Team Dufrene & Cedotal Win IFA Redfish Tour Event
OutdoorHub 06.27.12
Chad Dufrene, of Purvis, Miss., and Jay Cedotal, of Prairieville, La., weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 13.68 pounds to win the IFA Redfish Tour event at Panama City Beach, Fla., on June 23. To win the event, which operated out of Bay Point Marina, the duo topped a large field of two-angler teams to take home a new, fully-rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob’s four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate, and a Loadmaster trailer valued at $30,000.
The winning team is no stranger to winning on the IFA Redfish Tour. The anglers took first place at last year’s event in Panama City and have previously won Team of the Year titles in 2008 and 2009.
“We ran about 75 miles east, and had some early rain,” Dufrene said. “but it was expected with the storm approaching from the Gulf.”
The anglers tight lined Gulp! to catch their limit. Their 7.85-kicker redfish won the $500 Berkeley Gulp! Big Fish Award plus a $250 Cabela’s gift card, courtesy of Berkley. The team also took home the $1,000 Cabela’s Angler Cash Award.
Second-place finishers, Shawn Mistovich and Justin Hinote, both of Milton, Fla., brought 11.82 pounds to the scales. In their second year fishing the IFA Redfish Tour, the anglers ran 50 mile to fish the Port St. Joe area.
“It was overcast and we had light winds with a few showers,” Mistovich said. “The conditions actually helped. We just kept chunking and winding Gulp! jigheads.”
Brad Henry, of Dawson, Ga., and Jason Bryan, of Albany, Ga., weighed 11.58 pounds of redfish to win the third place prize. Fishing in the North Bay area, Henry and Bryan concentrated their efforts on main points with jerkbaits and spoons. The anglers reported high water, rain and windy conditions that moved the fish around.
“We fished better than expected after catching a lot of overs and unders,” said Henry. “but overall we were happy to place third.”
The IFA Redfish Tour Presented by Cabela’s continues to draw redfish anglers from Texas to the Carolinas and beyond, offering two-angler teams the opportunity to compete in six different divisions, each offering a two-event regular season. Low entry fees for the one-day, regular-season tournaments allows anglers to fish close to home and minimize expenses, while still being a part of a premier inshore, catch-and-release redfish tournament organization. Teams fishing any two of the IFA’s 12 regular-season events and one regional event are automatically qualified for a no-entry-fee championship event, pitting qualifiers from each of the six divisions for a combined $118,450 in payouts and prize packages, as well as a shot at the coveted Cabela’s Overall Divisional Team of the Year Award for the six regular-season division winners.
In addition to a possible $60,000 in payouts per event (based on a 100-boat field), the first-place prize package for all 12 IFA Redfish Tour regular-season events remains extremely lucrative. In 2012, every regular-season tournament winner is guaranteed – regardless of field size – a fully loaded 2012 Ranger Banshee Extreme. The boat is powered by a 60-horsepower, four-stroke Yamaha outboard and is equipped with a Power-Pole shallow water anchor, Minn Kota trolling motor, Humminbird electronics, Blue Point Fabrication metal work, Bob’s four-inch Ultra Light Jackplate and a Loadmaster trailer. The entire first-place prize package is valued at $30,000.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.redfishtour.com or www.ifakayakfishingtour.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of the fishing industry’s most respected brands: Ranger Boats, Hobie Fishing, Cabela’s, Yamaha Outboards, Gulp!, Gulp! Alive, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Sebile, Columbia Sportswear, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, Wrap This, Bob’s Machine Shop, Blue Point Fabrication, NBOA Marine Insurance, Loadmaster, Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the America and Bay Point Marina.
IFA Gulf Coast Division
Panama City Beach, Fla. (Top 10)
1. Dufrene/Cedotal – 13.68 lbs.
2. Mistovich/Hinote – 11.82 lbs.
3. Henry/Bryan – 11.58 lbs.
4. Nelson/Nelson – 11.37 lbs.
5. Sullivan/Chase – 10.84 lbs.
6. Humphrey/Smith – 10.75 lbs.
7. Causey/Jackson – 10.68 lbs.
8. Stepler/Lipscom – 10.67 lbs.
9. Sepe/Collinson – 10.55 lbs.
10. Fryfoggle/Rivers – 10.48 lbs.
Berkley Gulp! Big Fish Award ($500) + Cabela’s Gift Card ($250):
Dufrene/Cedotal (7.85 lbs.)
Cabela’s Angler Cash ($1,000):
Dufrene/Cedotal
