Preston Gay got up in the early morning of March 10. It was just like any day except for the fact that this was the morning of his first Kayak Fishing ClassicS tournament. In fact, it was his first tournament ever so the butterflies were buzzing around to keep him company. He prepared to go fishing as he best knew how. Little did he know that the day’s events would unfold in his favor and he would Take the Fort by Storm.

He launched his assault on Fort DeSoto at daybreak as the cloudy skies greeted the sun only to reveal an ominous looking morning. Once under way his nervousness subsided and he got down to the business at hand, catching a snook, a redfish and a trout in the Billy’s Stonecrab Fort DeSoto Classic. The snook fishing proved to be elusive for all of the contestants however Preston pushed on to capture a 25.5 inch redfish and a 19 inch trout for a combined length & score of 44.5 for his first victory as the young man took the Fort by Storm and introduced himself to the ClassicS.

Clearly comfortable on the number 1 podium, Preston could not hold all of the gear that the ClassicS’ numerous and generous sponsors bestowed upon him in celebration of his win. “It was overwhelming and surprising as the gear just kept coming.”  We congratulate you Preston Gay and we are sure we will be hearing from you again.

The competition was very close as it is in the ClassicS, as William Lusk marched on The Fort for a total of 42.4 and a solid Second Place.  He managed to fool his catch on MirrOlure Lures using a Deep South Rod. William is no stranger to the ClassicS podium and it was great to see him standing there struggling to hold his plunder our Sponsors provided. The amiable young angler was all smiles, clearly happy with his return to the Top Five in the Fort DeSoto Classic.

Another veteran of the Fort DeSoto battles is master fly angler Bill White who totaled a score of 39 for strong Third Place and a treasure trove of Sponsor Gear. The disappointing conditions keep the RiverBum Flies out of the water as Bill also captured success using MirrOlure Lures.

Fort DeSoto Classic veteran Marty Meakin pounded the walls for a very close Fourth Place Win with a score of 37.6 and rose to within two tenths of a point from the Series Lead. The always helpful angler used a combination of D.O.A. Lures and MirrOlure Lures to hoodwink his nice redfish and trout. Marty also enjoy his share of the nearly $10,000 in Sponsor Gear and another Podium Finish. Marty also won the RAILBLAZA Action Photo Award but that’s another story.

Joe Komyati braved the canons of the Fort DeSoto Classic and captured the Fifth Place Podium and the largest fish of the tournament. Joe won the Bending Branches Big Fish Award with a 25.5 Inch Redfish which he caught on a D.O.A. Cal and followed with a 12 inch Trout, also caught on a D.O.A. Cal for a score of 37.5 to earn his share of the Sponsor Gear.  Congratulations Joe!

Fishing the Fort DeSoto Classic is always fun however many of the anglers found out just how difficult it can be taking The Fort by Storm. Although the canons have long been silenced, the weather, although never dangerous, became a factor and forced a few contestants off of the water with sea sickness. We congratulate our Top Five Winners and all who braved The Fort. To learn more about the ClassicS, visit us at www.KayakFishingClassicS.com  See you next month in Everglades City for the 10,000 Islands Classic.