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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Warren Polhemus and Nathan Harbord, both of Cape Coral, Florida, weighed a two-fish limit that totaled 14.22 pounds to win the final regular-season event for the Florida West Division of the IFA Redfish Tour presented by Cabela’s on September 15 at Ruskin, Florida. The team won a fully rigged Ranger RB190 boat prize package powered by a 90-horsepower, four-stroke Mercury outboard.
With good fishing conditions and clear water, the team opted to stay close to the launch, fishing the Little Cockroach Bay area. The anglers experienced the most success throwing paddletails.
“We had good water and the fish were chewing early,” said Polhemus. “It was a little windy in the afternoon, but we were just trying to keep our fish alive. We caught just a few fish, but they were the right ones.”
The anglers weighed a 6.58-pound redfish and 7.64-pound kicker red, which was the heaviest of the tournament, netting the anglers the $500 Berkley Gulp! Big Fish award for an overall total of $28,500 in winnings.
Ryan Rickard, of Brandon, Florida, and Dustin Tillett, of Lakeland, Florida, weighed a 6.66-pound and a 6.83-pound redfish to win the $2,501 second-place prize along with $2,000 in Anglers Advantage cash.
Third-place finishers Josh Corr, of Ft. Myers, Florida, and Travis Yaekel, of Ruskin, Florida, weighed a total of 12.86 pounds to win a total of $2,564. The anglers also stayed close to the launch and sight-fished soft plastics.
“Conditions were good in the morning,” said Corr. “We followed our pre-fishing pattern and caught two good fish.”
The next stop for the IFA Redfish Tour is set for Jacksonville, Florida, on September 29. Teams that compete in at least two regular-season events will be qualified for the 2018 IFA Redfish Tour Championship.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Hobie Fishing, Ranger Boats, Cabela's, Mercury Marine, Berkley Gulp!, Berkley Gulp! Alive!, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, ATLAS, G-Juice, Navionics, Garmin and Powertex Group.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, visit www.ifatours.com.
IFA Redfish Tour – Florida West Division
Ruskin, Fla. (Top 10)
Warren Polhemus/Nathan Harbord – 14.22 .lbs
Ryan Rickard/Dustin Tillett – 13.49 .lbs
Travis Yaekel/Josh Corr – 12.86 .lbs
Rusty Jewett/Tim Jacobson – 12.15 .lbs
Kris Howell/Brett Norris – 11.90 .lbs
Darren Frost/Marvin Engle – 11.25 .lbs
Edwin Vividor/Richard Reinhardt – 10.10 .lbs
Michael Rogal/ Patrick Marsonek/ – 9.88 .lbs
Terry Westcott/Mike Davis – 9.43 .lbs
Jason Tari/Rick Mankie – 8.27 .lbs