Fishing Tournament Benefits Cancer Research

By Elizabeth Carr

She didn't get the master angler award, but she did get the most applause. Shelby Bachnik got up at 5 a.m. just to go fishing with her mother, aunt, father and uncle for the 16th annual Old Salt Ladies Fishing Tournament to raise money for the Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

As Bachnik gazed up at her fish, hanging just above her head of blond curls, she smiled up at it in the hot afternoon sun. It weighed 3.32 pounds, the announcer said. There was a brief moment of silence until the crowd realized it could be in the running for largest trout catch of the day. Applause broke out and Bachnik's smile widened.

Bachnik, 5, placed fourth for the largest trout with her catch—and was the youngest participant in the tournament.

The tournament weigh-in was June 19 at Gators at the Pass restaurant, but the fishing started the night before—at midnight.

Eight species were up for grabs and the woman who managed to catch them all-or as many as she could—would be awarded "master angler." One hundred and thirty-eight women fished in hopes of claiming the title. The prizes for the largest catch for each species were $300 for first, $200 for second and $100 for third. The master angler won a gold pendant from Johnston Jewelers and a check for $200. The tournament was sponsored by Gators restaurant and Thunder Marine.

The inshore species: trout, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and flounder. The offshore species: snapper, grouper, amberjack and king mackerel. The strategy: fish offshore, then inshore, offshore and in again.

The master angler, Donna LoGrande, caught five of the eight species. She caught: a 2.6 pound sheepshead, 1.20 pound trout, 6.62 pound grouper, 1.68 pound Spanish mackerel and 4.66 pound snapper.

The day smelled like fish guts, beer and sweat. As the women lined up at 4 p.m. with their catch, the sun beat down on them. The only break was the little space under the blue tent where the women lined up to have their fish weighed.

The wooden A-frame with a hook hanging off of the top of it was connected to a high-tech device that measured the weight of the fish when placed on the hook. The fish were hung by their gills, and after the weigh-in, women posed for pictures with their fish hanging next to them.

Some fish were brought in dead, while others brought in live catches placed in a bucket off the metal hook. After they were weighed, the live fish were released.

Women asked one other what they caught and where they caught it. Some were forthcoming with their answers. Others, such as one woman who caught a very large grouper, got up to the weigh-in line and said she caught the fish "in the water." At exactly 5 p.m., the line was cut off by an Old Salt board member, and only the women who were actually in line could have their catch weighed.

Some women had been fishing since midnight and brought bean bags onto their boats with them and would trade off sleeping, said board member Dick Hill. Others had been fishing since the early morning and still came back just as exhausted as those who had been out since the night before. Their tan faces, with a hint of sunburn atop the tan, were sweat-covered.

Some fished in teams and wore shirts adorned with their team name on them. There were the women in pink sleeveless polo shirts. In tank tops with the logo from previous Old Salt Tournaments on them. Names like "Blue Runner," and "Team Yellowfin," dotted the line of women. Others wore bikini tops or tank suits. There were short shorts and shorts that reached the knees. Oversized T-shirts and tight tank tops.

"The ladies have to do all the catching," said Hill. "When you get all eight, it's tough to do." This year even the woman crowned master angler didn't catch all eight species.

Jill Foraker, 25, from Seminole, a participant and secretary of the Old Salt Club, said the money raised by the tournament would go the Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation just as the funds did last year. Last year the club raised $10,000. Foraker placed second for her 25.44 pound amberjack, and third for her 7.18 pound snapper.

"This year we're going to try and beat it," said Foraker.

"It's a worthwhile cause even if we didn't bring a fish in," said Anna Patterson, 40, from St. Petersburg. "Expensive habit and worthy contribution," she said. Patterson and her partner started fishing at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

After getting sidetracked by "really nice" tuna that were not one of the species that would merit an award, Patterson caught an amberjack and placed fourth in the category with her 20.44 pound catch. It was the first amberjack she's caught—still a rookie to the sport, she said.

After the weigh-in, the women ate, drank beer and wine and listened to the band's rendition of "This Magic Moment," and waited for their raffle tickets to come out of the spinning cage. After two days of fishing, the women celebrated until the exhaustion overcame them. Behind the band a sign said, "if you're too busy to go fishing, you're just too busy."

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Photos: Fishing Tournament Benefits Cancer Research by Liz Lucsko

The headline over Celma Mastry's obituary in the St. Petersburg Times called her the "Queen of charity." Saturday, people had a chance to give back to the woman who gave so much, and learn about ovarian cancer—a disease that is often diagnosed too late.

Celma Mastry died in January. Her family members are all honorary members of the club, said Foraker. So the club decided to donate money to the Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Each year the club runs tournaments to benefit different organizations. They've given away more than $ 40,000, not including the tournament held most recently.

Celma Mastry knew that her cancer was terminal and wanted to start a foundation dedicated to researching ovarian cancer, Foraker said. Other charities supported are the Children's Dream Fund, Pinellas Association for Retarded Children, All Children's Hospital and many more.

"When Mom was diagnosed four years before she died, while she was having chemotherapy she noticed a lot of young people getting treatment," said Tino Mastry, 58, Celma Mastry's oldest son. While she was sitting in the hospital getting her chemo she wanted to do something to eradicate the disease and raise awareness. The Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation was born. The foundation is for Tampa Bay area residents only, although it has joined national cancer organizations.

"My mother was very active—extremely active—and we as her children thought we should form her own foundation that would be the epitome of her charitable work," said Mastry.

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