2012 Blacktip Challenge Official Reports

This looks like the perfect moon phase! I always have good luck around the New Moons.

The prizes have been updated on the Blacktip Challenge website: http://blacktipchallenge.com/prizes.html

There are a total of 38 anglers fishing the tournament.

Last night and today was pretty rough where we were and getting baits out and casting wasn't working to good. Will try again tommorrow. Good luck everyone!!!

So here are the results. All ties were resolved by the time the photos were submitted. Whoever submitted their photos first placed higher.

Largest Sharks

1st Place
Raymunod Muniz - Lemon Shark
Overall Length: 104"
Fork Length: 88"
Girth: 56"
Estimated Weight: 344.96 lbs

2nd Place
Billy Centrone - Great Hammerhead Shark
Overall Length: 114"
Fork Length: 89"
Girth: 46.5"
Estimated Weight: 240.55 lbs

3rd Place
Melissa Showman - Bull Shark
Overall Length: 76.5"
Fork Length: 64"
Girth: 40"
Estimated Weight: 128 lbs

Largest Blacktips

1st Place
Ryan Bolash
Overall Length: 72"
Fork Length: 61.5"
Girth: 39.75"
Estimated Weight: 121.47 lbs

2nd Place (Tie)
Pete Barrett
Overall Length: 68.5"
Fork Length: 57.875"
Girth: 34"
Estimated Weight: 83.63 lbs

3rd Place (Tie)
CJ Floyd
Overall Length: 68.5"
Fork Length: 57.875"
Girth: 34"
Estimated Weight: 83.63 lbs

Most Sharks

1st Place
Team Barrett

2nd Place (Tie)
Team Infinity

3rd Place (Tie)
Team Centrone

Largest Shark - Female

Melissa Showman - Bull Shark
Overall Length: 76.5"
Fork Length: 64"
Girth: 40"
Estimated Weight: 128 lbs

Largest Shark - Junior

Steven Stallings - Blacktip Shark
Overall Length: 61"
Fork Length: 53"
Girth: 27"
Estimated Weight: 48.30 lbs

Largest Fish (Non-Shark)

CJ Floyd - Roughtail Stingray

Congratulations to all the WINNERS specially those who once again REPRESENTED VERY WELL the South Florida Shark Club.Many fine memories were made during this tournament and many possibilities to LEARN VALUBLE LESSONS occured to many young anglers fishing with older ones.Thank you all for participating.

the BTC 2012 shirt NO BANNER(and so the reason JD Hammer disqualified himself from a possible 2 PLACE OVERALL)

measuring

tail shot

she swam in 2ft of water no problem... I think this picture would be cool if it was made in black and white or in retro-colors...

KING KONG WILL GO DOWN THIS YEAR IN THIS TOURNEY ALONE HE WAS ENCOUNTERED 5 TIMES(one time he spooled a 16/0 to 10 wraps) AND HE WAS THE WINNER EACH AND EVERY TIME,,,,,,,BUT THERE IS ALWAYS
TOMORROW

Great words Will and thank you everyone i had a good time it was a little rough for me the first two days but me and my team stuck with it and my reward was a second place largest shark. And though im a new member to the SFSC and new to these tournaments im glad i can represent for them as a rookie in the SFSC and look forward to doing my part to succeed and represent from here on out!!!!!! Thanks again everyone and Josh also for making this 2012 BTC a good experience for me and looking forward to more BTC's and other tournaments and getting better at them.Also congratulations to all the winners!!!!!!!Thanks Billy

Congrats Ray and Billy!!!! Nice Lemon and Hammer!!!! Congrats guys

Very nice meeting all that I did, it was tough fishing but it happens. I had a great time and it was fun, even tho my team had some pretty bad things go down.

Thanks for having me share the sand with you all.

JD---big looking shark----long hair or not great sharkin by the HAMMER----i know you forgot your banner just to give everyone else a chance

CJ it looks like you traveled the most miles to shark----pretty hardcord----the water looks nice in some of the pics---i guess the wind was a killer--and that ray looks like your big bait for the trip----what problem did you encounter if you can tell

and its got to be thrilling to know the hammers are there----

whats the stories on the bigg one that got away---

the black tip challenge is setting the stage for a great summer

sharkin sonny

CJ it looks like you traveled the most miles to shark----pretty hardcord----the water looks nice in some of the pics---i guess the wind was a killer--and that ray looks like your big bait for the trip----what problem did you encounter if you can tellsharkin sonny

#1... Sexy bigger baits where hard to come by.
#2... The big blue claimed 2 wedding rings Alex's and Mine when yaking baits. Wifes where not happy!!!
#3... Making a late night rescue/help to a fellow sharker that had problems 400 yards off the beach. Scary!
#4... While fighting my BT around a reef out crop in the surf one of my team members slipped and landed on the reef causing a trip to the ER.

Sonny that ray had me doing the 2 step across the beach with my 80w in lock down, it was able to pull 60 lbs plus some thumb action for short runs. With half my team in the ER and a local screaming out that i was killing a manta ray, and they where calling the law. Zane and myself with a 1000lb tail rope pulling with everything we had could not budge that thing. The pictures do zero justice on the sheer size of this thing, the tail was as big around as a softball bat. I have no clue how to judge weights but I have caught some big rays, My best guess would be near 400 lbs maybe more IDK. Even when I got the wings up and a wave crashed we still pulling with everything we had could not move it. Its a PB in that category no doubt. I bet that thing would have dumped reels with 30lbs of drag with ease.

No bait from that Monster... anything living that long to get that big gets released in my book. We had a clean release, he just might have to deal with a 20/0 smashed barb hook and about 18 inches of wire for a few days.

good job to all sharkers in the tourney. wish i woulda had time to enter and fish for a couple days. cj, glad to see you beached some stuff, from what Z had told me, i thought u guys had struck out.

#2... The big blue claimed 2 wedding rings Alex's and Mine when yaking baits. Wifes where not happy!!!

I've heard of plenty of good excuses that guys give their wives when they travel to Florida for a "fishing trip" and "something" happens to the wedding ring. I like the fact it happen to you and your buddy which obviously means its possible to lose your wedding ring in Florida.

Here are some photos from the awards ceremony: