Abu Garcia Pros and veteran redfish captains Greg and Bryan Watts captured their first tournament victory since 2003 by winning the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup All-Star Ice-Breaker in Clearwater, Fla., over the weekend with a final-day weight of 13.26 pounds.

 

With the win, the Watts brothers pocketed $60,000 in first-place prize money and brought their tournament drought to an end.

 

“It’s been a long time coming,” Bryan Watts said following the win.

 

The Watts brothers credited patience with their victory. A cold front made the fish picky and the brothers had to their bait slowly into holes in the flats and wait for the fish to strike. During the tournament, the Watts brothers focused their efforts on areas within 1-2 miles of the boat launch. Fishing in 2-3 feet of water of the bars, they used Berkley Gulp! 4-inch Sinking Minnows (watermelon red glitter) and Saltwater Gulp! 3-inch Shrimp (new penny), keeping the bait close to the bottom with technique called “tickling the bottom.” This slow, methodical presentation that allows the Gulp! scent to fill the areas was countered by “dead sticking,” where the Watts brother would let the bait sit on the bottom in the shallow water.