Reel Darlins Take FIRST PLACE in Ladies Division
at 19th Annual Old Salt
Fall King of the Beach Tournament
The Reel Darlins were all over the board at the Old Salt King of the Beach tournament in Madeira Beach this weekend, weighing in both Spanish Mackerel and Kingfish; but at the end of the day, they placed First in the Ladies Division with a 23.34lb Kingfish.
Brittany List and Misty Wells started their morning at 6am with Rob Siler of DeLossa’s Pizza as acting Captain and Molly Rekstis, a Reel Darlins member serving as first mate. “The water was amazing and the trip out was great. We kept turning around to see the sun rise, the color was amazing, and right before dawn I saw a falling star, so I am sure everyone knows what my wish was; I wanted our team to win King of the Beach,” says Misty Wells. Misty did get her wish. It wasn’t long before Brittany’s reel was screaming and she was reeling in what was to become a winning fish on the end of the line. The fight took about 30 minutes and landed the 1st place Kingfish for the Ladies Division. It was the first fish of the day and in the boat by 8am. “It was an exciting moment when we finally saw color and knew that it was a good sized Kingfish. Rob got the gaff out and got it on the first attempt. It was a good feeling knowing we had a fish in the bag and it was only 8am.” Brittany said.
Reel Darlins at Key West Marlin Tourney
July 22, 2012
Reel Darlins represented Women anglers well last night in Key West by taking 2nd place overall, 2nd place in the Wahoo division and 1st and 2nd in the Reel Darlins Ladies Division of the 30th Annual Key West Marlin Tournament. This is the first year the tournament has hosted a division for Ladies and tournament director Tim Greene honored Reel Darlins with naming the division after them.
Laura Russell Smith, one of five Reel Darlins participating in the tournament, started Day one by catching a Sailfish and adding 50 points to the board. She was followed by Reel Darlins teammate Cyd Tuskowski on Day 2, when Cyd reeled in a 37.6 pound Wahoo.
This was the 2nd Sailfish Laura Russell Smith has caught, “He took me around the boat a couple of times, it seemed like a long time, but it was about 30 minutes. It was rough out there and I was sick…but I wasn’t going to lose that fish even if I was getting sick while doing it”, says Russell Smith. Determination isn’t the only sign of character Laura has, lessons of modesty also describe her attitude, “I’ve learned the hard way that you don’t rest easy until it is over and you do the best you can do.”