Redfish Pro Anglers Fish For a Wish

While many anglers spend many hours wishing they were fishing, YUM pros Troy Mell and Jason Swensson will spend this spring "fishing for wishes." Tournament redfishing partners and fishing guides from the Florida Keys, captains Mell and Swensson are donating all of their 20006 earnings from the FLW Redfish Series, eastern division, to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida.

Along with donating their winnings, Mell and Swensson hope to raise awareness about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

"They ask the children, ‘If you could wish for anything in the world, what would it be?’" Mell explained. "And they try to make it happen – as close as possible."

Make-A-Wish of Southern Florida grants an average of 40 wishes per month, with an average cost of $5,000 per wish. Mell and Swensson hope the redfish they bring to the scales this year will help convert some of those wishes into realities.

Each of the four Redfish Series events pays out $200,000, including $37,500 for first place, and Mell and Swensson have proven their potential to win big in redfish tournaments. They finished last season as the third-ranked team in the eastern division and finished in the top 10 in five of six FLW Redfish Series tournaments they entered.

The first eastern division tournament will be held Feb. 23-25 in Tierra Verde, Fla. The other three events are scheduled for March 30-April 1 in Englewood, Fla., May 18-20 in Titusville, Fla., and July 13-15 in Fernandina Beach, Fla.

Mell and Swensson noted that they are able to donate their winnings to Make-A-Wish due to the support of their families and their sponsors, which include YUM Bait Company, Silver Thread, Prographics Sportswear, Lazy Days Restaurant, Hookup Lures, Quantum and Costa Del Mar.