Tournament Tips with Benny Sanchez :
Slidell born and Pearlington , MS raised , Capt . Kris Roberts grew up on the Pearl River in a family that fished - and fished a lot , there is no mistaking that fishing is in his blood . He was taught at a young age by his cousin , Jack , the ins and outs of fishing , and by his teenage years , Capt . Kris and his friends used to ride bikes from Pearlington to the Rigolets just to fish off the bank . Capt . Kris has been eaten up with fishing since his first trip ; he even reminisced about a childhood time when his mother asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up , and without hesitation , he responded , “ I want to be a professional fisherman .” Capt . Kris said his mom laughed at the notion then , but if she could see him now , he knows she would be proud .
Benny Sanchez , on the other hand , was raised an Army brat and moved around the country throughout his childhood without any opportunities to discover the world of saltwater fishing ; but like most people who move to south Louisiana , it doesn ’ t take long to get the itch , buy a rod & reel , start asking questions , and then wet your feet in one of the world ’ s best fisheries . Now Benny wasn ’ t a rookie to fishing at all , he actually began bass fishing under the direction of his cousin , a former amateur division Bassmasters champion , but he never caught a redfish until 2011 . Benny may only have five or six years of saltwater fishing experience , but he is no slouch when it comes to filling the ice chest .
So , how do a world traveler and a good ole boy get teamed up to be one of the most competitive teams in south Louisiana ? Well , that ’ s an easy one - Back in 2011 , Benny was asking the Matrix guru , Chas Champagne , about charter captains who would take out just one person , and Chas kind of laughed and said , “ No one .” Well , apparently , Capt . Kris was standing close by and extended the offer for Benny to tag along with him since he was fishing anyway , and since that one trip and a pile of speckled trout , the odd couple was born .
So there they were , the charter captain and owner of One Last Cast , LLC and the business owner and entrepreneur of every opportunity that crosses his mind , matched up as the homegrown odd couple of every team series that enters south Louisiana . With wins ranging from the Faux Pas , Our Lady of
Lourdes , and various other trout tournaments to Team of the Year in the LASS ( Louisiana Saltwater Series ), this duo has a dynamic that so many others don ’ t . Their ability to pass the torch is amazing . If Capt . Kris is off his game one day , somehow Benny swings in and saves the day ; if Capt . Kris is on his game , Benny takes the roll of everything else . It ’ s a true give and take relationship where no one gets all the credit . If they win , they both win ; if they lose , they both accept the blame . Being a charter captain , Kris is able to make his own schedule and plan his day to fit both his clients and his pre-fishing ; and while Benny may not have the water time Capt . Kris does prior to tournament day , he pulls his weight better than most . When it comes down to it , Benny , at times , is the gear that keeps the machine running smoothly . He studies maps , tides , and wind , handles net duties , keeps water temps in the live well right , spots fish so Capt . Kris can catch them , and babies the fish to keep them healthy in the well until weigh-in ; Benny does it all , and he does it unselfishly . So the question comes , “ Does Capt . Kris catch most of the fish ?” Absolutely ; but there is also a time or three when Benny has come in and put 18 lbs . in the live well himself .
While they may come from different walks of life , they both think alike , they both enjoy the camaraderie on the tournament scene , they both have a competitive streak that ’ s natural , and they both appreciate the game and each other . While many teams limit their communications around tournaments , these two do it all together . They fish offshore , shrimp and crab together , and just get out on the water for a fun day of running around . Capt . Kris and Benny are more than just a team on tournament day , they are a family .
Tournament Tips with Benny Sanchez :
How much pre-fishing do you & Kris typically like to do before a tournament ?
This varies depending on location . If it ' s Delacroix or Cocodrie , we spend a day checking our most productive spots . Places like Lake Charles and Cypremort Point , we try to spend two days on the water and several hours reading maps .
Does a successful pre-fish generally result in a successful tournament ?
This is a tricky question to answer , but I ' ll do my best . Studying and pre-fishing is great because it gives Kris and me time to get on the same page and focused for tournament day , but just because we found great fish the day before the tournament doesn ' t always mean they will be there the day of . Fish have tails , they move whenever and
wherever they want . Mother Nature also throws curve balls and sucks water out or pushes it really high . We ’ ve prefished and found herds of great fish , only to find out the next day they were all replaced with five and six pounders . We ’ ve also had days leading up to tournaments where we ’ ve struggled and found nothing , but turned right around and had a great tournament day .
Do you ever change tactics during a tournament or do you stick to a game plan ?
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July 2016 www . marshandbayou . com
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