Tournament brings young anglers to pier
Alessandro Seprone spent most of his summer in Deerfield Beach fishing from the International Fishing Pier.
Along with his brother, Fabrizio, and a friend, Tyler, the group typically arrived around 5 a.m. to be in time for the early sight feeders.
Seprone relied on his mother to deliver sandwiches or pizza at lunch time and often didn’t head for home until 5 p.m., even when fishing was bad most of the day. Mostly, they caught Blue Runners, which are good fighters, but not very tasty. But there was one fish the trio still remember, from back in June: the group caught a snook and “group” is not a misprint.
“My brother’s friend hooked it,” Seprone explained. “We started grabbing the rod to help, and he let me reel it in.”
Seprone said he plans to be back on the pier on Sept. 16 when Deerfield Beach hosts its annual Jr. Anglers Day.
The fishing tournament, for ages 5 to 13, includes fishing clinics and exhibitors, goody bags and food for participants and their families. The event is free, but registration is required. Registration can be done online at www.deerfield-beach.com. Like any veteran fisherman, Seprone knows that while a typical day’s catch may have been blue runners, fishing tournament victory is forever just one good hit away. And Seprone knows what it is to catch a fighter.
Prefer not to fish? There are options for those who support those who fish. This year’s event includes face painting, balloon art and arts and crafts.
For more information visit www.deerfield-beach.com.