By Jeff Dennis
The warm weather in October held on to make the 10th annual Edisto Watersports and Tackle (EWT) redfish tourney feel like a summer day.
The 35 boats that went fishing were competing for cash prizes generated by the entry fee of $100 per team. Many of the anglers are veterans of this tourney, but a few newbies were on the dock, too. Anglers Landon Seigler and Maddie Kemp won first place for the tourney, with Team Warner of Walterboro finishing in second and third.
The heaviest weights of a two-redfish aggregate is how the top three spots were decided. Weighmasters Dillard Young and Cal Young used a SCDNR certified scale to weigh the redfish individually. Redfish brought to the scales must be in the legal to keep slot size, and conservation was being practiced with many anglers keeping their redfish alive to be released. Two other categories that were awarded include the single heaviest redfish, and the redfish with most spots. An extra category for heaviest trout was also awarded.
Team Seigler took home the first-place check of $2450 for the heaviest aggregate weight at 9.70-pounds, and they also took home the $1500 check for heaviest redfish, which weighed 5.42-pounds. Team Jimbo Warner of Walterboro took home second-place of $700 with an aggregate weight of 8.82-pounds. Team BoLegs Warner took home the third-place check of $350 with an aggregate weight of 8.37-pounds.
The cash prize for most spots on a redfish paid $775 to angler Carter Brazell who caught a fish with 15-spots on it. Team Brazell also included father and son Roy and Russell Brazell, and they were joined by Jim Goller from Beaufort. The award for heaviest trout for $750 went to angler Ronnie Davis of Santee, fishing with Team Hay Fever out of Walterboro.
Captain Allen Butler and crew also caught the Lowcountry Slam which includes redfish, trout and flounder. Most teams reported catching fish all day long due to the low tide at 11:30 a.m. and slack current following flood tides earlier in the week, with little to no wind inshore.
#WhoYouWhit Benefit Redfish Tourney Oct. 23
The next redfish tourney at Edisto will take place at the Marina at Edisto Beach, and this inaugural event will raise awareness about mental health after the death by suicide of 18-year-old Whit Nelson. They have 27 boats registered to fish, and registration remains open until the Captain’s Meeting on Friday October 22. The weigh-in is at 2 p.m. on Saturday followed by a fundraiser. The #WhoYouWhit Benefit has 100 sponsors, and funds will benefit two charities; Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and The National Institute of Mental Health.
Elisabeth and Carter Nelson lived on Scott Creek on Edisto Island for two years and their son Whit was a regular fixture and well-known good guy at Edisto Beach. Whit worked at Pressley’s at the Marina restaurant and he was known for riding a moped, and for his passion for saltwater fishing at Edisto. After Whit’s passing, many Edisto families have felt the grief and wanted to share their stories of him. Sandy Hanks of Edisto shares that her daughter Nicole worked at Pressley’s with Whit, and that he was often at their home to visit. “This tragedy shows that people struggle in different ways, and that everyone needs a friend to talk to,” said Hanks. “Nicole and Lindsey Morrill thought up the idea to create this benefit.”
