By Wendy Dewhurst
The Sarasota Herald Tribune
BRADENTON, Fla. — Not even a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico could hold back local fishermen from supporting the Fire Charity Fishing Tournament for the second year.
The tournament began with one firefighter’s mission to help children affected from fires rebuild their lives and regain self-confidence. Erik Nicholson, a firefighter for East Manatee Fire Rescue, decided to combine his passion for both firefighting and fishing and selected the Children’s Burn Foundation of Florida to benefit from the proceeds.
The weekend kicked off Friday with the captains’ meeting at Mattison’s Riverside restaurant on the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton. After a brief meeting and a chance to win a charter fishing trip with Andy and Jonathan Hillstrand of TV’s “The Deadliest Catch,” the inshore and offshore anglers took to the water to fish until Sunday afternoon.
Inshore anglers were in by noon; by 6 p.m., it was time for Glen Pla of Bright House Sports Network’s “Average Angler” show to present awards. Team Myels.com/Castaway Charters with Chris Cucci, Ryan Taylor, Capt. Ed Richardson, T.J. Stewart and Kyle Taylor won the $2,500 prize. Low Tide Hookers placed second and won $1,000 prize, and Team Joe Pedraza finished third for $500.
The weather brought most offshore anglers in early, but by the 3 p.m. weigh-in, it was clear that Team Sportsman with Rick Dittman, Louis Hendricks and Robert Miller and their 109-pound amberjack would take home the first-place prize of $2,500. Gulf Coast Choppers finished second and won a $1,000 prize. Quality Marine Construction Fishing Team, whose boat took a beating from the weather, placed third and won $500.
“We are so thankful to the community. It was another fantastic year,” Nicholson said while being interviewed by Virginia Johnson of Bright House Networks’ Tampa Bay on Demand. “Even with a tropical storm, the anglers still brought in so many amazing fish.”
After a day of food, music from 106.5 CTQ with Heidi Decker and live music by the Devil’s Highway band, guests and anglers had the opportunity to meet the Hillstrand brothers, captains of the Time Bandit on the Discovery Channel TV show.
While waiting in line for autographs and pictures, guests were entertained with a cooking demonstration by Neil Carter and Paul Mattison, who were serving appetizers prepared with Alaskan king crab caught by the Hillstrands.
For more information about the tournament and foundation, go to firecharityfishing.com.
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