If you’ve ever been fishing, you have a favorite fishing trip and the story to match. Ed Walker knows his, and it’s an epic story of going in with the odds stacked against him and coming out on top.
Story via Ed Walker Sportfishing:
What’s the best fishing trip you ever had? Mine is easy:
18 years ago today, my great friends Scott Tomlinson, Tiki Serralles, Steve Kocsis, and I made the decision to cross some boundaries and enter the old and prestigious “Worlds Richest Tarpon Tournament” in Boca Grande Pass. Entry was over $5000. It was live bait only (no “jigging”) and no foul hooked fish counted. And no matching shirts (lol- personal rule).
At the time almost every boat entered was a large inboard, fishing the traditional techniques they’ve used since before I was born. The entry slots, limited to 60 boats, sold out quickly.
We convinced ourselves we could hang with the veteran big boat guides on their home turf and hit the inlet in my little 23 footer.
On day one of the two day tourney we hooked a nice fish on a deep crab and battled it thru a lot of dirty looks and guides that were reluctant to move for a small outboard boat. The boys fought this fish well and at the end of the day our 155 pound release sat atop the leaderboard….which is a great feeling when first place pays $100,000. I’ll never forget trying to get my head straight, and keep the crew focused going into day 2. All we wanted to do was run out the clock but we fished anyway. And soon we were hooked up again. We land this fish and the weigh master announces “PoonWalker 154 pounds!” Lightning has struck twice.
So now we are sitting in first and second place but there are several hours of fishing left and all of Boca Grande’s top captains are trying to knock us off the top slot. Never in my life has time gone so slowly. Boats catching fish around us but not as big. A huge fish hooked but lost. tick…tick…….tick……. We were not allowed to weigh any more fish but just to deal with the intense tension I got the crew fishing again. And we caught another one. It was simply our day.
When the buzzer FINALLY sounds we have won first place, second, and tied for third (most releases). Final purse: $147,500.00, plus $100,000 in calcutta money. Nearly a quarter million dollars. To this day it is the largest tarpon fishing purse ever…anywhere.
Certainly one of the landmark moments of my fishing life.
