On Saturday, 4/21/12, the inaugural tournament of the Lonestar Kayak Series kicked off at full speed. A Galveston, Tx area based tournament, 61 anglers drove from as far away as Dallas, Corpus Christi, and even Baton Rouge, La to try their luck and test their wills against mother nature to find a couple of winning red fish.  Anglers battled winds in excess of 30mph and cool temperatures making the competition that much more intense. In conditions that would keep many fishermen home, over 25% of the field weighed in fish and the majority of the registered anglers came to the weigh in to watch the action unfold.  With a pay out structure to 15th place, competition was tight and anticipation was high. Taking the early lead was James Miller with 2 nice fish totaling 11.44 lbs. James was able to hold on to the top spot and took home an awesome first place trophy and a nice payout for his efforts. In second place was John Barbee also with a 2 fish bag weighing 10.63 lbs. Third place was Rick Spillman of Team Ocean Kayak submitting a single red fish weighing an impressive 7.86 lbs.

The top 15 places were:

1st) James Miller 11.44 lbs

2nd) John Barbee 10.63 lbs

3rd) Rick Spillman 7.86 lbs

4th) Sonny Mills 7.43lbs

5th) Jesse Costillo 7.31lbs

6th) Greg Bartlett 6.95lbs

7th) Jason Blackwell 6.84lbs

8th) Travis Matthews 5.97lbs

9th) Chuck Comeaux 5.14lbs

10th) Cade Simpson 4.81lbs

11th) Mike Pait 4.57lbs

12th) Chad Lyden 4.56lbs

13th) Kaylin Barlow 4.11lbs

14th) Jason Davidson 4.00lbs

15th) Thomas Barlow 3.42lbs

16th) James Tesch 3.16lbs

The tournament also had side pots for most spots, won by James Tesch with a 10 spot red, as well a blackjack pot taken by Sonny Mills with a 20 15/16 incher.

The Lonestar Kayak Series is also a supporter of Heroes on the Water, an organization helping wounded military personnel. Lonestar Kayak Series and the competing anglers raised $394.00 for HOW at the weigh in.  Lonestar Kayak Series would also like to thank its sponsors for helping make the series possible:

Malibu Kayaks

American Rodsmith

Fish-N-Hunt Pro Gear

Team Ocean Kayak

HOOK11 Fishing Gear

Yak-Gear

Coastal Angler Magazine

Bass Assassin

Grind Terminal Tackle

Scotty Accessories

John Eagle Honda

Reel Hooked

Monarch Trophies and Awards

Photos courtesy of Jeremy Chavez, www.castingtales.com