LeBlanc Wins Empire Day 1 Day 2 Final 
Results Tournament Photos Points
Jason LeBlanc came from 5th place after day 1 to take the win at Empire in the 2009 Hooters, HT3 Professional Redfish Series. A lot of action took place on both days, however, before you can fully appreciate what LeBlanc managed to do on day 2, we need to set the stage from the moment the production team pulled into Delta Marina in Empire.
From the moment the truck came to a stop in front of the newly remodeled and fully functional fishing paradise known as Delta Marina it was apparent this was a giant red fishing paradise. The facility lacks for nothing and the staff absolutely has the knowledge and interest in making sure each of their visitors has the fishing experience of a lifetime. Knowledgeable Captain’s, state of the art equipment and high rise villas allow for an experience second to none in southern Louisiana.
The tournament truck would be parked under a newly poured concrete pad with awning cover to keep anglers and spectators alike out of any inclement weather. Tony, Amber, Louis and Darren make sure every need is met and their staff goes out of their way to accommodate whether it is fresh bait delivered daily or the awesome meals prepared in the up stairs restaurant overlooking the gateway waters to the Mississippi River.
The anglers that competed and stayed at Delta Marina experienced the type of service usually reserved for rock stars and were appreciative of the extra efforts put forth by the crew at Delta Marine. From the Friday night, traditional crawfish boil to Saturday evening’s chicken jambalaya provided and prepared by Jeremy LeBlanc of JL Flooring. The food and drinks added to an already superb south Louisiana atmosphere.
The threat of severe weather really hurt the turn out but the 30 anglers who did compete enjoyed good weather, in spite of what was predicted ”experts” and 
caught plenty of monster red fish. After day 1 there was a tie for first place between Frontline Plus Pro, Blake Champion with an identical 16.02 pounds as Louisiana local, Mike Lambert.
Anglers came from Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and of course, Louisiana to take part in this the 2nd event in the series. After Lambert and Champion slugged it out for identical weights it was Darren Angelo who did weigh in 15.81 pounds for third. Fourth place after day 1’s weigh in was Ryan Roussel who weighed in 2 fish for 15.44 pounds. The top five rounds out with Jason Leblanc weigh in 2 fish for 14.90 pounds but well within striking distance as anglers would learn on day 2.
The biggest fish of day 1 would have been a 9+ pounder brought to the fish bump station by Dale Angelo but measuring just a pinch over 
27″ had to be thrown out. I knew it would be close but it was worth the risk to bring this big fish in, stated Angelo.
Now on to day 2. The launch took place at safe light with some anglers having to be redirected to another launch location on the other side of the “gate” which had to remain closed, due to high tide and rising waters. However, the lock tender, Jimmy, worked with the tour to make sure the remaining anglers could access the mighty Mississippi River which would lead them to their day 2 tournament waters location. The crowd swelled for day 2’s weigh in as anglers began to bring in some awesome Louisiana redfish.
First up on day 2 was Bucky Boone who brought in 13.02, then Texas pro, James Taylor brought his 2 fish in for 12.51 pounds and finally in round 1 on day 2 was Blake Champion who’s day 1 big fish would not bite but still was able to coax 13.89 pounds of redfish to bite. After a brief break in the action, the remaining anglers began to file in as the 4:00 pm deadline approached.
LA Landry brought in 15.12, Britt Ordes weighed in 13.94 and several other 7+ pound averages proved this fishery is in great shape, with many of those 7 pounders barely measuring 25″ much less the allowed 27″. It was an exciting conclusion that saw just one angler weighing in after Jason LeBlanc rested his 16.44 pounds on the scale and taking the lead.
It was Darren Angelo who needed approximately 17 pounds to take the win. LeBlanc stayed on stage while Angelo weighed in his catch, the fish and the scales settled and Angelo’s day 2 total weight was 16.22 pounds and LeBlanc secured his first win on the Hooters HT3 Professional Redfish Series. Jason received $2,005.00 by beating just 14 other anglers in the pro/boaters division with his 2 day total of 31.34 pounds and also took home $325.00 for his big fish of day 2, an 8.54 pounder. The total take for LeBlanc on 15 boats was $2,330.00.
Second place went to Ryan Roussel who landed 31.22 pounds and a check for $1,009.00. Third place in the pro/boater division went to Blake Champion and a check for $610.00 while the final spot went to the host facility owner, Darren Angelo who netted a check for $356.00 for his 2 day total of 29.61 pounds. The 6th and final check in the pro/boater’s division went to Mike Lambert for his day 1 big fish of 8.46 pounds which netted Mike a check for $325.00.
Non Boaters
The non boater division was won by Kory Matherne who took home $876.00 by beating just 14 other non boaters who paid just a $150.00 entry fee.
Second place went to Landon Clause who took home $415.00 while third place went to Sam Champion from Tennessee who took home $259.00. Finally, fourth place was landed by Jeff Mayne, a local fish and wildlife officer, who took home $150.00. In all with just 15 boats, there were 10 checks cut.
It was a great weekend and plans are in the works to bring HT3 back to Empire sooner than later and we are excited at the possibilities that may lie just around the corner for both the tour and anglers alike.
A special thanks to the entire crew at Delta Marine they could not of done anymore to ensure the anglers and tour thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.
Next up for the Series will be in Delacroix, July 25-26. Until then, go catch a big Louisiana redfish…. then release it!~~
