The Connecticut Surfcasters Association holds a plug tournament in the spring and fall. The unique part of this tournament is that the plug must be made or assembled/finished from a plug kit by a CSA club member. The participant's entry "fee" is to ante a CSA made plug to the pot. This year's Spring CSA plug tournament just concluded, where we had 14 anglers participate in the competition.
Early on the bar was set with a 41" fish by our Club President Mike Mullen. The club watched the tournament page for an update on entries but for over two weeks nothing happened. Club member Jason Keenan posted that he took a decent fish on a Billy D deep-diving Pikie, but had not entered the tournament. "Grampa" Greg McNamara chimed in with a report of a 38" inch bass on a Jeff Caputo 14"Needlefish, but it seemed that Mike Mullen's fish might hold as we entered the last third of the tournament hours.
Two days later "Grampa" Greg hit the boards again with a second fish at 41" on a Jay Hanecak BI Green Needle and the tournament got a bit more interesting as not only did we have a tie for first, but the club was getting set for their annual trip to Cuttyhunk where a larger fish wAS a real possibility.
In the waning hours of the tournament, many gave all their effort in breaking the tie and burning the midnight oil for the win. The tournament entry deadline came and went without another entry. Mike said, "I fished right up to midnight trying to win, and at midnight when the tournament ended, I just packed it in." Mike had only his plugs in his bag for the duration of the tournament. He added, "I'm relieved in a way that it's over, and can't wait to throw a sluggo again."
Congrats to Mike and Greg and the plug builders!
Mike and Greg will split the pot of 14 CSA plugs at our club picnic!
