The anglers enjoyed the freedom of the fish where you like format on day one. Anglers from all over came to take their shot at over $8,000.00 in sponsor gear and cash prizes. On Sunday, day two the anglers had to fish Tampa Bay which is known for very large redfish at this time of year. Knowles chalked up a nice 28.25 " redfish and caught a good night sleep. Day two would soon be on the horizon.
Sunday morning came early and Knowles was back on the water in Tampa Bay looking for big reds. A number of contestants including Knowles found huge schools of redfish containing some monsters of 35" to 40" plus fish. Mark couldn't get the huge ladies to feed but another nice one rang the bell weighing in at a respectable 29.6" and healthy enough to give him a Florida Slay Ride.
Weigh in was hosted by the fabulous Whiskey Joes Bar & Grill situated right on Tampa Bay with a view to make you want to go fishing. Whiskey Joes, located on Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa, is one of Florida's nicest eateries with fantastic food and service to go along with the view and the music. The weigh in began at 2 PM and the victory was up for grabs by several top anglers. Several entered bigger fish but no two combined could beat the ever smiling Mark Knowles.
The anticipation was thick enough to cut with a knife. Everyone could since that it was close. Everyone wanted to win. The Kayak Fishing ClassicS conducts 10 regular series tournaments where the anglers accumulate points per event. The points add up and then equate to Bonus Series Points that count only toward winning the Freedom Hawk Kayak which is the Grand Prize. The rest of the sponsor gear and cash prizes are unaffected by the bonus series points.
With the weigh in complete, the Awards Ceremony began with sponsor representative Pat Needham form Deep South Fishing Rods. Pat spoke to the anglers about his companies new rods for the Kayak Fishing ClassicS in 2011. You could feel the thickness of tension in the air as Capt. Pat Horrigan began announcing the winners starting with the fifth place winner and working upward.
When it came to announce the winner of the National Championship Classic, Mark Knowles almost fell out of his chair. Mark was awarded a boat load of kayak fishing gear and his cash prize presented by Yuenling Beer.
Next it came time to award the Freedom Hawk Kayak and Knowles was surprised again. The top runners in the series year had more points than Knowles but only turned in one fish or small fish for the two days of fishing. Marks' fish and bonus series points were enough to beat some stiff competition.
Mark was really happy to win the Freedom Hawk Kayak and is rigging it with a trolling motor so his father can now kayak fish with him. The $500.00 from Yuenling will go a long way for Christmas. And what of the fishing gear that Mark won from the Kayak Fishing ClassicS generous sponsors? Lets take a look.
Mark won a 14' Freedom Hawk Kayak, a TFO Fly Rod, Sunglasses form Ocean Waves,a Deep South Fishing Rods conventional rod, High Roller Custom Lures, a camouflage fishing shirt, pants, hat and bandanna from Aqua Design, RiverBum Saltwater Flies, a Jim Teeny Fly Line, an IceMule Cooler, a very cool kayak storage system by Talic, a slick PDF pack from PRECISIONPAK, a Guides Series Waterproof Box by Plano, Eye care form Linsey EyeCare, Chart Art by Steve Whitlock Game Fish Art, an interview with Slot Limit Radio, interviews with Kayak Angler Magazine and Kayak Fishing Magazine.Sounds like a Dream Christmas for any kayak angler. The Kayak Fishing ClassicS has awarded over
$70,000.00 in sponsor gear and cash prizes in the 2010 Series Year making it the Richest Kayak Tournament in America. The new 2011 Series Year starts in January. See you there!
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