Bramblet Wins with Ocean Waves

Bramblet Wins with Ocean Waves

Being able to see through the water while sight fishing the Kayak Fishing ClassicS Tournament Series, is a ‘Must Have’. Just ask Bob Bramblet about that and he’ll tell you all about it. Bramblet won the Tarpon Fever Classic in Sarasota last weekend and he attributes much of his success to Ocean Waves Sunglasses. Bob won a pair of Ocean Waves in a previous Classic and could not believe the deference that they make.


The anglers launched their kayaks at 5:30 AM on June 4th and headed into the sunlight as it rose over Sarasota Bay. Bramblet put on his OW’s and noticed that he could see fish even in the low light conditions and the glare of the morning sun. “Very Impressive” “Fantastic” “Unbelievable” were a few of the descriptive expressions that he spoke.

Bob had a huge day in front of him with a great deal on the line. Bob has steadily moved up in the 2011 Series Standings and was looking to continue that trend. To do so he had to catch a redfish, a trout and a tarpon, the Silver King, all from a kayak and all on artificial baits. That is a lot of fishing under pressure and Bob had been looking forward to it.

Around 9:30 AM my phone rang while I was setting up for the awards, hosted by The Old Salty Dog restaurant in Sarasota on City Island. What a great place for a Classic I was thinking as I answered my phone. Bob told me that he was finished fishing. He had caught all three fish, photographed and released them and was ready to breakfast. He showed up a little later and we filmed an interview with him while we had some time.

Bob told me how fantastic he could see through the water with the Ocean Waves and that he had never seen anything like it. He attributed his early success to being able to see the fish through the early low light conditions and then the glare that a sunrise puts on the water. Bob picked his fish, cast to them and the rest was history. We didn’t know it at the time, but Bramblet did very well in this Classic.

Weigh in was at 1:00 PM and Bramblet was first as others lined up to begin the process. By 1:30 PM I knew the results and was very impressed. Bob Bramblet wishes came to light by his own hand and efforts along with having the right tools to do the job.

The Awards Ceremony began by announcing the fifth place winner and worked slowly toward the number one position. Somewhere between the third and fourth place announcements Bramblet began to wonder if he had placed. The second place winner was announced and hopes were dashing. Then the First Place Overall announcement began and Bob Bramblet’s name rang out. His excitement was contagious.

The awards were made and he never stopped smiling, and for good reason. This victory has now moved Bob into First Place in the 2011 Series Standings of the Kayak Fishing ClassicS. There has been a lead change six times this year, one each tournament, and Bob is going to work hard to hang on to this much sought after position on the leader board. Congratulations Bob from Tropic Bay & Ocean Waves.

Lusk 'Bringing It' in a Diablo

William Lusk, a young angler on the Kayak Fishing ClassicS Tournament Series trail, is ‘Bringing It’ as they say, to some very experienced tournament anglers. It’s not by luck either, as the competitor has been doing his home work around the clock. Lusk has made a total commitment to becoming a top contestant among some of the very best that the Gulf Coast area has to offer. He saw early on the huge advantages that a Diablo Paddlesports Kayak affords and purchased one.


The Diablo allows William to stand up and sight fish from his kayak and also allows him to get into places that some kayaks can’t go. He used these features last weekend in the ClassicS, Tarpon Fever Classic which was hosted by The Old Salty Dog Restaurant in Sarasota, Florida. The area is fantastic for tarpon fishing which was one of the species on the score board for the event. The anglers were issued a DNA Kit provided by the FWC Marine Research Institute, so they could gather samples of tarpon DNA which provides a fingerprint of the fish for research.

The young hungry lion launched his Diablo at 5:30 AM in pursuit of redfish, trout and of course tarpon. He scored his trout early and moved on to redfish. Light was just breaking and he was hoping to spot tailing reds or tarpon coming into the pass for breakfast. William got his red later in the morning, photographed it and released the fish as all fish are in the series. Now it was time to locate the big challenge, the Silver King.

Lusk has been learning a great deal about inshore fishing by following the ClassicS Series and competing at a high level. He also has been spending his off the water time reading and studying the various species the series fishes for. He has raised his knowledge base considerably and it is showing on the leader board in the Series Standings. He has steadily been advancing toward the top after every tournament and a win in the Tarpon Fever Classic would help him considerably.

William had never fished for tarpon before and he knew that there was a lot too it. He hunted and hunted trying to locate them. The conditions were perfect and he was in the right spot. He could be seen from the Old Salty Dog by the national tournament director of the ClassicS, Captain Pat Horrigan who commented that he was on a tarpon. Capt. Pat could see the tarpon and Lusk was in the perfect position for a connection but it just didn’t happen.

“Tarpon can be funny that way” said Capt. Pat, “you can cast to them, and they will take a look and reject your offering. I think he would have had success had he thrown some feathers to her.”

As it turned out William Lusk had a great day in his Diablo. He finished the Classic in Second Place which propelled him to Sixth Place in the Series Standings and earned him a kayak full of sponsor gear. Included in the gear were a new TFO Fly Rod and a Redington Delta Fly Reel which he greatly needed.

We will be keeping an eye on the angler and we are sure to see more good things from this young gentleman at the Green Key Classic on July 9. Congratulations William on your great win.