“Fish On” could have been the slogan for this year’s Texas International Fishing Tournament, better known as TIFT.
From the tiniest piggy perch to the 75-plus-pound wahoo or the many billfish caught during the tournament’s 83rd year, anglers reported great fishing — especially offshore.
In the bay, one team even managed to catch a 9-pound red drum that shockingly fell within the slot of 20-28 inches.
But the tournament glory went to Quantified, which also grabbed the big prize — the 2023 Gulf Champion of the Sport Fishing Championship, a five-tournament series which also includes events in Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.
The SFC also presented a replica check for $100,000 to the team. Next up is the final tournament in Puerto Rico, where a $1 million pot is up for grabs — a prize the team won in 2022.
Even before the boat made it back to the dock at the Port Isabel Marina Saturday, Aug. 5, Tim Smith, the TIFT host and a weatherman at one of the Rio Grande television stations, kept announcing the anticipated arrival of the boat and its crew.
“I am tired,” Capt. Justin Drummond, a TIFT veteran angler, said after setting foot on the dock. “I am ready to rest.”
Although no fish were onboard, the upside-down flags were, representing the 16 billfish — one blue marlin, three white marlin and 12 sailfish — the crew caught and released.
Other tournament winners came in all sizes and ages, including toddlers and seasoned fishermen who have fished in TIFT for decades.
Niko Lukjanovs, 3, caught his first whopper, a 19-inch speckled trout, at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Sisters Julianne and Jackeline Lawrence, of Baytown, showed up at the dock with the two heaviest black drum, taking first and second place, respectively.
“We have been fishing TIFT for a number of years,” Julianne said. “But this is the biggest fish I have ever caught.”
Her drum weighed 13.9 pounds; her sister’s fish weighed 12.45 pounds.
Another winner was Keith Gerlach, who caught a monster wahoo that caused quite a stir.
It was the only fish that hung from the crossbar, and the wahoo even took the fisherman by surprise.
“To tell you the truth,” he said. “I did not think a wahoo got that big.”
He said the fish was a product of the 450 miles they traveled in the Mexican Gulf. Melissa Mikulik, a member of the TIFT board of directors, said the event was once again a big success.
A total of 1,009 entries — including 86 deep sea and 143 bay boats — were registered for the two days of fishing held Aug. 4-5.
“We had a slight upward trend from last year’s tournament, and a lot more sponsors,” Mikulik said. “We had some new faces and those who have been coming back for years.”
