Team Century’s Jeff Totten and Ozzie Lessinger Score Victory—Team Takes Wire-to-Wire Win in Redfish Cup Opener

PANAMA CITY, Florida, May 4, 2009

Team Century’s Jeff Totten and Ozzie Lessinger put together three-days of exceptional fishing, leading the opening event of the 2009 Redfish Cup in Punta Gorda, for a wire-to-wire victory, earning the anger’s a $40,000 purse and 56 points toward the race as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Team of the Year presented by Crocs.

Lessinger, who hails from Ft. Myers/Naples, and Totten, from Englewood, used their local knowledge to gain access to perfect slot fish, landing the team in the top five with a chance to fish on day three.

“We were fishing from a Century 2400 Inshore, not your typical shallow-water platform.  But during pre-fishing, I was confident that we could get the boat where we needed to be to catch our fish,” says Lessinger.  “We definitely stood out like a sore thumb against a backdrop of flats boats, but it goes to show the versatility of a large bay boat, especially on shallow flats,” he added.

On the final day of the tournament, the team landed two fish weighing 13.20 pounds, a feat that required much patience.  “We stuck with our game plan, as our first pass through our fishing hole yielded zero fish.  Our second drift yielded two fish totaling 10-pounds, which put us in the game,” says Lessinger.  Soon after, the team landed a 7-plus pounder, securing the win.

The team will part ways for the next Redfish Cup event in Kemah, Texas on May 29th-31st, as Lessinger will partner with Beaumont, Texas native and fellow Team Century angler, Chuck Uzzle.  Totten, meanwhile, will make a run at the Professional Tarpon Tournament Series in Boca Grande Pass, a place where he has experienced much tournament success.

Century Boat Company, Inc. has a long history of high-quality boats designed and built for boaters and anglers who demand fishability, luxury, and reliability. To find a dealer near you, visit our dealer locator section of the website.