Anchored in Tradition is an acrylic on gesso board painting that I made in 2013 for the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament in Boca Grande. The tournament began because on Mother's Day weekend, guides would take their mother, wife, daughter, etc out into the Pass for a day of fishing. The ladies couldn't help it. An all-female field of anglers can be very competitive! That tradition continues to this day as an official live bait, catch-and-release tarpon tournament. Even with the drive to win gnawing at us, we also have a lot of memorable shenanigans in the Pass. Ladies, if you haven't fished this tournament, you should! Many of our past winners were first-timers. It's a very special tournament and one that my mom and I fished together for many, many years.
Each year that I create the artwork for the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament , it is a very special honor to me. I love the Boca Grande fishery for so many reasons. The people I’ve fished with and the exhilaration of catching the mighty silver king are priceless. We are blessed to live in such a special place where the tarpon pile up and present us with the spectacle of huge rolling and feeding schools. Watching the crabs run on the tide or a fish evading a large and looming shadow of a bull or hammerhead are sights common here, unlike anywhere else. When I sit back in my chair on a drift off the pass, I often think about my previous tarpon experiences. Every single one was an event shared with friends and loved ones that I truly cherish. Fishing is as much about people and relationships as it is about the fish. This year is a year of setting sons for our fishery. A few of the boats and people that I grew up fishing with or ...
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