| USA. Key Largo to host second stop on The Trilogy; bonefish, permit targeted in Mercury Baybone |
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| Wednesday, 13 September 2006 | |
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Steve Fleming: The second stop of Mercury Redbone's Trilogy is the Mercury Baybone, where anglers will search for bonefish and permit in the event scheduled for Oct. 6-8. The Trilogy includes the Mercury S.L.A.M. (Sept. 8-10) and the Mercury Cheeca Redbone (Dec. 1- 3). The tournament is one of the events on the larger collection of Redbone Celebrity tournaments that includes approximately 30 fishing events each year. Proceeds from the event - and from all Redbone events - benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event will be hosted by the Dove Creek Lodge, and anglers and guests will also gather and share their tall tales at the Snappers Waterfront Restaurant. The event is designed to accommodate both recreational and avid anglers. Angler Jim Bokor certainly enjoys the recreational aspects of fishing the event, but he is also unquestionably an avid sportsman as well. Bokor not only captured Grand Champion Angler honors from last year's event, but he also teamed with Robert Collins to win the Team Grand Champion award. Captain Tim Hoover was the guide for both of Bokor's titles. Brooke Denkert caught her first permit in last year's event, and won Lady Grand Champion honors. Thanks to the financial support of events such as this fishing classic, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has made tremendous progress in the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) research and care. The median age of survival for a person with CF has improved from early childhood in the 1950s to 36.8 years today. However, cystic fibrosis continues to be a critical health matter, as most individuals with the disease must battle chronic lung infections for their entire lives. At least one person dies from CF each day. The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to assure the means to cure and control this genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the United States. Redbone founder Gary Ellis and his wife, Susan, have passionately supported the Foundation not only because of its innovative and effective research efforts, but also for a very personal reason: their daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with CF as an infant in the mid-1980s. Nicole is now a college student, and has witnessed - first hand - the advances made in the treatment of the disease. The Mercury Baybone has grown from the seed planted in 1988, when a handful of anglers, fishing guides and sports celebrities organized a tournament in the Florida Keys village of Islamorada. The group focused on just two of the available species: redfish and bonefish. The ground rules were simple - to win, the angler must catch and release at least one of each. In the past 17 years, Redbone tournaments have contributed approximately $8 million to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The inaugural Islamorada event was a great success, and the "redbone" moniker was born. The current format of the individual tournaments can include freshwater, offshore and flats fishing. The environments in which the Redbone events take place have played a major role in their success. The Florida Keys, for instance, contain miles of clear flats with acres of turtle grass and marl, features that create a welcoming habitat and a diverse fishery that includes bonefish, tarpon, permit, redfish and snook. Tournaments are also held in such diverse locations as Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Costa Rica, Pennsylvania, Ohio, the Bahamas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Louisiana. Mercury Marine, the official outboard engine of the Redbone events, began its support of the Series in 1992, and the collection of events has drawn the attention and support of big-name celebrities such as the late baseball great Ted Williams, baseball stars Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs, football legend Ken Stabler and the late broadcasting icon Curt Gowdy. For more information on the Trilogy and/or the Mercury Baybone, visit on-line at www.redbone.org The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a donor- supported, nonprofit organization committed to finding therapies and ultimately a cure for cystic fibrosis, and to improving the lives of those with the disease. For more information, visit www.cff.org. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 September 2006 ) |
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