Jax Open Championship
NEDERLAND, TEXAS. (June 2024) –
Jacksonville was a great event and here are the catch and pay stats.
63 anglers competed in 2 separate divisions (boats/kayaks).
62 fish were weighed alive, 0 dead fish.
23 boaters weighed 234.57 pounds of live fish for a 5.59 lb per fish.
22 kayakers weighed 92.00 pounds of live fish for a 4.60 lb per fish.
$30,300.00 total cash paybacks.
$ 1,200.00 total trophy / awards cost.
Regrettably the tour was forced to execute 2 disqualifications for rules or procedural violations. The first resulted from an angler missing day 2’s official boat check and launch. In a text message sent to the host, Pat Malone the angler appeared to be letting the tour know he would not be fishing due to a blow out. There was no request for a late boat check and launch and no additional contact from the angler pertaining to competing on day 2 was received.
Over the years the tour has had boats go through check in and launch as late as 9:30-10:00 AM after making arrangements once their delay was imminent. 3 tour officials were working at the stage/launch area till after 8:30 AM with no request or contact from the angler. The tour sees no advantage to the late angler and causes no harm to the field. A late boat check and launch would have absolutely been allowed if requested.
The second disqualification is in accordance with section 5, rule 3 of the Solo Tour rules that govern each event. Anglers, regardless of the reason cannot miss mandatory meetings. A clear request to leave the weigh in area to seek a repair was not made nor would it have been approved. Ask forgiveness instead of permission? Who knows. However, a request could have been made at the end of day 2’s weigh in when the top 5 moving on to fish day 3 became known and an expedited meeting would have been in executed. This would have allowed all anglers making day 3 additional time to make repairs or updates to their equipment and/or gear. In the opinion of the tour and unlike the infraction from angler 1, approving a request for 1 of the 5 anglers to miss the mandatory meeting to have equipment repairs made would have created an advantage for a single angler in the field. What could I do?
- Ask the tour to announce and help secure from its field of anglers a loaner / replacement trolling motor.
- After the meeting the local angler could borrow or purchase a trolling motor from any angler or store in the area.
- The angler could secure another TM or work on his/hers after the meeting.
- The angler could make drifts without a trolling motor on day 3.
Some possible resolutions to a breakdown are not fun, Steve Ivey made the decision he would put another boat (a much larger bay boat) in play for day 3 rather than miss the meeting to work on his day 1+2 shallow water boat when it began to run rough on day 2. There are a lot of options but each choice for remedy is made by the angler and a fun light hearted comment by the host during the on stage interview when the top 5 had not yet been settled, “yeah you better get it fixed because cameramen don’t paddle” is in no way official permission to leave the weigh in and skip the meeting for anyone in the top 5 after 2 days. Getting it fixed could mean working on it in the parking lot, borrowing one and installing it or any other remedy the angler could execute and stay within the rules of the tournament. Their is always a mandatory meeting immediately following day 2’s weigh in and to date there is a 100% perfect attendance record from those making it to day 3. Until this weekend.
Note: Mark Robinson from Victoria Texas notified the tour at approximately 5PM on Wednesday that he was stuck on a mudflat and could not get his boat off, “I may not make the captain’s meeting and I know what that means, I just wanted to let you know I’m ok.” Lucky for Mark the water came up enough for him to get his boat unstuck and made it. Had he missed the mandatory captain’s meeting, for any reason, he would have been D.Q.’d from competing on day 1.
The tour does not enjoy administering penalties for infractions and is aware of the negative publicity those caught committing the violation may attempt to bring to the tour with public criticism, accusations and their reasons that their infraction was their only choice and is easily understood and special allowances deserved. While we respect the right of everyone to speak they do so from their own, single point of view and interest and it is our duty to consider the impact their infraction had on the entire field of competitors and the perception(s) that could initiate.
