The fishermen will be fishing for major money Saturday in the largest one-day bass tournament in Florida but the children being cared for at the Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville will be the big winners. Wolfson Children’s Hospital, provides specialty care for sick and injured infants and children.

The 22^nd annual Wolfson Children’s Hospital Benefit Bass Tournament has a guaranteed purse of $37,000 in cash and prizes, including $10,000 for first place, $4,000 for second, $3,000 for third $2,500 for fourth and $1,750 for fifth. Anglers who finish in the next five places get $125 and 51-55^th place will get $100.

There is also a $5,000 prize for the largest bass weighed in and $1,000 each for second and third big bass of the tournament. Bringing in the exact weight listed in a sealed envelope will earn a huge bonus, said assistance tournament director Larry Starling.

“We buy an insurance police and then we put a weight in a sealed envelope,” Starling said. “If an angler’s big bass happens to match the exact weigh he receives an additional $15,000. We’ve had that happen one time. If the second big bass matches the weight in another envelop that angler gets $10,000.”

In addition to all that potential prize money, somebody will go home with a brand new bass boat, Starling said. Up to 4,500 tickets are being sold for $10 each and there will be a drawing following Saturday’s weigh-in for a new fully rigged 2011 Bullet 21XD Bass Boat with a 2011 Mercury 225 Pro XS OptiMax Motor.

Entry fee for the tournament Saturday is $90 per boat with an additional $10 per boat for the big bass competition.

The tournament grows every year, drawing 422 boats last year and raising $140,000 for the Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

It began two decades ago when the director of Plant Facilities Department of Baptist Medical Center Downtown, along with several outside contractors, wanted to play a major role in funding capital improvements and technological advancements for the Children’s Hospital. They created this tournament with the goal of making it the largest in the state raising money for kids.

“We are also holding the Lads and Lasses Tournament Thursday, which is a couples tournament, a fun day for husband-wife and father-daughter teams,” Starling said.

Entry fee for the 13^th annual male-female tournament is $70 per boat with a $10 entry for the big bass pot. First place will pay $1,000, second $750, third $600, fourth $500 and fifth $250. First big bass will win $1,000 and second big bass will be worth $500.

The bass are predominately in post spawn by now, Starling said, although anglers are still catching some big females on the beds.

“A tournament last weekend was won on three fish that were caught on the spawn,” he said. “I think it will take 25 to 30 pounds to win Saturday. Somebody is going to find a good wad of fish. Somebody always finds that big stringer.”

Starling said the majority of the bass are coming off the beds, feeding up and getting healed up after the spawn.

“People will probably be catching them on a crankbait or Carolina-rigging the holes in the sandbars. That is one of the ways the bigger stringers are caught.”

 

Wolfson Children’s Hospital Benefit Bass Tournament

St Johns River

Palatka City Docks

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Call 904-360-4531 for information

www.wolfsonchildrens.org/ways-to-give/bass/Pages/tourney.aspx