Team Henne/Belcher Wins IFA Redfish Tour Event at Port Aranas, Texas
OutdoorHub 04.17.13
Justin Henne, of Round Rock, Texas, and Scott Belcher, of Corpus Christi, Texas, weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 17.33 pounds to win the second event of the season for the IFA Redfish Tour presented by Cabela’s at Port Aransas, Texas, on April 13. The anglers topped a field of 85 boats to take home a fully-rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme, valued at $30,000. The event paid out over $55,000 in total winnings, an impressive 200-percent payback.
The winning anglers faced calm winds early with 20-25 mph winds blowing later in the day. The team ran about 35 miles south to their preferred fishing area.
“We sight-fished while drifting over shallow grass flats using six-inch, white Berkley Gulp! jerk shads,” said Henne. “Overall, we performed well with no hiccups.”
The team boated a 9.30-pound redfish to win the $500 Berkley Gulp! Big Fish award, plus a $250 Cabela’s gift card, courtesy of Berkley, for landing their big fish with a Berkley bait.
Second-place finishers Jimmy Lloyd, of Portland, Texas, and Jimmy Burns, of Victoria, Texas, brought 17.10 pounds to the scales during the event. In addition to the $3,302 second-place prize, the anglers added $2,680 in Anglers Advantage cash to their winnings.
Kyle Burges, of Port Aransas, Texas, and Jayson Arnold, of Buda, Texas, weighed a total of 16.81 pounds to take the $2,064 third-place prize. In their sixth year fishing the IFA the anglers concentrated their efforts in the upper Laguna Madre area. The anglers sight-casted with weedless spoons and Berkley Gulp!.
“The wind picked up around noon, making it difficult to locate the schools,” said Burges. “Overall it was a pretty good day. We had a couple of fish that were a little too long and a couple that were close to the 28-inch slot limit but we got all of the bites into the boat.”
Continuing to draw inshore anglers from Texas to the Carolinas, both IFA Redfish Tours include five different divisions, each with a two-event regular season. With budget-friendly entry fees, the two tours offer opportunities to compete close to home while keeping anglers’ expenses to a minimum.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, visit www.ifatours.com.
IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Hobie Fishing, Ranger Boats, Cabela’s, Lucas Oil, Yamaha Outboards, RAM, Berkley Gulp!, Berkley Gulp! Alive!, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, Livingston Lures, Amphibia, Arctic Ice, Protect the Harvest, Bob’s Machine Shop, Blue Point Fabrication, Powertex Group and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, and Port Aransas Marina.
IFA Texas Division
Port Aransas, Texas (Top 10)
- Henne/Belcher – 17.33 lbs.
- Lloyd/Burns – 17.10 lbs.
- Burges/Arnold – 16.81 lbs.
- Gonzalez/Gonzalez – 16.61lbs.
- Mills/Adams – 16.04 lbs.
- White/Akin – 15.79 lbs.
- Hartung/Whitley – 15.66 lbs.
- Survant/Harris – 15.55 lbs.
- Clarkson/Lynch – 14.62 lbs.
- Price/Price – 14.29 lbs.
