Team Nobles/Craven Wins IFA Redfish Tour Event at Jacksonville, Florida
OutdoorHub 05.01.13
Victory includes fully-rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme valued at $30,000
J.D. Nobles, of St. Johns, Fla., and Kyle Craven, of Macclenny Fla., weighed in a two-redfish limit that totaled 15.76 pounds to win the first event of the season for the Florida East Division of the IFA Redfish Tour presented by Cabela’s in Jacksonville, Fla. On April 27. The anglers topped a field of 74 boats to take home a fully-rigged Ranger Banshee Extreme, valued at $30,000.
The winning anglers faced winds from 15-20 mph on a long run north. The duo had a good feeling and took a chance on a different pattern.
“We fished a variety of techniques with swimbaits and spinner baits with camo-colored Berkley Gulp! curly tails,” said Nobles. “We worked as a team and feel great about our performance. It was a long time coming, but it is great to finally have an IFA first-place win.”
The anglers took home an additional $2,310 in Angler’s Advantage cash and won the $500 Berkley Gulp! Big Fish award for their 8.12-pound redfish.
Second-place finishers Fred Walker, Ocala Fla., and Shawn Walker, Crystal River Fla., brought 13.80 pounds to the scales during the event. The duo returned to a productive spot in the Intracoastal Waterway, blind-casting spinner baits and Berkley Gulp!.
In addition to the $2,910 second-place prize, the anglers added $1,155 in Anglers Advantage cash.
Marty Simmons, and Keith McBride, both of St. Augustine Fla., weighed a total of 13.57 pounds to take the $1,124 third-place prize. Long-time IFA anglers, the team ran 35 miles to their home waters around St. Augustine. The duo fought windy conditions and stained water, fishing weedless baits in the grass.
Continuing to draw inshore anglers from Texas to the Carolinas, both IFA Redfish Tours include five different divisions, each with a two-event regular season. With budget-friendly entry fees, the two tours offer opportunities to compete close to home while keeping anglers’ expenses to a minimum.
IFA Texas Division
Port Aransas, Texas (Top 10)
- Nobles/Craven – 15.76 lbs.
- Walker/Walker – 13.8 lbs.
- Simmons/McBride – 13.57 lbs.
- Riley/Erwin – 13.05 lbs.
- Lemmon/Rood – 12.44 lbs.
- Fields/Crumpton – 11.93 lbs.
- Pittman/Chapman – 11.79lbs.
- Smith/Nippert – 11.53 lbs.
- Hice/Dangelis – 11.43 lbs.
- McMillan/King – 11.38 lbs.
