The 10th annual Grouper Grab which took place August 14th through the 16th was a huge success. The Grab has a history of being one of the top Grouper Tournaments in the state of Florida and this year was no exception. In addition to the top payouts there were special awards given to top lady and youth anglers, biggest grouper, snapper and blackfin tuna. And the 300 Under Motor Division.

The Captains meeting was held at Pinchers Crab Shack located on Fort Myers Beach inside the Holiday Inn. The rules were read and an auction was held to benefit Fort Myers Beach Elementary and Estero High School. The angler bags were passed out filled with hats, shirts and koozies plus Budweiser products were flowing.

Saturday was an early start to fishing as boats were allowed to leave from any land location at 5am with an anglers honor lines in the water at 7am. Teams fished despite poor weather all day with the weigh station at Fish Tale Marina opening at 4:30pm and boats required to be checked in by 6pm. Over half the teams weighed fish with the biggest grouper weighing in at 25.6lbs. The marina was filled with spectators and umbrellas as everyone braved the wind and rain to see the boats weigh their catch. Pulled pork sandwiches and chicken was served along with Budweiser beer. FGCU was onsite collecting liver samples for testing while Estero High School had their Varsity football team scrubbing boats. Fish Tale Marina provided the perfect location!

Sunday teams and and plenty of guests met back at Pinchers Crab Shack for the awards fish fry with all the fixins. Team pictures were taken as the awards and trophies were presented.

Everyone had a great weekend and we all can’t wait until the next Grouper Grab.

For any information on this event, email Kristi at kristiriley@gmail.com or call Tournament Director, Ron Riley at 239-671-9347.

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