Hatten & Macik Win FLW Redfish Championship in Orange Beach

Orange Beach, AL- October 20, 2007 – Bennie Hatten, of Deer Park, Texas, and Randy Macik, of Bay City, Texas, caught six redfish weighing 35 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP in Orange Beach, Ala. The top prize of $100,000 included a $25,000 Ranger bonus and a $25,000 Yamaha bonus.

“We squeaked into this thing by a whisker,” said Hatten, who qualified for the championship in the next-to-last place in the Western Division. “We were just glad to be here. And then to come in here and win it is just unbelievable.”

Hatten said the team caught six fish Thursday and eight fish on the second day of competition by fishing off of the Mississippi Sound. The team made the 75-mile one-way run to their spot on the second day of competition in hopes of repeating their first day’s performance of two redfish that weighed 12 pounds, 6 ounces.

On the final day of competition, the team returned to the Mississippi Sound, where they caught their limit in 45 minutes Thursday and an hour and a half Friday.

“We got to the pond we had been fishing in, and the wind was blowing on the shoreline we had been fishing,” Hatten said. “We hadn’t been able to catch anything on the shoreline if the wind was blowing on it. We didn’t catch a fish for the first two hours. We got the jitters bad.”

Hatten and Macik were fishing a white Rapala Skitter Walk, and they jerked the bait away from the first two fish that struck. The team took a minute to compose themselves, resumed fishing, and eventually boated six redfish during the day. They caught every fish during the tournament except for one on the Skitter Walk. Their last fish of the tournament came on a silver Heddon Spook.

Rounding out the top five teams are Brett Phillips and Mike Patterson, both of Rockport, Texas (six redfish, 33 pounds, 13 ounces, $15,120); Kris Walter, of Hudson, Fla., and Danny Winters, of Tampa, Fla. (six redfish, 33 pounds, 1 ounce, $5,760); Steve White, of Petal, Miss., and Barnie White, of Brewton, Ala. (six redfish, 30 pounds, 8 ounces, $9,360); Gary McKenzie, of Bartow, Fla., and Sam Bertha Jr., of Bunnell, Fla. (four redfish, 22 pounds, 1 ounce, $7,200).

Teams caught eight redfish Saturday weighing 39 pounds, 3 ounces.

The $300,000 Wal-Mart Redfish Series Championship presented by BP — the final event in the most lucrative redfish tournament trail in the world — is a three-day event. A field of 85 teams competed Thursday and Friday, and the top five teams, based on heaviest combined weight, advanced to Saturday’s final round. The winning team was determined Saturday based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.

The FLW Redfish Series consists of two divisions — Eastern and Western. Each division is comprised of four qualifying events with a $200,000 purse for each event. The top 100 teams — 50 from each division after four qualifying events — qualified for the three-day, no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP.

Coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing Dec. 23. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to approximately 350 million households in Europe, Africa and Asia, making it the most widely distributed weekly fishing program in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

Hatten-Macik take pole position at Orange Beach

By Rob Newell - 19.Oct.2007

Orange Beach, AL – After a tortuous day one, the weather gods took pity on the 100 redfish teams competing in the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship on day two: the rain finally quit, the winds laid and the dark clouds began to clear away.

In essence, the window opened for long runs and the Texas team of Bennie Hatten and Randy Macik took advantage of it by running their Ranger bay boat full throttle across Mobile Bay and into Mississippi Sound to a secluded backwater pond that is apparently teeming with redfish.

Click here to read the rest of the FLW Redfish Tournament article from FLW Outdoors.

NOAA Swordfish/Billfish Online Reporting

September 28, 2007-- NOAA Fisheries announces the availability of internet reporting for recreational non-tournament landings of swordfish and billfish.

To simplify mandatory reporting, NOAA Fisheries is implementing a web-based portal where anglers can report landings of non-tournament Atlantic swordfish and billfish (Atlantic blue and white marlin and sailfish). The reporting of recreational landings plays an important role in effectively monitoring catch and effort directed toward Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) and complying with international obligations.

Effective October 17, 2007, owners of HMS permitted vessels, or their designee, should report recreational non-tournament swordfish and billfish landings using a newly designed web-based reporting system at http:/www.hmspermits.gov to log-in and report a swordfish or billfish landing, vessel owners will need to provide: HMS Angling or Charter/Headboat category permit number; trip information (e.g. trip dates); and, catch and fishing gear/technique specifics.

After a landings report has been successfully completed, vessel owners will be provided with a confirmation number for each individual fish reported landed. There is an option to print the confirmation numbers or have them sent electronically to a personal email account. A swordfish or billfish landing report is not considered complete unless the vessel owner, or the owner's designee, has received a confirmation number.

The new web-based reporting system will be the primary reporting portal for recreational non-tournament swordfish and billfish landings; however, NOAA Fisheries will maintain and monitor the current toll-free reporting line to assist those vessel owners who do not have access to the internet.

As a reminder, owners of private vessels used to fish recreationally for Atlantic HMS, or on which Atlantic HMS are retained or possessed, are required to have an Atlantic HMS Angling category permit. Owners of for-hire vessels used to take anglers fishing for a fee are required to have the HMS Charter/Headboat category permit. For more information on the HMS Angling or Charter/Headboat category permit, log on to http://www.hmspermits.gov call the HMS Management Division's St. Petersburg office at (727) 824-5399. NOAA Fisheries also encourages all who fish for HMS to use circle hooks to help minimize injuries to, and mortality of, released fish.

NOAA Fisheries' HMS Management Division appreciates the cooperation of vessel owners in complying with these non-tournament recreational reporting requirements.

More Trophy Swordfish to come from the Gulf of Mexico is an article written and published by The Orange Beach Community Website that explains why it is important to report your swordfish and billfish catch.