108 Fish Tagged in LASS Redfish Opener

The Louisiana Saltwater Series Redfish Tournament opened its 2014 season on Saturday at Boudreaux’s Marina in Cocodrie, La. Participating anglers brought in 108 fish to be tagged and released as part of the Department’s flourishing Louisiana Cooperative Marine Fish Tagging Program.

Taking home over $4,000 and a first place finish were Bubby Lamy and Sidney Cantelli of Slidell, La., with a two-fish total weight of 16.78 pounds.

“We had a great time fishing the opening tournament,” said Lamy. “We had our first big fish within the first 30 minutes of our first stop. We had to grind it out to get our second big fish, taking up most of the morning.”

Five young anglers participated on Saturday in the youth-exclusive division, with one younger angler, Noah Crane, traveling all the way from Sandwich, Ill. to compete. He hooked a 7.75 pound redfish, earning him the title of Top Finishing Youth and loads of bragging rights and stories to bring home to Illinois.

Lamy and Cantelli are no strangers to the series, but this is their first time to finish at the top of the ranks. Of the twenty-eight participating teams, top finishers included: Barnie and Steve White, second place; Jimmy Matherne and Kevin Davis, third place; Hugh and Zack LeBeouf, fourth place; Chad and Kevin Harvey, fifth place; Paul Smith and Kyle Mitternight, sixth place. Joel Porretto and Nathan Lepre took home the smallest fish prize.

Sponsors for the 2014 series include Shimano, King Cooker, SeaTow New Orleans, Bomber Baits, Cabela’s, Standard Mapping, Frabill, Work Sharp Knife Sharpeners and Coors Light. A special thanks to Front 2 Back Boat Service for providing a meal to all of the competitiors.

The LASS is hosted annually by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, the tournament’s non-profit partner. The LWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana’s wildlife and fish resources.

Visit www.lasaltwaterseries.com for the 2014 schedule, registration and additional details. The tournament’s next stop is Calcasieu Point Landing in Lake Charles on April 5.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov or (225) 721-0489.

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.