Former NFL QB great Boomer Esiason has announced the partnering of the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF) with the Redbone celebrity fishing tournament series event the F.C.A. Montauk Slam in Montauk, Long Island, N.Y, Sept. 19 - 21. The annual two-day inshore tournament is expected to attract 80 anglers and celebrities, catch & release fishing for blues, stripers and football shaped fish called false albacore (or albies) while at the same time helping to raise money for the BEF Scholarship Program for patients with CF. Esiason is shown here taking photos of an angler at his annual Costa Rica Classic a catch & release billfishing tournament held each spring to help patients in the Central America country with CF.
For more information on the Montauk Slam please call the Redbone offices at 305-664-2002. For more information on the Boomer Esiason Foundation go to the website www.esiason.org, call Mike Hill at 212-525-7777 or leave a message on the CRC Hotline 800-317-5378.
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MONTAUK, Long Island, NY - The Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF) will partner with the Redbone for the sixth annual F.C.A. Montauk Slam, a national celebrity fishing event to raise funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis, at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort and Marina, Sept. 19 - 21.
A field of 80-plus anglers and celebrities are expected to use fly and light tackle for a "Nor' East Grand Slam" of striped bass, bluefish and false albacore. All fish caught are photographed, measured and immediately returned to the water. The teams are guided by 40 experienced and local captains, most members of the Fishermen's Conservation Association (FCA).
Besides its extensive work with raising monies for CF research and education, the BEF has recently created a scholarship fund to assist CF patients pursuing college degrees. Proceeds from the tournament will be presented by the Redbone to BEF for the scholarship program.
"As research and therapeutic developments have increased the lifespan of CF patients over the past two decades, the need for a scholarship program for these students has emerged," said Esiason who is best known for his years as a top quarterback in the NFL and is now a TV and radio sports broadcaster.
"Having grown up here on Long Island I'm delighted to see the Foundation initiate and develop this scholarship program as well as take an active role in the Redbone tournaments created in the Florida Keys 20 years ago by
Capt. Gary and
Susan Ellis, who are also parents of a CF child. Their events have raise millions of dollars for CF research and awareness through nearly 30 annual celebrity fishing events."
The Redbone is based in Islamorada, Fla.
Montauk Slam entries expected to go fast
A field of some 40 boats is expected to sell out quickly. The entry fee is $3,000 to fish with a celebrity or $3500 for two people fishing as a team. It includes a guide for the two days of tournament fishing, auctions, awards party and all meals listed on the social schedule.
Besides Esiason, other celebrities scheduled are collegiate and NFL football great Dave Rimington -- who is also president of BEF - and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. More celebrities are to be announced.
The individual tournament grand champion will win a stainless steel Rolex watch. The team grand champions will each win stainless steel Montauk Slam sculptures by Roger Fowler. Other tournament category winners will take home beautifully framed original and limited edition marine artwork from nationally known artists.
In addition, the tournament's grand champion male and female anglers and the top celebrity angler will qualify to compete in the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Inshore World Championship (IWC) next year in the Florida Keys.
"The Montauk fishery is abundant," said Ellis. "In the fall the migration of the three species of fish is called a 'blitz' with a feeding frenzy around the point of Montauk. It's a fisherman's dream."
Tournaments nationally and internationally
In addition to Montauk, BEF and the Redbone will be partnering with two other tournaments which include the Deep Water Cay Bonefish Classic at Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas, Nov. 16 - 19, and the Over the Hill Sailfish Tournament at Islamorada, Fla., January 21 - 22, 2008.
BEF also has its own fishing competition the Costa Rica Classic Billfish Tournament, with the actual two fishing days on March 28 - 29, 2008. The celebrity tournament is limited to 100 registrants of two to six person teams fishing for sailfish and marlin from the Los Suenos Resort. All proceeds from the Classic help benefit children in Costa Rica who are afflicted with CF.
Registration per angler is $700. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
Winners of CRC also receive trio of world class tournament entries
Besides the events and prizes surrounding the tournament, Rimington said the winning team from the Costa Rica Classic will not only receive an invitation to fish in the prestigious IGFA Offshore World Championship (presently held in Mexico each year, fishing against teams from more than 30 countries) in 2009, but will also receive paid registrations for a team of four to compete in the two Los Suenos Signature Billfish Series tournaments in 2009 which is valued at $10,000.
"We're excited about the growth of this fun and rewarding tournament," said Rimington, "and what it means to helping youngsters afflicted with CF."
Rimington explained that, "Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can lead to life-threatening lung infections. The CF mucus also obstructs the pancreas, interfering with digestion. Though medical science has made remarkable progress, there is still no cure for CF."
To learn more about the Montauk Slam please go to the Redbone web site at www.redbone.org or call the Redbone offices at 305-664-2002. .
For more information on the Costa Rica Classic please go to
www.costaricaclassic.com on the Boomer Esiason Foundation website
www.esiason.org or call Mike Hill at 212-525-7777 or leave a message on the CRC Hotline 800-317-5378.
F.C.A. Montauk SLAM Entry Form