Showdown Crown winners, Off the Wall.

POMPANO BEACH, FL, August 11, 2008 --- 71 teams cleared the inlet on Saturday, August 10th in pursuit of victory in the championship leg of the Pompano Beach Saltwater Circuit, the 10th Annual Mercury/SeaVee Pompano Beach Saltwater Showdown. Many teams were aware that the fishing in the local waters outside Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach had been very productive all week leading up to the championship tournament. Several large wahoo, some blackfin tunas and numerous kings were caught in the area all week long. Despite that knowledge, many teams opted to make a run in search of better fish in other locations. However, it was the boats that stuck close to home that reaped the benefits of success in the 10th annual Showdown tournament.

After the 7am Bimini start the wake from the boats had not even settled by the time that Mike Selvanik and his Rush Rolloff fishing team had their first bite right outside Hillsboro Inlet and they knew it was a good fish. Thomas Sebastyen battled the fish for about an hour before they finally got a shot at the fish and sunk the gaff in what ended up being a 59.7 pound wahoo! The wahoo was caught on 20 pound test fishing a flat line pilchard with a 1/0 hook and #3 wire.

Big fish of the Saltwater Showdown, by Rush Rolloff

Sebastyen’s fish turned out to be the heaviest fish of the tournament and a new tournament record in the Saltwater Showdown. Unfortunately his team was not entered in the value added Bluewater Challenge or Big 3 categories, which would have earned them an additional $7,850. The fish did however earn them a $1,000 bonus in the Sunshine Sportswear Let It Ride Category for the heaviest fish weighed in all 3 tournaments in the PBSC series. 2nd Place team from the previous tournament, team Crescent Solutions, scored the heaviest fish of the added value categories, a 33.19 pound Wahoo. That fish rounded out their season winnings to over $16,000.

The most exciting showdown in the Saltwater Showdown tournament took place in the prestigious Miller Lite Showdown Crown category for the top overall team in the entire PBSC series.

Heading into the Showdown, three time champs Native Son led Bill Niemann’s Off the Wall team by less than 7 pounds. Native Son’s strategy took them north to the waters off Jupiter. Niemann’s team stayed close to home and pounded the waters off Hillsboro Inlet. Both John Tight and his son Buddy Tight landed four kings, one blackfin tuna and one wahoo to deliver Capt. Niemann his first victory in a PBSC tournament as well as the prestigious Miller Lite Showdown Crown. Buddy Tight also captured the elite title as the top junior angler for the entire series.

Art Sapp’s team finished with 4 kings at 70.75 pounds and his father Lamar Sapp was the Master Angler in the PBSC series with 180.4 points for the season. Off the Wall turned in 121.38 points in the Showdown and a stellar 341.24 points for the season to bring their total earnings to $30,975. The 2nd and 3rd place spots in the 2008 Showdown were occupied by Makin’ Time 113.42 points and Get Sum with 101.79 points. Brian Sanders on team Get Sum was also the top male angler of the tournament catching two kings and a tuna for a total of 63.41 points.

Captain John Land’s Shade Maker fishing team made an offshore investment in all three legs of the PBSC, targeting dolphin in the Bionic Bait Show Me the Mahi division. Their efforts did not go unrewarded. Land’s team secured 1st place in the Bionic Bait division with a final tally of 125.69 points of dolphin for the season and a $5,000 paycheck. Land’s Yanmar sponsored team also made history by becoming the first team to catch the heaviest dolphin in all three legs of the PBSC. In second place, earning $2,500 was the No Vacansea team with 63.59 points and Get Sum in third earning $1,500 with a 24.48 pound dolphin.

The grand finale of the Saltwater Showdown tournament took place on Sunday, August 10th around 4pm. The Pompano Beach Civic Center, host venue for the tournament series, was filled with people anxiously awaiting to see who would be the ultimate winner of the brand new Mercury powered 29’ SeaVee boat. In the end, it was Ashley Maloney of Lighthouse Point, FL who was the big winner for 2008. Ashley’s Shutter Up fishing team received a ticket for the boat drawing with their $325 entry into the Showdown championship tournament. $325 entry = $132,000 boat! Congratulations to Ashley. The results of the drawing and all finalists are available online at www.bluewatermovements.com

The next event in the lineup for the production team of the PBSC is the ABC/World Diamond Source Billfish Challenge on February 21, 2009.

2008 Saltwater Showdown Results

Top Teams:

1st Off the Wall 121.38 pts $7,500

2nd Makin Time 113.42 pts $3,250

3rd Get Sum 101.77 pts $2,000

4th Conched Out 95.29 pts $1,500

5th Shock Wave 86.55 pts $1,250

6th Spiced Rum 84.87 pts $1,000

7th Alli Cat 80.51 pts $900

8th Reel Circus 79.90 pts $800

9th Pop a Top 78.11 pts $700

10th Pumpkin Eater 77.03 pts $600

Top Anglers:

Male Brian Sanders/Get Sum 63.41 pts

Female Nancy Diaz/High Gear 37.31 pts

Junior Buddy Tight/Off the Wall 62.53 pts

PeeWee Anthony Moore/Ice Box 40.55 pts

Heaviest Fish:

Dolphin Ray Cabrera/Shade Maker 25.81 pts

Kingfish Francis Santos/Shock Wave 32.88 pts

Tuna Ashley D’ellena 28.55 pts

Cobia none caught

Wahoo Thomas Sebastyen 59.70 pts

Novice Division:

Top Team Long Hours 76.55 pts

Top Family:

Off the Wall 121.38 pts

Showdown Crown Standings:

Top Team Off the Wall 341.24 pts

2nd Place Native Son 297.24 pts

3rd Place Get Sum 265.4 pts

Let It Ride Standings:

Heaviest Fish Overall Rush Rolloff 59.7 lb Wahoo

2nd Heaviest Fish Chip’s Ahoy 51.4 lb Wahoo

3rd Heaviest Fish Kimbuktu 51.23 lb King

Show Me the Mahi:

1st Place Shade Maker 125.69 pts

2nd Place No Vacansea 63.59 pts

3rd Place Get Sum 24.48 pts

Top Season Winnings:

Off the Wall $30,975

Chip’s Ahoy $19,850

Native Son $19,610

Living Water $17,215

Crescent Solutions $16,330

Diversification $16,100

Total Season Payouts:

Over $204,120!!!!