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sponges … they absorb information very quickly and they remember things, so it’s important to get them involved with conservation very early” Bracken said. Beyond showcasing the great sport fishing our community is known for, this tournament is the greatest because the kids are helping other kids just through participating. Since the first tournament, the event has had very strong community support. Between 300 and 500 kids participated in the art show and fished in the tournament last year. There were 32 registered boats and 31 tarpon caught and released. The tournament is open to youth through age 15, with most anglers averaging age 11. Observers are placed on every boat to document the time of each hook-up and the time of each release. The tarpon are not removed from the water during the process. To date, the kids have caught and released 84 tarpon over the past six tournaments. The average time to catch and release a tarpon at tournaments in the past has been seven minutes, which is impressively fast considering some of the larger fish can weigh more than 150 pounds. A huge amount of credit goes to the quality of the fishing captains for helping release the tarpon so quickly. This teaches kids at a very young age how important sustainability is when it comes to tarpon fishing. The quicker the tarpon are caught and released, the healthier they’ll remain. More than $150,000 has been given to various charities over the past six years. Last year organizers gave away $34,000. “We think that’s pretty good for a one-day, three-hour kids’ fishing tournament and we’re extremely proud of For more information, visit bocagrandecharities.org 42 GASPARILLA ISLAND May/June 2017 everyone involved,” Klettke said. Planning the tournament is a year round process as volunteers review what worked best in the past and what enhancements or improvements could be made. “We try and improve the experience for everyone while maintaining the overall mission of kids helping kids,” Klettke said. “And since the registration fees are donated to charity we rely upon our sponsors and volunteers to run the event.” He added that organizers look for charities to support that impact Boca Grande and surrounding local communities. The goal this year is to give even more funds back to community organizations because there are additional sponsors aboard. More than $12,000 in prizes will be awarded in 2017. First place winners and captains will receive a Microsoft Surface Pro computer, second place winners and captains will receive an iPad mini pro and third place winners and captains will receive a 3-D camera by Ricoh. In addition, one lucky captain who helps a kid catch a tarpon will win the “Captain’s Grande” prize: $3,000 presented by Stump Pass Marina. Every captain that catches and releases a tarpon is entered into the drawing. For every tarpon caught, the captain will receive one entry. The more catches they get, the better odds they will have to win. The event will be covered by the Margaritaville music station on Sirius XM Radio and can be followed worldwide. G M


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