20th Annual Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship Brings Epic Conditions and a Record Crowd
Category: article
Oct 2nd, 2019 by Keith Worrall
Modified Oct 2nd, 2019 at 5:03 PM
20th Annual Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship Brings Epic Conditions and a Record Crowd
ISLAMORADA, FL; October 1, 2019 –Small craft advisories flew and Florida Bay was frosted with whitecaps as a record 143 anglers gathered in the Florida Keys this past weekend to participate in the 2019 Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship. As one of the most fun, unique and challenging tournaments, this two-day, “catch and release” event summons anglers, guides, fishing celebrities and members of the community of all skill levels to fish for seven species confined to the intriguing beauty of Everglades National Park, while remembering the man affectionately known as “Mr. Everglades.”
“The tournament has come a long way since Dr. Wruble started it two decades ago,” said Flip Pallot, angling legend and longtime tournament attendee. “Herman truly loved Everglade National Park and spent most of his life unlocking the impenetrable wilderness of the Everglades, blazing the trail that is the foundation of backcountry fishing today. And today, in his name, the Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation has played a huge role in saving the Everglades and Florida Bay, and this tournament is what started it all.”
2019 Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Championship, Captain Jared Raskob. Guided by Captain Pauly Ross with co angler KC Spaulding.
Captain Jared Raskob won the 2019 Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship with a total of 186.750 points catching all seven required saltwater species – bonefish, redfish, snook, snapper, tarpon, sea trout, black drum or bass. No stranger to Florida Keys backcountry fishing, Raskob also reeled in the largest sea trout of the tournament, measuring 21.0 inches.
For the second straight year, the top 3 finishing anglers caught all seven species of fish with second place angler Rob Preihs scoring 166.750 points and third place angler Mitchell Gaither scoring 139.500 points.
As the largest backcountry fishing contest in the Florida Keys, the unique competition attracted 143 anglers and 79 teams. Headquartered at the Islander Resort for the 6thstraight year, the contest produced a grand champion, six top anglers, team champions and six division champions. All proceeds from the tournament benefit the water initiative groups whose efforts are restoring the flow of clean freshwater to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, a designated World Heritage Site.
Other first place winners included:
· Top Male/Guided – Rob Preihs, Islamorada, FL; 7 species with 166.750 points
· Top Male/Unguided – Marcelo Sierra, Miami, FL; 5 species with 137.500 points
· Top Female/Guided – Christy Marks, Cocoa, FL; 3 species with 49.000 points
· Top Female/Unguided – Charley Ross, Miami, FL; 4 species with 65.500 points
· Top Junior/Guided – Blaise Walczak, Naples, FL; 5 species with 123.625 points
· Top Junior/Unguided – Lucky Cipriani – Rockingham, NC; 2 species with 33.750 points
· Top Youth – Charley Ross, Miami, FL; 4 species with 65.500 points
· Top Team/Guided – Ross/Spaulding/Raskob, Islamorada, FL; 7 species with 199.500 points
· Top Team/Unguided – Navogator/Vina and Sierra, Miami, FL; 6 species with 157.625 points
· Top Guide – Pauly Ross, Islamorada, FL; 7 species with 186.750 points
· Top Hell’s Bay Guide – Dave Denkert, Islamorada, FL; 7 species with 166.750 points
· Top Hell’s Bay Angler/Guided – Rob Preihs, Islamorada, FL; 7 species with 166.750 points
· Top Hell’s Bay Angler/Unguided – Dave Preston, Jupiter, FL; 5 species with 123.375 points
Anglers releasing the largest species:
Tarpon – Gabriel Lazcano, Coral Gables, FL; 35.0 inches
Snook – Frankie Ortiz, Islamorada, FL; 36.0 inches
Redfish – Matthew Austin, Naples, FL; 33.5 inches
Bonefish – Mike Myatt, Fleming, FL; 24.5 inches
Sea trout – Jared Raskob, Islamorada, FL; 21.0 inches
Snapper – Tyler Greenan, Coconut Grove, FL; 19.0 inches
Black drum – Ed Baro, Fort Lauderdale, FL; 24.5 inches
Bass – David Vina, Miami, FL; 19.5 inches
Top Division Grand Champions (# species):
Fly Guided – Jason Duke, Fort Myers, FL; 4 species with 128.250 points
Fly Unguided – Michael Wolf, Savannah, GA; 1 species with 36.750 points
Artificial Guided – Armando Alejo, Tamarac, FL; 6 species with 151.250 points
Artificial Unguided – Marcelo Sierra, Miami, FL; 5 species with 137.500 points
General Guided – Mitchell Gaither, Mill River, NC; 6 species with 122.000 points
General Unguided – Charley Ross, Miami, FL; 4 species with 65.500 points
Tournament sponsors for the 2019 HLM Backcountry Fishing Championship include longtime presenting sponsor Hell’s Bay Boatworks, premier product sponsor Simms, platinum sponsors Raymarine, Markham & Stein, Islander Resort, Costa, and Yeti. For the full list of gold and silver sponsors, please visit the Herman Lucerne Memorial sponsorship page.
For more information about the 2019 Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship, visit www.hermanlucernememorial.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.
About The Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation:
The Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation was founded as a fishing tournament in 1999 by Dr. Lloyd Wruble, which has grown over the years to raise funds to benefit the angler community and angling experience in the Everglades and Florida Bay. It is additionally one of the 12 founding organizations of the Now or Neverglades coalition, which brings together a number of powerful organizations with related missions to raise awareness of the issues that threaten this delicate ecosystem. The Herman Lucerne Memorial Foundation is a 501©3 organization based in Islamorada, Florida.