a quarterly newsletter Oct/Nov 2000

Tournament from Hell-Unreal !!!!!!!
It's on, it's off, it's on again. These words were the mantra for the planners of the offshore tournament. Mother Nature refused to co-operate! After being weathered out three times in September, the tournament was finally held on October 21.
Eleven boats signed up and fought rough seas Friday night and Saturday. Participating boats were the Amazing, AquaDoc, Aquaholic, Bottom Line, Coral Reef, Diddy Gettum, Jus Jukin, Lori Lynn, No Problem, Royal T's, and Ty One On.
Taking top honors was the crew of the Lori Lynn. Angler Terry Lovelady caught a 43.6 pound wahoo to take the wahoo division. The fish was also the largest weighed in which made Terry the Tournament Champion. The Lori Lynn is owned and captained by Carl Carr of Atlanta.
Brad Smith fishing on the Bottom Line with captain Sam Smith took first place in the tuna division. Brad's fish weighed in at 28 pounds. David Hanle fishing on Roger Grace's Amazing brought in the winning dolphin at 36.8 pounds. No bill fish were caught.
No tournament would be a success without the efforts of its workers. Manning the scales were the intrepid Mac McPeak and Gordon Ranum. Snacks for the captains' meeting were provided by Ty and Kim Pennington and Ed and Gloria Fundis. Ed and Gloria also set up for the meeting and cleaned up afterwards. Don Brown and Russ Marion handled the Optional Cash Awards; Frank Kane handled registration, and Jason Marquardt sent out invitations. Thanks for all your good work.

Tournament, Silent Auction and Raffle Add up to Evening of Fun plus $$$$$ for Club Treasury
Strings of tickets were checked diligently for the wining numbers and last minute competitors vied for the final bid as the silent auction and raffle took center stage at September's cookout. Club members bid on goods ranging from rocket launchers to restaurant meals, all donated by businesses or club members. Club members also bought raffle tickets and were rewarded with prizes ranging from lures to Roffer reports. The event was lots of fun and brought much needed monies to the treasury. Total profit from the tournament, the auction, and the raffle was $4335.00.
Several club members worked extremely hard to make this event a success, and their efforts are much appreciated. Jerry Abrams oversaw the silent auction and Ben Williams conducted the raffle. Bill Wargo took care of the trophies. The following club members either donated items or obtained items from sponsors:

Jerry Abrams: Abrams Antiques, Blue Coral, Bellissimo's, Outcast Bait&Tackle, Canvas Specialties
Bruce Aplin: Serigraphia
Art Barnes: Coastal Prop
Don Brown: Jack's Marine
Dan Jarvis: Sports Country, Quick Strike
Jimmy Jones: Aquaholic, West Marine (all three locations), Harbor Walk, Shalimar Yacht Basin, Albertson's PowR Scrub, Blue Bay Outfitters, Half Hitch
Frank Kane: Top Dollar Pawn
Woody Kimsey: Walker Marine, Nystrom
Jason Marquardt: Parkway Vet
Ed Presson: Destin Development
Jim Roberson: Roffers, Billfish Foundation, Fishman
Sam Smith: Bottom Line, Denai Upholstery, Quality Reel Repair
Bill Wargo: Albertson's Liquor, Graphics in Glass, Trophy Shop
Ben Williams: USPA & IRA, The Boat
LA Woodall: Speedee Car Wash
These events could not have been held without the support of our sponsors. We thank them and urge that club members patronize these businesses.

A Special Thank You
The club would like to thank Sam Smith for his donation of $300 and Dan Jarvis for his donation of $100.
Awards Banquet Set for November 18
The Annual Awards Banquet will be held at the Elks Club on Okaloosa Island on November 18. Cocktail hour will be from 6-7 with dinner at 7. Prime rib will be the entree, and the cost is $15 per person. Reservations must be made by Wednesday November 15. Please remember that the club is charged for these dinners so if you sign up, you must show up and pay up. This event is always enjoyable and is our club's way of honoring the winners of the year-long inner club tournament. This year's banquet will feature the presentation of a special award- the Dick Dutton Award. Joe Williams always does a good job of setting things up. Come out and enjoy the festivities.

Fine Food Featured at Fall Cookouts
Al Clark's famous filet mignons were the spotlight of the August cookout. Club members look forward to this annual event and were delighted with Al's efforts. Roasted onions, potatoes and salad filled out the feast.
The Sept. cookout was hosted and donated by Jimmy and Bess Jones and featured five varieties of grilled fish served with complementary sauces. Jimmy's 22 lb snapper proved to be a favorite. This cookout featured a silent auction and raffle (see front page story).
The October cookout hosted and donated by Sam and Edie Smith and Ben and Sandy Williams was a rib lovers delight. Club members and guests lip smacked their way through bar-b-qued ribs, baked beans, dill potato salad and Chinese cabbage slaw. This cookout also served as the off-shore tournament awards dinner.
Thanks to all of our hosts and hostesses for a job well done. A special thanks goes out to all the ladies who bring desserts to the cookouts. They make our evenings special. Several members have mentioned that those at the end of the serving line often miss out on desserts. These desserts are usually one of a kind and in order to allow everyone the opportunity to taste, club members are asked to take small servings of each.

Welcome Aboard!!!
The club is proud to welcome the following new members: George Cilek, Bob Fisher, Bobby Fisher, Bob Taylor, Jay Land, and Les Wood. We're glad to have you in the club and look forward to getting to know you better.
Oil Rigs Prove Productive for Tuna
Frank Kane still hasn't recovered from his battle with a mighty yellowfin tuna off the Louisiana oil rigs. The fish weighed 128 pounds and put up a two and a half hour battle. Frank along with Jimmy Jones, Jimmy's brother Kirk and friend Brian had a great trip in October. On at the same time as Frank's fish were Kirk's 173 pounder and Brian's 178 pounder. All fish were fought from a dead boat with no kidney harnesses! Kirk's fish took over four hours to subdue. Frank said, "All of us agreed, at the beginning of the trip, that we weren't going to pass the rods. Each angler would fight the fish alone. After the three of us did this and it took us four hours, the three of us agreed that we couldn't do it again." They also caught 11 blackfin tuna and a large wahoo. The group fished with Mike Frenette out of Venice. They spent Saturday and Sunday nights on a barge moored in the river and fished from a 31 foot Contender. The Cajun style meals served on the barge were good, but accommodations were Spartan-four guys to a room with bunk beds. Fishing, however, was great!

Club Member Takes 3rd in Puerto Rico
Bob Strauss was a member of the US team which took third place in the recent Puerto Rican International Billfish Tournament. Bob was on a rotational team where all team members fished on different boats. Bob stated that it was lots of fun, they caught lots of marlin, and they were able to fish on some magnificent boats.
Maybe Bob will be willing to give the club some info on how the different teams fish for marlin.
Full Pull Makes
Rodeo History
Angler Jim Rainer on Captain Andy Block's Full Pull caught the largest dolphin in 52 years of Rodeo history. Even though the Destin Rodeo isn't over, the 49 pounder probably has that division in the bag. Rodeo rules require that the fish be drawn before weighing, so this really was a fifty-plus pound dolphin.
Congratulations, Andy!
The Full Pull also had a successful trip to the oil rigs. The crew of Chris Wagner, Andy Block, Mike Gilmore and guests were kept busy catching over 20 blackfin tunas and 3 yellowfin tunas.

Cooking Your Catch
by Bess
Several people have requested recipes for the sauces that we served at the September cookout.
Smokey Pepper Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp finely minced onion
½ tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs well-drained capers
2 tsp caper juice
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 Tbs chopped chipotle peppers
(if using canned chipotles in adobo sauce, wipe off most of the sauce with a paper towel before adding to mix)
In a food processor, blend together the mayo, onion, lemon juice, capers, caper juice and Tabasco. Add the chipotle and mix with one or two quick pulses. Keep refrigerated.
Lemon Beurre Blanc
3 shallots finely chopped
6 Tbs water or stock
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
½ lb unsalted butter, softened
salt and white pepper to taste
In a saucepan, cook the shallots with the water, the vinegar and the lemon juice until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Partially remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, bit by bit, beating constantly with a whisk until the butter is incorporated and the sauce is creamy. Do not allow temperature to go over 130 or the sauce will separate. If it gets too hot, remove it from the heat and whisk quickly to cool. Add salt and white pepper to taste.