New Braunfels angler wins in Port Aransas

Shane Okrasinski, of New Braunfels, caught a redfish and speckled sea trout that measured a combined 49.13 inches in length to win the last regular-season event for the Texas Division of the IFA Kayak Fishing Tour presented by Hobie Fishing at Aransas Pass last weekend.

Although Okrasinski is a two-year IFA Kayak tour veteran, this is his first time in the winner’s circle. The angler earned $1,500 for the victory and gained an additional $507 in Angler Advantage cash.

Okrasinski expected bad weather and knew it would dictate where and how he fished. The angler added the bad weather impacted the fishing in a positive way. Okrasinski fished top-water baits and soft plastic baits in potholes around the Capano Bay area. 

The second-place winner, David Norris Jr., of Corpus Christi, caught a two fish limit that measured a combined 48.25 inches in length, which earned the angler $1,000. The angler added $247 in Angler Advantage cash. The angler’s 28-inch trout won the $100 Berkley Gulp! Big Trout award.

Fishing with soft plastics and spoons in the Stedman’s Reef area, the angler made the most of a tough day of fishing.

“The conditions were harsh; it was pouring rain, thundering and lightning,” said Norris Jr. “But, I caught fish when the weather lightened up.”

Four-year IFA Kayak Tour veteran, Fil Spencer, of Corpus Christi, Texas, took home the $500 third-place prize. Spencer’s 26.25-inch redfish earned the angler the $100 Berkley Gulp! Big Fish award. The angler also earned $221 in Angler Advantage cash. 

Spencer fished the reefs around Rockport using top-water baits and Berkley Gulp!. The angler reported, although the weather was bad, he fished hard and felt good about his third place finish.