November 7 & 8, the Caloosa Grand Championship, will wrap up the series for 2008. We'll have more on the upcoming event as the date draws nearer. But check out the wrap-up of previous Caloosa Series events below.

Coming up in November...

The Tenth Annual Summer Slam presented by Maverick & Yamaha, the third leg of the Caloosa Tournament Series, will take place on September 12-14th from the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. The Caloosa Tournament Series, established in 1989, also includes the Caloosa Catch & Release, The Back Country Classic and the Caloosa Grand Championship; and is one of the oldest and the largest single site, public, backwater tournaments in Southwest Florida among one of the top series in America welcoming anglers of every skill level to compete for a total purse of $125,000.

Teams will compete for snook, redfish and snapper as well as a mystery fish all on a catch and release basis with up to $23,000 in cash & prizes paid to five places. Included in the purse is a special category for the 2 heaviest slot redfish in the “Hooters Catch the Big Ones Redfish Bonanza”. There will be official Summer Slam tournament gear including fishing shirts, hats, and a variety of specialty items provided to all anglers. Original, custom framed art trophies will be awarded to the top three teams. There is also a Youth and Lady’s Division.

All teams will be enjoy an open bar provided by The Edison at check-in, two great dinners, 2 open bars during the evening functions, breakfast before fishing, lunch from Lazy Flamingo and the Santiva General Store, Culligan water and complimentary Budweiser beers throughout the event. Anglers, guests and the general public may also bid on resort packages, guided fishing trips, jewelry, art, fishing gear and much more at the auction on Friday evening.

All anglers and guests can enjoy the myriad of amenities at The Pink Shell including exceptional service, first class accommodations, all with direct views of the Gulf of Mexico, the world class spa – Aquagene, the Octopool, Kidds Kampp for the little ones, and much, much, more.

All teams registering fish will be invited to the Caloosa Grand Championship to be held November 7-9th to compete for over $45,000 in cash and prizes including a 17’ Hewes Tailfisher powered by a Yamaha Four Stroke motor with a custom, Boatmaster Trailer. To register and for more information please call 239-671-9347 and visit the websites at www.caloosacatchandrelease.com and to book accommodations visit www.PinkShell.com.

Caloosa Catch and Release Results.

From Ron Riley, director, and the team of the Caloosa Catch and Release Tournament, held Saturday, June 13 at the Pink Shell Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach, here are the winners from the event.

Top winners were determined by the amount of total inches of fish caught; each team measured their two largest fish per species per day. Qualifying fish included snook, redfish and trout.

Following are the winning teams, anglers and inch-counts:

• First place went to Yankee Dooley and the Dandees, Billy Glass, Jennifer Glass, Shane Dooley, Sherry Hale, 328.5 inches.

• Second place: Maverick/Yamaha, Randall Marsh, Skip Lyshon, Mike Dixon, 317 inches.

• Third place: Wolcott Marine, Capt. Ozzie Fisher, Dan Wolcott, Mark Wolcott, 303.5 inches.

• Fourth place: Mullendore - Poe, Stacey Mullendore, Doug Poe, 302.25 inches.

• Fifth place: Budweiser I, Capt. Mark Sanders, Frank Brown, Randy Keim, 301 inches.

The Hooters Catch the Big Ones Redfish Bonanza counted the two largest redfish overall in this separate division.

• First place: Skeeter, Steve Matthews, Cary Ross, Mat Haag, 14 pounds, 2 ounces.

• Second: Sea Reelers, Troy Bruns, David Holzhauer, 13 pounds, 8 ounces.

• Third: Budweiser I, Capt. Mark Sanders, Frank Brown, Randy Keim, 13 pounds, 4 ounces; AND Mullendore - Poe, Stacey Mullendore, Doug Poe, also catching 13 pounds, 4 ounces of qualifying fish.

The Caloosa Catch & Release Tournament, held for the first time from the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa located on Ft. Myers Beach, Florida, and now in its 19th year, is one of the largest single-site public inshore fishing tournament in Florida, drawing teams from dozens of states participate in the event.

That Caloosa Catch & Release is the first leg in the Caloosa Tournament Series, which also includes the Back Country Classic, coming up this weekend, the Summer Slam and the Caloosa Grand Championship, with a total purse of more than $125,000.

More than 45 organizations have benefited from the $400,000 that has been raised by the tournament series, including the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South, the Imaginarium, Florida Sea Grant Program-Project Redstart, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of Southwest Florida, the Coastal Conservation Association, among others.

The primary recipient of funding from this event over the past eight years has been Florida Gulf Coast University where donations helped build the math and science building-Whitaker Hall, where The Caloosa Catch & Release name is listed in the atrium in the lobby and the marine and aquarium wing bears The Caloosa name. In addition, the tournament has provided athletic scholarships over the past seven years and is committed to that objective into the foreseeable future.

The Back Country Classic

The largest single-site tournament held in Naples, Florida the Caloosa Back Country Classic happens this weekend, July 25-26. Teams pursue redfish, snook, and trout in this two-day tournament that draws over 100 anglers and has provided funds to the Collier County Building Association High School Scholarship.

The Summer Slam Flats Tournament

Now in the tenth year, this two-day tournament consists of seventy-five teams and is held at the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Anglers compete for snook, redfish, and snapper. Net proceeds from this event are distributed to the Florida Gulf Coast University athletic scholarship program.

The Caloosa Grand Championship

The Caloosa Grand Championship is the final event in The Caloosa Tournament Series bringing qualifiers of all tournaments together from all over the country to compete for nearly $50,000 in cash and prize money and the opportunity to bear the coveted title-Caloosa Grand Champion. The champion team wins a Hewes 16’ Tailfisher powered by a Yamaha 60hp 4- stroke motor with a Boatmaster trailer.

Other Fishing Tournaments

Kayak Fishing Classic presented by Aegis Factors benefited the Southwest Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America. Anglers compete for snapper, snook, redfish, and trout. This two-day event consisted of one fishing day and two dinners at Margarita Grille and Lovers Key State Park. Mangrove Madness is a fundraiser tournament benefiting Hodges University. This IGFA/Rolex Inshore Qualifying Championship Tournament event included one day of fishingand two dinners, lunch, and open bar. Tournament species included snook, redfish, trout, and snapper.

Check out more about the tournaments at www.caloosacatchandrelease.com