The 49th Annual Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament filled Dauphin Island with trailers, boats and kids and their families. The event was a huge success for everyone involved from participants to volunteers to spectators who enjoyed seeing first hand what fun fishing can be for the kids.
Dauphin Island was also witness to some really spectacular fishing results. As predicted Dauphin Island weather and Alabama Gulf Coast conditions during the event were just about perfect for catching lots of fish, big ones too. Among the remarkable results, seven year old Ryan Kennedy reeled in a 42 pound grouper that looks like an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) junior world record. The current world record for in this class is 28 pounds. That's not a typo. Ryan's fish exceeded the world record by 50%.
Yesterday's 49th Annual Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament was the prelude to the 74th Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, which gets underway Friday, July 21, and runs through Sunday, July-23. If the kids' results are any indication, this year's tournament is sure to be exciting. That is, provided the kids left any fish for the adults.
You can find full results for Saturday's Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament at the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo web site.
Young anglers reel in big ones
DAUPHIN ISLAND -- If Saturday's Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament is any indication, it's going to be a big week at the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo site.
A potential International Game Fish Association (IGFA) junior world record was weighed in Saturday at the young anglers event by Ryan Kennedy, who is continuing the family tradition of catching big fish in tournaments.
Seven-year-old Ryan landed a 42.01-pound gag grouper that far outpaces the fish (28.0 pounds) currently listed as the junior record on the IGFA website.
Not only did the youngster catch a potential world record, he also took master angler honors. He was first in whiting, second in white trout and first in blue runner.
Obviously, the gag grouper got the most attention during the trip on the boat (Kwazar) of his uncle, Mark Kennedy. Ryan's cousin, Taylor Graham, was also fishing on the trip, taking first place in white trout.
"It was hard to reel him in," Ryan said. "I thought it was a big shark, but when he came up he had his mouth open and a big head.
"Taylor said, Holy smokes,' when it came up it was so big."
Mark said the right tackle makes the difference for the young anglers when they're fighting a big fish.
"We use the two-speed 50-wides (Penn International)," Mark said. "The two-speed is the key. If you put the thing in low gear, you can twirl it with your finger. Just leave it in the rod holder and let them reel. That's the secret. You don't have to worry about Ryan. If he sees that rod tip go down, he's all over it."
With the help of his parents, Mike and Wendy Kennedy, Ryan will have to submit the catch to the IGFA for certification. Read more