2011 Schedule

  FRIDAY, SEP 23
      Registration 8am-1pm
      Lunch 11am-1pm
      Capt. Meeting - 1pm
      Fishing Starts - 2pm

  SATURDAY, SEP 24
      Festival Opens - 5pm
      Live Music - 5pm-7pm
      Weigh In - 7pm-10pm
      Awards - 10:30pm

Species

      Blue Marlin
      Swordfish
      Tuna
      Wahoo
      Dolphin

Optional Entries

  Each Species
      $250
      $500
      $1,000

Swordfish gather attention at PCB Sportfish Classic September 24, 2011 11:00:34 PM BRAD MILNER / News Herald Writer PANAMA CITY BEACH — Fishing tournaments are a lot like proms. When a prom king candidate believes he has the prettiest date in school, another saunters in with a more beautiful one minutes later. Mark Revell opened the weigh-in scale at 7 p.m. in the Panama City Beach Sportfish Classic with the stunning date in the form of an impressive swordfish. Martin Flowers, who was more recently in high school, garnered all the attention with the prom queen in tow at 7:20 p.m. Thirty-four boats entered the second annual event. The number was down from 44 a year ago, but the aim this year was to create a different atmosphere at Lighthouse Marina, which offered quainter surroundings than at Bay Point Marina while still allowing for growth in the future. Flowers, a University of Alabama sophomore, reeled in a 225-pound swordfish that bested Revell’s by 105 pounds. On the day his school polished off Arkansas on the football field, Flowers and the crew of Reel Comfort spent time on the water in search of a fish worthy of the top prize. Flowers said it took 45 minutes to bring the aboard the fish, which had a swelled belly when it was placed on the scale. The fish tried its best to escape with a last push under water, but Flowers was the victor. “It went under for about five minutes, then we got it in,” Flowers said. “We hooked it at 10 p.m. (Friday night) and knew it was good.” Flowers said he expected to get a small share of the monies to help him buy groceries when he returned to Tuscaloosa, Ala. He also admitted he didn’t mind missing Alabama’s 38-14 thrashing of Arkansas. “I’m all right,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of football games. You don’t have many chances to get good fish like that.” Revell’s battle took twice as long, as his haul did its best to wriggle free from capture. The battle was worth it and his prom queen runner-up earned more winnings than Flowers’ fish. Reel Comfort didn’t enter any optional categories and took in the top prize of $15,500. The figure was inflated from $7,500 due to no blue marlin being caught and the $40,000 tournament winnings being dispersed among the other four categories. The third-place swordfish earnings were split between Flowers and Revell.

Revell’s swordfish was worth more than $19,000 after factoring in tournament and optional winnings. “That was one of the toughest fish I’ve ever caught,” Revell said. “They are strong fish, quick fish and they make you work.” Revell wrangled the swordfish at 2 a.m. Saturday. He hooked it near midnight and was able to catch a whopping two hours of sleep before the crew went trolling for blue marlin at 5 a.m. He was aware of Flowers’ catch, but wasn’t disappointed. Many of the early catches were modest tuna, wahoo and dolphin, good dates but nothing to brag to friends about, with the occasional decent catch. The leaderboard changed dramatically as the hours wore on, however. Jake Quave’s 89.2-pound tuna placed first in the last hour of weigh-ins. It easily surpassed Woody Woods’ 61.8-pound offering. The dolphin category remained miniscule throughout the night. Joey Sostheim’s 23.6-pounder finished atop the standings. Second- and third-place dolphin just topped 18 pounds each. Read more...

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