Improbable triumph

Last-minute substitute Mark Sepe helps propel Page-Brantley team to Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series title at Sarasota

SARASOTA, Fla. – Somehow, some way, the team of Geoffrey Page and Terry Brantley managed to turn a potential disaster into a Hollywood ending. With Page having to leave his team during the crucial, final day of competition due to a sponsor-related commitment, the team turned to an emergency substitute – veteran Redfish Series pro Mark Sepe – to help fill the void.

And fill the gap he did. On the strength of a final-day catch of 13 pounds, 7 ounces, Brantley and Sepe recorded just enough weight to earn the team’s very first victory in the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division circuit.

The victory, which earned the team a cool $35,000, seemed about as likely at the start of the day as the juggernaut team of Blair Wiggins and Travis Tanner coming up empty in the finals. But as unlikely as both of those scenarios seemed at the time, that is exactly what happened.

“It’s just unbelievable,” said Brantley of his team’s victory. “Just the way everything came together, it’s just amazing. We’re nervous as heck coming back to weigh-in. But there was nothing else we could have done. We caught the fish we caught. And it was either going to happen, or it wasn’t. I don’t know what to say. It’s just a great feeling.”

According to the team, once Page realized that he couldn’t get out of a previous sponsor engagement, Brantley scrambled to come up with a last-minute partner so the team could participate in the finals. The only problem was that, per tournament rules, a substitute team member couldn’t be a licensed captain nor live within a 100-mile radius of the tournament setting. Clearly, Brantley’s choices for a new partner were extremely limited.

“I just got out my phone and started calling people,” said Brantley. “I called an old partner of mine that I’d fished with for two years, but his wife was sick. From there, I just went down the phone list. The next person I called was (Sepe). I thought, `We’re good friends and we go fishing together all the time, so why not?'”

Sepe, who had been competing at the very same Redfish Series event the day prior, had already left for home because he’d failed to make the top-five cut.

“So I get this call from Terry,” said Sepe. “He says, `I have two questions for you. One, are you a licensed captain? And two, how far away from here do you live.’ I was like, `Why are you asking me all of these questions?'”

As soon as Brantley explained the team’s dilemma, Sepe knew what he had to do.

“I was on the interstate heading home when I got the call,” said Sepe. “I turned my rig right around and started heading back to the tournament.”

Final-day heroics

Although Brantley had finally found a partner, the hard work had only just begun. With the team qualifying in second place, there was still a huge day of fishing facing Brantley and Sepe. Not only that, the team of Wiggins and Tanner, the odds-on favorite to take the tournament title at the time, was squarely in first place, nearly 1 pound head of Brantley’s team. To add insult to injury, the National Weather Service had issued a forecast that was not for the faint of heart – 15- to 25-mph wind gusts from the south.

Before takeoff, Page – a veteran of Sarasota waters and local fishing guide – gave the team a quick pep talk as well as some pointers on how to attack the final day of competition. Finally, Brantley and Sepe hit the open waters of the Sarasota Bay.

And that’s when the magic really started to happen.

“At 7:45 a.m. we pulled up to our spot, and by 7:50 we had our limit,” said Brantley.

“It went just like we planned it,” said Sepe, holding back a huge smile. “Basically, we fished for five minutes and had two good fish in the boat before we knew it.”

Back at weigh-in, all the team could do was wait to see what would happen. By now, Page had joined Sepe and Brantley after his sponsors let him out of his engagement a little earlier than planned. As the three waited, the rest of the top-five finalists headed to the scales.

With only two teams left to weigh in, the duo of John Henninger and John Eggers had the overall lead with 40 pounds, 13 ounces. Finally, the team of destiny walked onstage. The result – a three-day total catch of 41 pounds, 14 ounces.

However, although the unlikely troika of Brantley-Page-Sepe was now in the lead, there was still one major obstacle – No. 1 team qualifiers Blair Wiggins and Travis Tanner. But whether it was divine intervention, good luck, tremendous skill or a combination of all three, the team finally managed to secure the most improbable victory in recent memory when Wiggins and Tanner walked to the scales and revealed that they had exactly zero fish to weigh.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” said Page, who secured the first-ever Redfish Series victory of his career. “Honestly, it hasn’t really hit me yet. I’ve finished in second place too many times. I really wanted this win badly. I was getting tired of second place. Finally, we have that monkey off our back. Maybe when I get home and see my wife, this will all sink in.”

Brantley, who was visibly overcome with emotion shortly after his team’s victory was officially recognized, staggered to find the appropriate words to describe the last 24 hours.

“For us, a tournament title was never meant to be until now,” he said. “It’s truly amazing.”

Beaming from ear to ear, Page offered one final thought that added yet another piece to the stunning victory puzzle.

“You know what, had (Sepe) not had a fish disqualified on Wednesday, he probably would have made the cut,” he said. “And we would have been fishing against him in the finals. Just imagine that.”

Henninger-Eggers nail down second place

On the strength of a three-day catch totaling 40 pounds, 13 ounces, the team of John Henninger of Jacksonville, Fla., and John Eggers of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., finished the Sarasota event in second place.

But while they were disappointed that they didn’t get to hoist the first-place trophy, they said they had no regrets.

“For the most part, everything went according to plan today,” said Eggers. “Any other year, these would have been winning weights. The wind was definitely a factor out there today, but it affected us more physically than anything else. Overall though, we had a good day.”

The team also managed to find some humor in the one major mishap they did have out on the water.

“My partner fell in the water today,” said Eggers with a grin.

With a fish on the line, Eggers watched as Henninger tumbled right into the drink with camera crews rolling film the entire time.

“Yeah, I fell into the water and lost my rod and everything,” said Henninger. “So I’m in the water and (Eggers) yells out, `Can you please get back in the boat and net this fish?'”

The team of Eggers and Henninger ultimately walked away with some damp clothing as well as nearly $15,000 in prize money for their efforts.

Crafton-Ochs net third place

The team of Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., and John Ochs of Englewood, Fla., parlayed a three-day catch of 40 pounds, 11 ounces into a third-place finish as well as a check for $5,000.

“It was just a great day,” said Ochs. “We had a lot of fun out there. And we caught a lot of fish.”

The team said they targeted the Fort DeSoto area, fishing for reds with 3-inch Berkley Gulp Shrimp in approximately 1 1/2 to 2 feet of water.

“There was a lot of stuff going on, and we got a little wet,” said Crafton. “It was really rocking and rolling out there. But we fished well. And we’ve been kind of on a roll lately. We’re just going to try to keep it up.”

Crafton was referring to the team’s amazing back-to-back top-five finishes in the first two FLW Redfish Series events of the 2008 season. During the first event at Punta Gorda, Fla., the team took home nearly $14,000 for their second-place finish there. And with nearly $20,000 in the bank after just two events, Crafton and Ochs now boast the overall lead in the points standings in the Redfish Series Eastern Division.

Benson-Ryan take fourth

By most accounts, the team of Daniel Benson of Brandon, Fla., and Matthew Ryan of Beleair Bluffs, Fla., had a tough day.

“It was rough out there today,” said Benson. “The chop on the water really didn’t allow us to see where our fish had gone to. Basically, the wind ruined what we wanted to fish today. But we battled it out all day. We probably wound up catching 15 to 20 fish, but they just weren’t the right size.”

For their efforts, the team took home a little more than $5,000 in winnings. And while they didn’t win the title, the team had few regrets.

“You know, it’s a wonderful feeling to be on top,” said Benson. “But it’s also a wonderful feeling to be here onstage today. This was one of the best top-five group of finalists ever at a redfish competition. I mean, just look at the names on this stage today.”

Bite dries up for Wiggins-Tanner

While it’s disappointing to come so close to victory and not ultimately walk away with a title, the team of Blair Wiggins and Travis Tanner probably had the hardest day of any team in the finals. After taking the overall lead heading into the final day of competition, the team failed to land any keeper fish, finishing with a total weight of 29 pounds, 10 ounces.

“We just didn’t catch them today, and that really stunk,” said Tanner. “The water level was way too low for what we needed to do, and we put all of our eggs in one basket. Our good bite had been happening around 2 or 3 p.m. in the afternoon, so having to come back early kind of hurt us as well.”

The duo also traversed farther than any other team in the finals, opting to make a 30-mile run across a windswept Tampa Bay.

“Making that trip in this wind really added insult to injury,” said Tanner. “But in the end, the fact is that it’s just really hard to put three good days together to win a tournament.”

Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division action continues May 1-3 at Panama City Beach, Fla.