Eddie Adams, of Metairie, La., weighed a three-day total of 44.36 pounds of redfish to win the Lucas Oil IFA Pro-Am Redfish Challenge at Chalmette, La. on March 30. The high-stakes event, presented by Cabela’s, featured many of the sport’s biggest names and will air nationally on NBC Sports Network, Pursuit Channel, the Texas Channel and Fox Sports Net Southwest later this year.
The Pro-Am format continues to be a hit with anglers accustomed to fishing traditional team events. For his efforts on the pro side, Adams won $25,750 cash while Charlie Roberts, of Melbourne, Fla., took home the $4,000 co-angler first-place prize with a 43.30-pound three-day total.
An IFA angler for over a decade, including several first-place finishes and two IFA Team of the Year awards, Adams is accustomed to the winner’s stage. The angler took the pro lead after the first day with a weight of 15.08 with Jay Withers trailing close behind at 15.06 pounds.
Fishing in the Delacroix area with Berkley Gulp!, spoons, corks and spinner baits, the angler added another 15.08 pounds to retain the lead after the second day.
Going into day three, the field was cut down to the top 10 pro- and co-anglers. Day three wasn’t as productive as the two previous outings for Adams, but his 14.20 pounds was enough to remain in first place.
Second-place pro finisher Manny Perez, of Punta Gorda, Fla., took home $7,000 for his 42.45 pounds of redfish. Chad Billiot, of Raceland, La., rounded out the top three for the pro-anglers with 41.08 pounds and took home $4,000 in winnings.
First-place finisher for the co-anglers, Charlie Roberts, and pro-angler Chad Billiot were paired on the first day of fishing and brought in 14.02 pounds for fifth-place.
After adding another 15.08 pounds on the second day for a two-day total of 29.10 pounds, Roberts found himself in the lead of the co-anglers. Roberts paired with first-place finisher Adams for the final day and was impressed with his pro partners’ fishing acumen and friendliness with the co-anglers.
“Chad was a great professional and made me feel very welcome on the first day,” said Roberts. “Eddie is a very good pro-angler. He is the type of person that I would love to fish with again.”
Drew Arndt finish in second place with 42.29 pounds and echoed Roberts’ sentiments about the pro partners.
“I had an awesome time and was fortunate enough to fish with three class act pros,” said Arndt. “This is definitely a great format to mix in the season.”
Third-place finisher for the co-anglers, Chad Eschete, brought 40.56 pounds to the scales and took home $1,200 for his efforts.
Two more Lucas Oil IFA Pro-Am Redfish Challenge events remain on the 2014 schedule. The next pro-am event is set for July 25-27 at Jacksonville, Fla., with the final pro-am event on Sept. 12-14, at Slidell, La.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.ifatours.com.
Lucas Oil IFA Pro-Am Redfish Challenge
Chalmette, La., March 28-30, 2014
Pro Top-10 Finishers
1. Eddie Adams – 44.36 lbs. – $25,750
2. Manny Perez – 42.45 lbs. – $7,000
3. Chad Billiot – 41.08 lbs. – $4,0000
4. Barnie White – 39.68 lbs. – $3,000
5. Blake Smith – 39.00 lbs. – $2,900
6. Jay Withers – 38.72 lbs. – $2,800
7. Mike Tindal – 38.16 lbs. – $2,700
8. Billy Nicholas – 35.75 lbs. – $2,600
9. Jason Catchings – 29.05 lbs. – $2,500
10. Artie Price, Jr. – 25.77 lbs. – $2,500
Co-Angler Top-10 Finishers
1. Charlie Roberts – 43.30 lbs. – $4,000
2. Drew Arndt – 42.29 lbs. – $2,000
3. Chad Eschete – 40.56 lbs. – $1,200
4. Rennie Clark – 39.75 lbs. – $1,000
5. Dewey Holloway – 38.44 lbs. – $900
6. Kelly Causey – 38.20 lbs. – $850
7. Gabriel Lippert – 37.77 lbs. – $750
8. Thomas Tucker – 34.80 lbs. – $700
9. John Roberts – 28.04 lbs. – $600
10. Bobbie Allen – 25.43 lbs. – $500