Spiced Rum III Mixed Results in Saltwater Showdown

[dmartiniup]

Pompano, FL -- It was a series of near misses for Capt. Bill Wummer and the crew of the Spiced Rum III in the recent Pompano Beach Saltwater Showdown, the final leg of the Pompano Beach Saltwater Circuit (PBSC).

The three-event tournament series is an invitational qualifying event that pits the “best 75 boats in South Florida” against one another in pursuit of more than $100,000 in purse money.

The team finished the day respectably in 7th place with 114 pounds, but the highlight was cashing for the second largest fish overall, a 50.1-lb Wahoo-the team’s first of the season. “We always target Kingfish and Dolphin,” Wummer said. “We had four nice Kings in the boat by 10:00 in the morning when the bite slowed way down. About 12:30, something hit the downrigger hard, and we knew we were on a good fish.” Crewmate Tony Joseph landed the whopper Wahoo.

After boats spent the day dodging and drifting through squalls, the Spiced Rum III was facing a 50-mile run back to the scales, when text messages started warning of a severe storm between the boat and the beach. “There was one part of the storm where the wind and rain were coming sideways and the seas picked up to 4-6 feet” Wummer explained. “The level of confidence in our equipment allows me to focus on driving the boat. We know our Yamaha-power Contender with Latham steering and serviced by Tuppens Marine, can take a beating and get us safely back--it has all season!”

Once at the weigh-in, the crew of Spiced Rum III knew they had not placed on the day, but were in the points running for the “Showdown Crown,” the series’ crowning glory. But fishing fate had other plans and the team ended up missing a podium finish by just 2 points.

For Wummer and the crew of Spiced Rum III, there is plenty of season left, steering straight to the big fish with Latham Steering!

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