Top Anglers Competing In Toho Marine Elite One-Man Trail Classic On Toho
Whether the fishing is just good or is excellent the competition level in the Toho Marine Elite One-Man Trail Classic on Lake Tohopekaliga this weekend is guaranteed to be outstanding.
“The top 30 anglers for the year are going to fish in the Classic and we have definitely got some of the best fishermen in Florida fishing our trail,” said tournament director Jimmie Murphy. Murphy said the One-Man Trail is a training ground for future pros and championship contenders.
“We call it the Elite One-Man Trail because we have a lot of anglers who fish the B.A.S.S. Southern Opens and the FLW Tour Rayovac Series,” Murphy said. “One of our anglers, Van Soles, won the Southern Open this past spring and another angler, Rick Howes, went to the Bassmaster Classic this year.”
Murphy said the trail is geared towards helping anglers hone their skills so they can advance and compete at the next levels of professional fishing.
“We are trying to teach young guys how to be good tournament sportsmen, how to get their sponsorships and how to grow with the business,” he said. “We have a lot of great fishermen in the state of Florida and we feel we have the cream of the crop fishing with us.”
Murphy said the winner this weekend will take home about $5,000 in prize money. One angler has already cashed in on the series – Chad Foster, who is the 2014 points champion.
“Chad won three tournaments this year and made close to $4,000, plus he gets his entry fees paid for next year and he will get a $900 voucher from Halo Fishing,” Murphy said.
The Classic is a two-day competition Friday and Saturday out of Red’s Fish Camp in the middle of Lake Toho and Murphy said he expects the fishing to be good.
“The cold fronts have helped quite a bit so I think the flipping bite will be on again,” he said.
Murphy said he is already pointing towards next year and should have the 2015 schedule posted by next week.
“We are not going to run in January because we have a lot of guys who will be fishing the Bassmaster Southern Open, so we will start the season in February,” Murphy said. “We have a lot of guys who say they are going to fish the trail next year, so we will see what happens.”
Murphy said he is trying to grow the Elite One-Man Trial into a 60-angler field so he can offer larger paybacks and more incentives.
“Once we get to the 60-boat range we will get more sponsors and incentives will kick in from Triton, Mercury, Motor Guide and others,” he said.
Toho Marine Elite One Man Trail Classic
Nov 7-8, 2014
Lake Tohopekaliga
Red’s Fish Camp
Call Jimmie Murphy at 352-789-5351
