Unlikely Duo Reels in the Win at Louisiana’s LASS Fall Trout Tournament

Seasoned Louisiana Saltwater Series tournament angler Kristian Robert and his partner Ford Thomas took home this weekend’s top prize at the fall speckled trout tournament. What you don’t know about this pair is something that may shock you. Thomas is proof that it doesn’t matter whether you’re 4 or 44, a world-class fishermen can come at any age.

“My regular tournament partner had to sit this one out, so it was just Ford and I, a 6-year-old kid from Batesville, MS,” explained Robert. “I told him it was just the two of us, and he smiled and assured me we could still win.”

With a two-fish stringer weighing in at 6.91 pounds, the team took home first place and a cash prize of $740. Robert explained their prize winning tactics, “I figured we had to beat a spot near SeaBrook to death. We fished the spot for four hours, and only had 15 bites, hooked 10 fish and boated three. I have always been told never leave fish to go find fish. When you’re fishing a tournament, you’re not looking for 100 fish, you’re just looking for the right two fish to bite.”

The top finishing teams, all taking home cash prizes, include: 2nd place, Nick Ward and Mitchell Chevalier; 3rd place, Kevin Hall and Bill Waterman.

Thomas also took home first place in the tournament’s youth division.

“I look forward to the 2013 season. I hear big things are coming,” said an enthusiastic Robert. “The prizes alone should have people lining up, and the data the Department is collecting is going to prove very valuable for Louisiana in the future.”

The Louisiana Saltwater Series plans to continue to grow and create awareness for the Department’s tagging program into 2013. Additionally, LDWF, in conjunction with Louisiana State University, will soon launch a long-term acoustic telemetry study of spotted seatrout in Lake Pontchartrain. Two hundred fish will be tagged, and 90 acoustic receivers will be deployed and maintained throughout the lake to record trout movement.

For complete event results, including photos, visit www.lasaltwaterseries.com. Be on the lookout for our 2013 schedule, which will soon be available.

“If you’re not fishing the Louisiana Saltwater Series, what are you waiting for?” said Robert. “It’s the best tournament going for the money, and you get a chance to meet fishermen from all different walks of life.”

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.