FRENETTE WINS SOLO 2

After qualifying to get to Championship Saturday we guarantee these 5 top pros never expected what was coming, or actually what wasn’t coming.

Each qualifying pro has fished in cold, wet and windy weather, they have each had stubborn fish with lock jaw refuse everything they threw at them and more… but one thing they have never been a part of was what happened over the next 7 plus hours of Championship Saturday at the 2^nd tour stop of the 2023 season.

With a cameraman on every boat filming for Elite Fishing Series TV and verifying each pro’s fish at days end for being alive or dead (a 3/4 of a pound penalty is deducted from an anglers total weigh for each dead fish on the frogg toggs Elite Solo Tour) prior to loading up their rigs and joining the police escort for the 1 hour drive back to the remote weigh in location, Olde Towne Slidell.

After a full day of fishing in the cold and wet conditions the effects of a double cold front were manifest when not a single pro in the Championship round had landed a score-able fish. On the frogg toggs Elite Solo tour participants fish a 2 day qualifier with the top 5 after 2 days making it through to Championship Saturday which is an entirely separate tournament. Previous weights are zero’d, launch, fishing and weigh in locations can change from the 2 day qualifier and more, one thing was obviously missing…  In order to crown a Champion on Championship Saturday someone has to win, someone has to land a score-able fish! 

At the conclusion of regulation (a 7 hour fishing period) anglers were required to be back at the dock by 1:30 PM to load up their rigs, verify their catch and join the police escort to the weigh in location.

You often hear from other sports, “refs or technicalities shouldn’t determine the outcome of the game it should be won on the field”, we agree and that is exactly what happened on Championship Saturday in overtime. Tour officials didn’t make up a call to anoint or appoint a winner based on technicalities or what some would see as the “norms” in redfishing. There was still plenty of daylight and with the weigh in pushed back to 7:00 PM the pros were sent back out on the same waters for a 3 hour overtime period. The first for the Elite Fishing Series and to our knowledge the first in the history of the sport.

During the overtime period fish were caught, a champion would be crowned in front of a very loud and appreciative crowd that showed their appreciation for the pros efforts. “Thank you Pat and thank you anglers for not giving up and for putting on a great show, it took a lot and you guys showed a lot. We hope you’ll come back.” Mayor Cromer told the crowd as the weigh in got underway after dark.

Congratulations Redfish Lodge of Louisiana pro Michael Frenette on your first Elite Solo Tour win and to all of the pros qualifying for and competing on Championship Saturday you did more, fought more and competed more than anyone could have known when you launched your boats in the gray, pre-dawn light of Saturday morning on your quest to be crowned an Elite Fishing Series Champion…