ON JANUARY 26TH, 2002, THE FLORIDA KEYS FISHING GUIDES ASSOCIATION "A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION" CONDUCTED IT'S 12TH ANNUAL "SWAMP GUIDE'S BALL", THE TOURNAMENT WAS AN ALL-RELEASE REDFISH, SNOOK AND BONEFISH (NO CHUMMING) EVENT. SIXTY SIX TEAMS OF TWO ANGLERS PARTICIPATED THIS YEAR. EACH FISH HAD TO BE 20" TO THE FORK TO BE CONSIDERED A RELEASE. EACH RELEASE COUNTED FOR 100 POINTS. THE WINNING TEAM WAS DETERMINED WITH MOST POINTS - IF ALL THREE SPECIES WERE CAUGHT BY THE TEAM. IF NO TEAM CAUGHT ALL THREE SPECIES, THE TEAM WITH TWO SPECIES AND THE MOST POINTS WOULD WIN. THREE TEAM AWARDS WERE PRESENTED AND INDIVIDUAL AWARDS WERE PRESENTED TO THE ANGLER WHO CAUGHT THE MOST BONEFISH, MOST REDFISH AND MOST SNOOK.

THIS YEAR, THE TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN THE ONE DAY - "7 HOURS OF LINES IN THE WATER" TOURNAMENT CAUGHT AND SAFELY RELEASED 17 BONEFISH, 94 REDFISH AND 45 SNOOK THAT WERE ALL 20' OR GREATER TO THE FORK. ALL BOATS WERE REQUIRED TO DEPART FROM AND RETURN TO THE LOR-E-LEI.

MARY ANN STAGG WAS THE SCORE KEEPER.

THE WINING TEAM WAS: JIM TRICE AND TOMMY COLLINS. JIM AND TOMMY RELEASED 1 BONEFISH, 1 REDFISH AND 18 SNOOK FOR A SLAM AND 2000 POINTS.

2D PLACE TEAM WAS MARK COCKERHAM AND CAPTAIN MARK GILLMAN. THE TEAM RELEASED 7 SNOOK, 2 BONEFISH AND 2 REDFISH FOR A SLAM AND 1100 POINTS.

THE 3D PLACE TEAM WAS PAUL WINGROVE AND CAPT. DAVE DENKERT WHO RELEASED 3 SNOOK, 3 REDFISH AND 2 BONEFISH FOR A SLAM AND 800 POINTS.

MOST BONEFISH CAUGHT BY AN ANGLER WAS CAPT. DAVE DENKERT WITH 2 BONEFISH. THE MOST REDFISH CAUGHT BY AN ANGLER WAS MITCH HOWELL GUIDED BY CAPT JOHN DONNELL WITH 8 REDFISH. FINALLY THE MOST SNOOK CAUGHT BY AN INDIVIDUAL ANGLER WAS TOMMY COLLINS WITH 12 SNOOK.

OTHER NOTABLE TEAM PERFORMANCES WERE LARRY CUMMINGS AND BRENT ITEN GUIDED BY CAPT KEVIN MCGUIRE WITH A SLAM OF 1 BONEFISH, 1 REDFISH AND 1 SNOOK. IN PAST YEARS, THIS PERFORMANCE HAS WON THE TOURNAMENT. ALSO, CAPT. ANDY THOMPSON AND JOE VIAR WITH 1 BONEFISH AND 6 REDFISH AND CAPT KIWI HUGHES AND CAPT JASON RICHARDS WITH 8 REDFISH AND 1 SNOOK. ADDITIONALLY, ADAM PECK AND DON UNSER GUIDED BY CAPT MARK JOHNSON CAUGHT 6 REDFISH AND 1 TARPON - DON'S FIRST TARPON. MANGROVE MIKE MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT SPECIES COUNTED POINTS SINCE HE MOSTLY CAUGHT GOLIATH GROUPER AND SHARK WHILE FISHING IN A REDFISH HOLE. FRANK KULISKY AND HIS SON, MIKE - GUIDED BY CAPT RICK MILLER ALSO HAD A GREAT DAY WITH 1 REDFISH, 1 SNOOK AND 4 HOOKED BONEFISH THAT NEVER QUITE MADE IT TO THE BOAT.

IT WAS A PICTURE PERFECT DAY WITH TARPON SEEMING TO BE ROLLING EVERYWHERE YOU LOOKED. IT WAS HARD TO PASS THE SILVER KINGS BY IN SEARCH FOR THE REDFISH, SNOOK AND BONEFISH SLAM.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS YEAR'S SWAMP GUIDES BALL WILL BE DONATED BY THE FLORIDA KEYS FISHING GUIDES ASSOCIATION TO THE DON HAWLEY FOUNDATION. THE HAWLEY FOUNDATION USES THE VAST MAJORITY OF ITS RESOURCES TO ASSIST GUIDES DURING TIMES OF NEED. THE ASSOCIATION ESTIMATES THEY WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION OF OVER $18,000 FROM THE PROCEEDS COLLECTED FROM ANGLER ENTRY FEES, TEE-SHIRT, RAFFLE SALES AND THE SILENT AUCTION THAT WAS SO GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE ISLAMORADA BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

NEXT YEARS EVENT WILL BE JANUARY 24-25, 2003. SEE YOU THERE.