18th Annual Hookers Fishing Derby

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The 18th Annual Pine Island Elementary School Fishing Tournament & Derby sponsored by the Matlacha Hookers Organization. Great fishing, live music, a fish fry, auctions, and kids activities at the

Olde Fish House Marina
4530 Pine Island Road
Matlacha, Florida
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2014
Starts at 7 a.m. and end promptly at 4 p.m.

In 1998 twenty-one women came together with the unified goal to “Make a Positive Difference in Our Community”. Currently almost 300 active members are striving to achieve this goal by exceeding last year’s effort to benefit the students and teachers at Pine Island Elementary.

Over the past nine years, $130,000.00 raised and donated. This has allowed the school to provide an after school tutoring program, stock their library with over 5,000 books, schedule educational field trips and provide supplemental educational materials. The principal; Robert Mazzoli, stated that the Matlacha Hookers have made a huge impact on the students and have been a major factor in Pine Island Elementary consistently receiving an “A” rating for the past 17 years.

“It's all about the kids," D.J. Ruscik, Matlacha Hookers, said.
It’s getting closer to our 18th annual fundraiser for the Pine Island Elementary School and once again, we invite you to participate and let others know of this event.

Included in the $60 per angler registration fee are a tournament T-shirt and a ‘meal tile’ that entitles you to the wonderful fish fry with all the fixings, when you return with your prize-winning catch.

If you mail in your registration form and fee, please indicate the T-shirt size(s) in the space(s) provided and you can pick up those and your ‘meal tiles’ at the Captains Meeting or at the Hookers Booth when you weigh in your catch.
You can register any time at Olde Fish House Marina (Matlacha), Four Winds Marina in Bokeelia, Seven Seas Bait & Tackle in Matlacha). You can also register with the Matlacha Hookers the day before the event, Saturday, October 15th,
from 12:00-6:00PM at the Olde Fish House Marina.


Registered children are invited to participate in games, face-painting, T-shirt-painting, the fishing derby is in three age divisions. The Shark, Pine Fish and Shrimp. The children's tournament will start at 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Each age group will have the opportunity to fish for 1 1/2 hours. Awards ceremony to follow tournament. Cost for non-PIE students is $35; for PIE students, $30 (sponsorship available for those who cannot pay the fee.)

Each sponsored child will receive a fishing rod and reel, bait, games, trophies, face painting, free lunch and two sodas, T-shirt and four bike raffles and free lunch

We have seen kids hook into all types of fish over the years from puffer fish to grouper. Trophies will be awarded to the place winners of each division. The adult angler’s tournament begins at 7am with weigh in at 3pm. The adults are fishing for cash prizes awarded to the heaviest legal Snook, Redfish and Trout and for a slam. The adult fishing tournament, which will begin at 7 a.m. and end promptly at 4 p.m. at the docks, is $60 per person with a boat maximum of four anglers.

The captain's meeting for the adult anglers will be held Saturday, Oct. 15th, at the Olde Fish House Marina at 6:00 p.m.
Prizes of $2500 in Cash Prizes for Redfish, Trout, Snook & Slam.

To register please make your check out to: The Matlacha Hookers, Inc. and put PIE ANGLER in the memo line.
For kid’s sponsorship and registration forms or more information about the fishing event or donating auction items, visit www.matlachahookers.org or call DJ Ruscik at 239-910-3829 or Krissy Bates at 239-994-0437.

This years sponsors are: Bert's Bar & Grill; Traders Hitching Post: WildChild Art Gallery: Seven Seas Bait & Tackle; Miceli's Restaurant; Total Payroll Management: Bob & Annies Boat Yard: Little Lilly's Island Deli: Woody's Island Rum Bar & Grill and Matlacha Mariners.

If you would like to be a sponsor or make a donation, contact: Krissy Bates at 239-994-0437 or DJ Ruscik at 239-910-3829.

GOOD LUCK! And see you there. During our event, we have two types of fishing. The Derby is for the children who fish by land with help from parents and volunteers. Each child will be given a brand new rod and reel and all the bait they need to catch “the big one”. The rod and reels are theirs to keep. We have seen kids hook into all types of fish over the years from puffer fish to grouper. Trophies will be awarded to the place winners of each division. The adult angler’s tournament begins at 7am with weigh in at 3pm. The adults are fishing for cash prizes awarded to the heaviest legal Snook, Redfish and Trout and for a slam.

Applications & Event Registration can be done online at www.Eventful.com or www.eventbrite.com – key word Pine Island Elementary and on Facebook event page – 18th Annual Pine Island Elementary Fishing Tournament & Derby.

For more information, call DJ Ruscik at 239-910-3829 or Krissy Bates at 239-994-0437.

If you are interested in donating an item for one of our auctions or to sponsor a child to fish in the event, please check out our website at www.matlachahookers.org.

All of this would not be possible without the help of everyone in our community; residents, businesses, anglers and patrons of this annual event. We thank you in advance for your generosity and look forward to seeing you at the Derby.