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It was snappers and sting rays at the third annual Ronald McDonald’s Kids Fishing Tournament held at the McFlat’s Invitational.
The children enjoyed a morning of fishing off the dock at Rumrunners Restaurant at Cape Harbor with their new fishing poles and tackle boxes provided for the tournament. This year had the biggest turnout in the history of the event with more than 150 kids taking part, said coordinator Al Fernandez.
“Every year gets bigger and better,” he said.
He said the first year they held the event there were about 50 participants, and then last year brought in about 100 participants.
The participants ranged in age from 5 to 16, and could choose to keep their fish or set them free. Fernandez said many of the children had parents involved in the McFlat’s Invitational.
Also, each participant received a trophy so that everyone was a winner, he said.
He said the main purpose of the event, other than raising money for the Ronald McDonald House, is to promote fishing as a sport to children.
“Fishing is the simplest sport. All you really need is a line and hook,” he said. “It’s another thing to keep kids out of trouble.”
Twelve-year-old Gunner Post fishes a lot and said he enjoyed the tournament.
“I liked the action from the fish. I would put out a string and they gave us fight,” he said.
He also said he enjoyed donating money, and even though it was not much, it still helps.
His mother, Heather Post, said the event was great and they plan on attending next year.
Ten-year-old Matthew Towne, an avid fisher, said he saw a lot of string rays brought in and even caught a large snapper himself.
“I got a bite from a big one,” he said. “And I’ve seen someone string a 30-inch sting ray.”
The kids’ fishing tournament has been a part of the McFlat’s Invitational since it began three years ago. The invitational is a snook and redfish tournament where 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
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Co-chair for the event, Tim Fredrick, who owns several McDonald’s in Cape Coral, said the invitational brought in about $65,000 last year and they hope to match that amount this year.
He said he and the co-chair, Mitch Williamson from Screenprint Plus, started the event as a way to help the Ronald McDonald House after Williamson and his wife spent seven weeks there after their son was born.
“We wanted to give back,” he said. “So we decided to have a fishing tournament.
This year, 65 boats took part which amounted to about 200 anglers, Frederick said.
The boats entered the water at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and weigh-in was at 4:30 p.m. A dinner banquet and awards ceremony followed with music, a live/silent auction, open bar, and filet and lobster dinner.
First place in the invitational won a 22-foot boat from NauticStar, second place won $2,500, third place won $1,500, fourth place won $1,000 and fifth place won $500.
Other events that took place at the invitational were a lunch with Ronald McDonald complete with a magic show; and a silent and live auction, auctioning off items such as paintings, a six-day trip to Costa Rica, a boat for a night, and seven days in a Gasparilla Island home.
Laura Strauss, vice president of sales and marketing for RealMark Sales, said events like the invitational are what Cape Harbour is all about.
“It’s a place where the community can congregate and have all sorts of events and fabulous experiences on the water,” she said. “It’s about everyone enjoying the water.”
DJ Niki Lynch from 105.5 Beat said she enjoyed watching the children during the kid’s fishing tournament.
“It’s neat watching the children fish, or try to fish,” she said. “I think a couple parents got stuck with the fishing pole.”
Some of the sponsors for this year’s event were NauticStar Boats, Mercury Marine, SportClips, Cape Harbor, Rumrunners and The Twisted Conch.
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