Marine
First Stu Apte Fly Clinic will highlight Savannah Red * Trout Celebrity Classic
SAVANNAH, Ga. (October 19, 2007) – The Savannah Red * Trout Celebrity
Classic – set for the shallow waters off the Atlantic coast Nov. 15-17 – will
include a new first-day feature: a Stu Apte Fly Clinic.
Apt – the well-known master angler and holder of 40 world records – is among
the celebrities who have already signed up for the popular fishing tournament,
in addition to hosting the sure-to-be-popular clinic. Teams will be made up of
an angler and celebrity or two anglers, guided as a team by local professional
fishing captains.
The event will also feature a Friday evening cocktail party featuring signature
martinis and a festive low country boil awards dinner.
The much-anticipated tournament is part of the larger Redbone Red * Trout
Series, a handful of events held in the southeastern part of the country.
Approximately 30 total Redbone Celebrity tournaments are held each year,
and proceeds from all of the events benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
(CFF).
The Savannah Red * Trout Celebrity Classic is an all-inclusive competitive
fishing tournament designed to please the recreational and avid angler alike.
Redfish and trout are the target fish for the catch-and-release event.
Thanks to the financial support of events such as the Savannah Red * Trout
Celebrity Classic, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has made tremendous
progress in the field of cystic fibrosis (CF) research and care. The median age
of survival for a person with CF has improved from early childhood in the
1950s to 36.8 years today. However, cystic fibrosis continues to be a critical
health matter, as most individuals with the disease must battle chronic lung
infections for their entire lives. At least one person dies from CF each day.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to assure the means to cure
and control this genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems
of approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the United States.
Redbone founder Gary Ellis and his wife, Susan, have passionately supported
the Foundation not only because of its innovative and effective research
efforts, but also for a very personal reason: their daughter, Nicole, was
diagnosed with CF as an infant in the mid-1980s. Nicole is now a college
graduate making her mark in the corporate world, and she has witnessed -
first hand - the advances made in the treatment of the disease.
The Savannah Red * Trout Celebrity Classic has grown from the seed planted
in 1988, when a handful of anglers, fishing guides and sports celebrities
organized a tournament in the Florida Keys village of Islamorada. The group
focused on just two of the available species: redfish and bonefish. The
ground rules were simple – to win, the angler must catch and release at least
one of each.
In the past 19 years, Redbone tournaments have contributed approximately
$10 million to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The inaugural Islamorada event
was a great success, and the "redbone" moniker was born. The current
format of the individual tournaments can include freshwater, offshore and
flats fishing.
The environments in which the Redbone events take place have played a
major role in their success. The Florida Keys, for instance, contain miles of
clear flats with acres of turtle grass and marl, features that create a
welcoming habitat and a diverse fishery that includes bonefish, tarpon,
permit, redfish and snook. Tournaments are also held in such diverse locations
as Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Costa Rica,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, the Bahamas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina and Louisiana.
Mercury Marine, the official outboard engine of the Redbone events, began its
support of the Series in 1992, and the collection of events has drawn the
attention and support of big-name celebrities such as the late baseball great
Ted Williams, baseball stars Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs, football legends
Jim Kelly and Ken Stabler, and the late broadcasting icon Curt Gowdy.
For more information on the Redbone Red * Trout Series and/or the Savannah
Red * Trout Celebrity Classic, visit on-line at www.redbone.org or call 305-
664-2002 or 1-877-5-FISH-CF.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a donor-
supported, nonprofit organization committed to finding therapies and
ultimately a cure for cystic fibrosis, and to improving the lives of those with
the disease. For more information, visit www.cff.org.
WHAT: Savannah Red * Trout Celebrity Classic
WHEN: November 15-17, 2007
WHERE: Savannah, Georgia
CONTACT:
Steve Fleming
Communications Director
Mercury Marine
Phone: 920-929-5340
Fax: 920-926-2346
Email: steve_fleming@mercmarine.com
or
Gary Ellis
Redbone Foundation
Phone: 877-5-FISH-CF or 305-664-2002
Email: gredbone@bellsouth.net
