Tournament Insider: RedSnook Raises Money for Clean Water

Also: Guide friends take top honors in the Backcountry Fly Championship Series.

March 17, 2025 By Matt Badolato

REDSNOOK BUOYS CONSERVANCY

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida started in 1964 when concerned citizens took a stand against a proposed road cutting through Rookery Bay into Ten Thousand Islands. A grassroots political effort was born and the road was never built.

Fast forward 60 years to the Conservancy’s RedSnook Charity Tournament which brings Everglades anglers together to continue protecting our most valuable natural resource – water.

Chase Stokes, 17, of Copeland, was crowned the event’s champion for his snook and redfish catches. He released a brace of upper slot snook and reds while fishing with friends Captain Mike Merritt and John Johnson. The three were fishing from Merritt’s 22-foot Pathfinder.

“We were working the south end of Ten Thousand Islands,” said Stokes, who is being mentored by Merritt to start work as a fishing guide after graduating high school. “We worked around mangroves, casting swim baits and plugs.”

When targeting Everglades snook and reds, Stokes uses Rapala plugs and NLBN soft plastic jigs. He also looks for a couple key water features.

“If you can, fish any and every point with water flowing around it,” Stokes said. “Cast up against those mangroves, on either side of the point and eventually you’ll find some fish. It really helps if the tide is moving good.”

“He’s a fishing machine, he’ll make an awesome guide,” said Merritt, a long-time veteran Southwest Florida guide. “Living down here, there’s not much industry for the kids growing up here. It’s either running airboats, crabbing, or fishing.”

“Chase is a great caster,” added Johnson of Naples. “Watching him cast to those fish was pretty amazing.”

The largest snook of the tournament was caught by Jon Kukk of Naples, a board member at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Isak Poirier released the largest red of the tournament. The tournament raised $210,000 designated to fund research at the Conservancy and clean water advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida. Click to learn more.

Young angler holds up large snook fish caught in a tournament. — Chase Stokes, 17, of Copeland won the RedSnook while fishing with Capt. Mike Merritt and John Johnson.

BACKCOUNTRY SNOOK, REDS

Not many Keys tournaments allow guides to fish together. But when the rules allow it, you can bet captains Paul Ross and KC Spaulding will take advantage of it.

“It seems like the more we goof off, the better we do,” laughed Ross, a full-time Islamorada inshore charter captain. “It’s nice to have a day off from guiding clients to fish together. And it’s good to be in the clients’ shoes once in a while.”

The two friends took top honors in the Backcountry Fly Championship Series, a fly-only contest which challenges anglers to catch and release the most inches of snook and redfish. Their largest two reds and two snook taped out at 119 total inches.

“The bay has been doing really good, the water quality is looking great and there’s a lot of grass growing back where we’d lost some,” reported Ross. “We fished mostly potholes and channel edges. The hardest part is being patient in spots where you know there are bigger fish. It’s a lot of waiting for the right fish and just the right tide.”

Three men stand with wooden award plaques. — Backcountry Fly tournament director Paul Tejera presents trophies to winners, Captains Paul Ross (middle) and KC Spaulding (right).

With stingrays mudding on the flats, Ross and Spaulding—both second generation Keys guides—didn’t have much trouble locating their two largest redfish.

“There were four to five reds on the back of the rays,” Ross explained. “The challenge was trying to pluck the biggest one out of those small schools.”

Ross and Spaulding’s 30.75-inch redfish was the tournament’s largest. The largest snook, a 32-incher, was caught by Mark McGarrah who fished with Capt. Jayce Chamizo.

The two-event series hosts spring and fall tournaments. Spaulding was named the series grand champion called “King of the Backcountry” for his combined catches in both 2024 spring and fall events.

With a total of 107 inches, former champion Rob Preihs was runner-up while fishing with Captain Richard Black of Islamorada. Top Lady Angler went to Susan Smithwich who tallied 68 total inches while fishing with Captain Randy Stallings.