First-place finishers Chuck McKinney (left) and Tony Gagliano (right) hold up their winning fish at the IFA Redfish Tour event at Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 10.
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NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Tony Gagliano, of Portland, Texas, and Chuck McKinney, of Corpus Christi, Texas, weighed a two-fish limit that totaled 16.05 pounds to win the final regular-season event for the Florida West Division of the IFA Redfish Tour presented by Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s on August 10, at Corpus Christi, Texas. The team won a fully rigged Ranger RB190 boat prize package powered by a 90-horsepower, four-stroke Mercury outboard.
Being able to adjust on the fly is the hallmark of a winning team. Gagliano and McKinney ran into an unusual wind for this time of year and had to adjust and be patient while fishing the marsh.
“The fish were leaving the marsh because of the heat and we couldn’t get to where we could reach them as soon as we expected,” said Gagliano. “We just went to where they were going to be and waited them out. We stuck to our plan and got it done.”
The duo boated their limit on a Berkley Gulp! Ripple Mullet. Their 8.62-pound redfish was the heaviest of the tournament and earned the $500 Berkley Big Redfish award along with $250 in credit to the Berkley website. In total, the team took home $30,560 in winnings.
Second-place finishers Charlie Barton and Cody Barton, both of Port Lavaca, Texas, weighed 15.50 pounds to take home $3,085 in winnings. The team ran five miles to fish the bay by sight-casting Berkley Gulp! and spoons.
Longtime mainstays on the IFA Redfish Tour, Dwayne Eschete, of Alvin, Texas and Kevin Akin, of Corpus Christi, Texas, weighed 14.77 pounds to take third place and $2,098 in winnings. The anglers sight-fished with Berkley Gulp! in Laguna Madre for their limit. With tough fishing conditions, the team felt they could have done better.
“We feel like we left the good ones out there,” Akin said.
The next stop for the IFA Redfish Tour is set for Steinhatchee, Florida, on August 24. Teams that compete in at least two regular-season events will be qualified for the 2019 IFA Redfish Tour Championship.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Hobie Fishing, Ranger Boats, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Mercury Marine, Garmin, Berkley Gulp!, Berkley Gulp! Alive!, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Navionics, Power-Pole, Valley Fashions, T-H Marine, ATLAS, G-Juice, and Powertex Group.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, visit www.ifatours.com.
IFA Redfish Tour – Texas Division
Corpus Christi, Texas (Top 10)
Tony Gagliano/Chuck McKinney – 16.05 .lbs
Charlie Barton/Cody Barton – 15.50 .lbs
Dwayne Eschete/Kevin Akin – 14.77 .lbs
Kyle Burges/Andrew Andel – 14.64 .lbs
Mason Lincoln/Melissa Lincoln – 14.55 .lbs
Joseph Human/Thomas Human – 14.41 .lbs
Benjamin Human/Julian Perera – 14.28 .lbs
Russell O’riley/Corey Survant – 14.04 .lbs
Paul Braly/John Bremser – 13.96 .lbs
Adam Hinojosa/Mark Blackmar – 13.86 .lbs
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Blue Heron Communications
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