Anglers tag and release 172 fish at Tag Alabama Pro-Am tournament

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The annual two-day Tag Alabama Pro-Am Fishing Tournament wrapped up Monday at the Delta and Bay Conservation Center at Five Rivers.

The event pairs some of the area’s top fishing guides with amateur volunteer fishermen. The fish that are caught are tagged and released so information can be gathered about the species and their movements.

Check-in and results

Dozens of anglers came to the dock at the conservation center at noon Monday for a mandatory check-in and final tally of fish tagged. In the two-day tournament, 17 teams competed, tagging and releasing 172 fish. Ten teams fished Monday.

Dr. Sean Powers, director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of South Alabama, gave Monday’s totals.

“Today, we tagged ninety-seven speckled trout and seventeen redfish,” Powers said.

According to CCA officials, the recatch rate on the fish is about 16%.

Anglers describe conditions

Richard Rutland of Cold Blooded Fishing described conditions on the water.

“It was beautiful out there. Absolutely beautiful. We had great conditions. Tide conditions were great. Moon conditions were great. Water temperature’s just right. It’s kind of the sweet spot of fall right now,” Rutland said.

Robby Howard of Coastal Fins listed the fish his team caught.

“Speckled Trout, redfish, puppy drum and some white trout. We had a great day. I think we tagged over thirty fish today,” Howard said.

Tagging program and research

Since the Tag Alabama program was implemented nearly six years ago, about 15,000 inshore gamefish have been tagged and released.

Powers said the tagging data shows more than fish movements.

“And what we learn from that is not only the movements of the fish, but we can estimate fishing mortality and so we can advise the state on when fishing mortality is high or fishing mortality is low or does it line up with what the state says and right now, we find that it does line up with both redfish and spotted sea trout,” Powers said.

Partnership and prizes

The tournament is a partnership between CCA Alabama and the University of South Alabama. There are no big prizes or giveaways. The teams fished for pride and to make a difference in ongoing conservation efforts for the fish.