GOLDEN ISLES — The shallow waters off the coast of St. Simons Island are teaming with redfish and trout, a fact that will undoubtedly draw anglers to the 7th Annual Rich Products Golden Isles Red Trout Celebrity Classic set for Oct. 9-11.
The event is part of the Redbone Red Trout Series, which makes up a portion of the approximately 30 Redbone Celebrity tournaments that are held each year, with all proceeds benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Redbone events raised $1,568,000 in 2007 alone, and have raised more than $11 million in 20 years. Mercury Marine, the official outboard engine of the Redbone events, began its support in 1992.
The Redbone Red Trout Series also includes the Mosquito Lagoon Red Trout Celebrity Fishing Tournament (Oct. 9-11, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.), the Cape Fear Red Trout Celebrity Classic (Oct. 16-18, Wrightsville Beach, N.C.), the Lowcountry Red * Trout Celebrity Classic (Oct. 23-25, Charleston, S.C.), the Oldest City Red * Trout Celebrity Classic (Oct. 23-25, St. Augustine, Fla.) and the Savannah Red Trout Celebrity Classic (Nov. 20-22, Savannah, Ga.).
The two-day catch and release tournament for redfish and trout will include team competition made up of two anglers and will also include local professional fishing captains.
Financial support from the Redbone events has allowed tournaments such as the 7th Annual Rich Products Golden Isles Red Trout Celebrity Classic to help CFF make tremendous progress in the field of cystic fibrosis 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. Cystic fibrosis continues to be a critical health matter; however, as most individuals with the disease must battle chronic lung infections their entire lives. At least one person dies from CF each day.
CFF's mission is to assure the means to cure and control the 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 supported CFF for two decades, 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 thriving in the corporate world.