St. John’s Showdown Hoping To Attract Tourists With Bass Fishing And Fun
The second annual Showdown on the St. John’s River bass tournament is being held to bring a little publicity to the Astor area which is somewhat off the beaten path – and have a little fishing fun at the same time, according to tournament director Don Frey.
“We are trying to promote tourism in our area of Florida,” Key said. “We’re kind of way out in the woods, in the Ocala National Forest, a small town on the St. John’s River. It’s a beautiful place out here and we want people to see it and enjoy it.”
To that end, Frey helped organize the first Showdown on the St. John’s last year which attracted 25 boats that included some very good anglers. First place in the tournament was won by Keith Carson and John Cox, who went on to win the prestigious Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament out of Palatka on the St. John’s River this past May. The big bass the first day of the 2013 tournament was caught by a college angler, Hunter McKamey who, with his Central Florida University teammate Kyle Oliver, won the Carhartt College Southern B.A.S.S. Regional on Lake Okeechobee in early January.
“I hope he shows up again this year,” Frey said.
The first tournament in 2013 featured 25 boats, but Frey said he is hoping for a bigger turnout this year. “We have not had a lot of pre-registrations so far, but a lot of people plan to sign up on Saturday,” he said. Entry fee is $150 for pre-registration, $160 at the ramp, plus $10 for big fish each day, with 80 percent of the fees paid back in prize money.
Frey said it was hard to schedule a tournament because so many are being held in the area.
“It’s crazy with tournaments every weekend, but we are trying to make our tournament better than the others so we can draw people here,” he said.
Sponsored by the Astor Area Chamber of Commerce and local businesses, the tournament will run Saturday and Sunday, with weigh-in at 3 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“In addition to the regular tournament we are holding a kids tournament Saturday morning with trophies and prizes so every kid will get something. I think we will have a good turnout for that. The local businesses have also donated a lot of good stuff for raffles and prizes at the weigh-ins.”
While the tournament and all the activities surrounding it are expected to be a lot of fun, Frey said the fishing this weekend could be pretty tough.
“It’s been very slow. It’s been very hot down here and the fish are way back up under the mats, out of the sun. I think if you are flipping you might do well,” he said.
2nd Annual Showdown on the St John’s
Sep 6-7, 2014
St John’s River
Powell’s Campground
Call James Powell at 352-759-2121
Presented by the Astor Area Chamber of Commerce
