May 06, 2013
By Tommy Thompson
Stephanie Truman, daughter of Dr. Tom Truman of Tallahassee, fished with her Dad and brother, Tommy, at their 3rd Young Boats Tournament. Stephanie usually comes back with a nice cobia, but this year she stepped up with a nice snook, caught near the power plant north of Crystal River. The Trumans own a Young 24.
The advantage of purchasing a custom boat is that it's built exactly to your personal specifications. And there was no more proof to that statement than at the 2013 Young Boats Owners' Tournament, held May 4 at Crystal River. There, at the Plantation Inn, owners of 27 unique Young Boats gathered for a day of fishing and fellowship.
Anglers departed the Plantation Inn and local launching ramps at 7AM. Many headed out the river and ran south to the St. Martins Keys in search of reds and seatrout. Others fished the markers and channels near the spoil banks for cobia and a few fished the shallow backwaters south of Yankeetown and the Barge Canal. Cobia proved elusive, even for veteran cobia angler Stephanie Truman, but plenty of big reds and nice seatrout showed up at the 3PM weigh-in. Two large fish, Truman's 10-pound snook and Capt. Tommy Thompson's 25-pound black drum, were ineligible for prizes but fun nevertheless.
An Awards Banquet, emceed by Florida Sportsman's own Capt. Rick Ryals, followed the day's fishing. Prizes at the Young Boats tournaments are always over-the-top, with many provided by Young's vendors. This year, prizes included rods and reels, coolers by Frigid-Rigid and Yeti, Calusa cast nets, a Minn Kota iPilot trolling motor, a Minn Kota Talon, merchandise and gift certificates from Power Pole, a Lowrance depth finder and a Garmin GPS unit—just to name a few. As significant was the fact that the proceeds from the tournament were donated to The Shepherd's Inn Ministry, a juvenile justice ministry that provides weekly Bible study to incarcerated youthful offenders, as well as on-site church services.
Here's a list of this year's winners:
Redfish
1st: Frank Crandon, 6 lb., 13 oz.
2nd: Kelly Kofmehl, 6 lb., 9 oz.
3rd: Billy Nast, 5 lb., 4 oz.
Seatrout
1st: Troy Launay, 4 lb., 8 oz.
2nd: Jamie Kearley, 2 lb., 15 oz.
3rd: Chris Duerkson, 2 lb., 12 oz.
Spanish Mackerel
1st: Jeff Jacobs, 2 lb .
2nd: Troy Launay, 1 lb., 12 oz.
3rd: Danny Hoffmeier, 1 lb., 8 oz.
Children's Category (catfish)
1st: Ryan Hoffmeier, 1 lb., 7 oz.
2nd: Curtis Launay, 12 oz.
3rd: Isabella, 11 oz.
Young Boats are built in 4 basic designs at their Inglis, FL shop. There's the offshore Young 24, the Young 20, the Young 20 Bay and the new Young GulfShore 20. And with power options from Evinrude, Yamaha or Mercury, the potential of a “perfect” boat begins. Add to that custom towers, poling platforms, special built-ins and electronics, custom trailers, and almost any accessory imaginable, the possibilities are endless.
*Click on photos below for enlarged view.
[gallery link="file"]
