WATCH CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY LIVE HERE – THE FISHING WIRE PRESS RELEASE ON WIN HERE
White steals the show in BSL
Brewton Alabama pro Barnie White pointed his Blazer Bay west and for 2 days put it to the toughest test possible making the run from Bay St. Louis across big open waters on his way to the westside of the Biloxi Marsh in and the eastside of Louisiana. White’s, and the other pro’s focus this week would be on landing the heaviest 3 redfish per day, 2 that would have to measure 18″-27″ and 1 kicker redfish that could measure up to 30″ in length. Day 1 White boated 3 fish for a total weight of 27.35 pounds anchored by a hefty 11.15 pounder for his kicker redfish on day 1. “I didn’t get a lot of bites but the ones I got were all good ones so I decided to. I notify the tour that I was heading back early, taking my time to make sure I did not beat my fish up in the livewell” White told the great audience gathered at the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel on Saturday afternoon.
IMAGE CAPTURED BY TAMMY TUMEY.
As pro after pro hit the stage and weighed their catch it was obvious, on day 1, White was on a different set of fish and about the time it appeared he would take a 5+ pound lead into day 2, it was time for the final angler of day 1 to hit the stage. Michael Frenette the final angler to weigh on day 1 placed his fish on the scales “3 fish, 3 alive for 26.49 pounds just 86/100 of a pound behind the leader” Malone announced to the audience. Frenette then put his kicker redfish on the scales it locked in at a whopping 10.68 pounds just 47/100 of a pound and the dog fight was on. The entire field knew anyone who weighed in a limit close to 20 pounds was still in the race due to the oversized kicker redfish allowed by law and the tour.
Day 2 launched under one of the most beautiful sunrises ever to grace the tour in the early morning hours and along with it, dead calm waters, both of which was a welcome sign to the competitors. Some anglers found better fish on day 2 and made big moves like Tony Viator who zero’d on day 1 due mainly to technical/equipment issues but weighed in the 2nd heaviest limit of live redfish on day 2 with 24.33 pounds. Others realized the struggle was real like Michael Frenette who found just 16.68 pounds of fish on day 2 and newcomer Texas pro Nick Capparelli who busted up his lower unit on day 1 but weighed in 18 plus pounds and was chomping at the bit to get back on them for day 2. However, Nick could not get his lower unit repaired in time for the official launch and had to withdraw.
All in all it was another great event hosted by the Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel that found Blazer Bay pro, Barnie White making a clean sweep of the top 2 checks, a $10,000.00 first place payday and another $6,000.00 for the Brecknell Big Red Challenge which he won with his 11.15 pounder. Second place was caught by Gary Moreno, winner of tour stop 1 earlier in the season taking home 412 valuable Angler of the Year points and a check for $5,000.00. Third place went to Victoria Texas pro Mark Robinson who we thought were on the winning fish early on but never caught the big kicker redfish he was finding in practice. Mark took home a check for $2,500.00 and 411 points. Congratulations Barnie White Elite Solo Tour and Silver Slipper Show Champion and to all of the competitors that were put to the test and passed with flying colors this week in Mississippi.
We look forward to doing it all again when the Solo Tour moves to Texas for the final 2 tour stops of the season.
Frenette Joins Tour Broadcast
FRENETTE MAKES DEBUT WITH SHOW HOST PAT MALONE ON STAGE AT SILVER SLIPPER CASINO.
Long time professional angler, guide and outdoor advocate Mike Frenette joins the tour to co-host portions of the live event and broadcast episodes. Mike’s experience and love for the sport of redfishing has kept him at the forefront of issues related to and affected by all things pertaining to the sport including habitat and conservation. Mike his sons Michael and Stephen along with wife Lori have operated the Redfish Lodge of Louisiana for over 25 years and hosted some of the biggest names in fishing. Names like Bill Dance, Roland Martin, Shaw Grigsby and others can be found at the “lodge” just about any time their schedules allow. The Elite Redfish tournament and television series is excited to have Mike, his experience and expertise on board and look forward to him and his insights helping take our show and the sport to the next level.
ALL RESULTS – DAY 1 – DAY 2 – FINALS – BRECKNELL BIG RED – POINTS AFTER 2 ALL EVENT IMAGES: CLICK HERE
Gallery Selects –
Up next, the final Team Tour event of 2022, the Frogg Toggs finale’ June 10-11 at Rigolets Marina in Slidell on the Louisiana Northshore. Registration is now open.