55 lbs. 5. Clark Jr./Arndt - 11.47 lbs. 6. Jackson/Causey - 11.43 lbs. 7. Kellum/Barbee - 11.28 lbs. 8. Hall/Jones - 11.20 lbs. 9. Peterson/Gainey - 10.84 lbs. 10. Powell/Nelson - 10.75 lbs. Ranger Cup Award ($1,000): Cronk/Taylor Rapala Big Fish ($1,500): Lamb/Lamb - 7.04 lbs IFA Redfish Tour Atlantic Division - 2009 Final Point Standings 1. Clark Jr./Arndt - Atlantic Division Team of the Year 2. Moore/Allen 3. Koraly/Knight |
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