C.A. Richardson Blog

Looking for a Little Lone Star Magic

May 6, 2008

Well, Punta Gorda didn't turn out they way I had hoped. Placing in the middle of the field (28th place), we have some work to do in Port Arthur to climb back into the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup championship hunt. But that's fishing.

I can't complain too much. We managed around seven, eight or nine reds per day in the Florida event but seemed plagued by mostly oversized fish. Unfortunately, that happens when focusing on redfish schools. When the majority of anglers also locate schooling fish, the upper slot fish get culled out and you’re left with more oversized fish to weed through for your two good ones.

On a high note, the fans in Punta Gorda are first class. Fellow Ranger/Evinrude pros Sam Bertha Jr., Gary McKenzie, Ray Van Horn, and I enjoyed signing hats, t-shirts, and interacting with everyone at the weigh-in! It's refreshing to see so many families interested in our sport and my hat's off to the Cup organizers for doing such a good job making this an event—instead of just another tournament.

Hopefully, the Lone Star state will provide a little magic for my team and we will be able to gain some ground on the field. To coin a phrase from Keith Alan we hope to start, "movin' up the food chain, baby".

I can't wait to get out there and start tangling with those 28-inch, Texas-sized redfish that really know how to heat up the drag washers! It makes me wonder just how many 16-pound bags will be brought to the scales each day in Port Arthur.

I hope to meet lot of you at the Academy for the Net Gains program in Port Arthur, and I'd like to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the ladies…give them a hug!

- Capt. C.A. Richardson, www.flatsclass.com

Paralysis by Analysis

April 16, 2008

I'm very excited about being able to share my tour life with all of you who enjoy following the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup. Many of our fans already know the behind-the-scenes action on the tour like the strategies, tactics, superstitions, and of course, the practical jokes we pull on each other. But with so much pressure to perform at a limited number of tournaments on the schedule, we have to focus to produce at every venue. At it all begins with Punta Gorda.

Residing within two hours of the first venue, you’d think I have a lot more options than some of my colleagues. But sometimes having too many options can create what pro anglers call "paralysis by analysis" and to compound this dilemma is the fact there are schooling redfish roaming everywhere already this spring. Punta Gorda looks like it could be a real shootout.

My partner, Ray Van Horn, and I won’t be the only pros trying to overcome paralysis by analysis — Florida's west coast has a number of Cup anglers who will also struggle with the urge to fish everywhere. The only vaccine to cure this disease means limiting practice time to a given area instead of hopping all over the place and second guessing each moment. After all, you can't catch redfish if you’re busy driving the boat all day.

So let the mind games begin! Pro anglers love to get into the heads of their opponents and they all know how much of a cerebral game fishing can become. So come see us on media day and get in on the fun!

- Capt. C.A. Richardson

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