They say good things happen to nice guys.
On July 24, 2015, forty-nine days after our fishing trip — while fishing with trophy trout greats Ed Sexton and Dudley Vandenborre in the Faux Pas Lodge Invitational Rodeo — Tony Bruce finally caught his STAR-winning speckled trout.
The 7.8-pound beauty came on a live croaker, and it came from a Venice rig.
It took first place in the East Division of the STAR Tournament.
Bruce also won the Faux Pas Rodeo with the fish.
The Bruce, Sexton, and Vandenborre team also pulled down first-place trout stringer, as well as first place in the trout-redfish-flounder grand slam.
To firmly cement 2015 as his year, Bruce added other honors
On Aug. 8, while fishing with brother Charlie and big trout legends Terry St. Cyr and Bob Weiss, Tony Bruce boated a 6.8-pound speck.
The fish took second place (behind his first-place fish) in the STAR Eastern Division, and it also won the Hercules Fishing Rodeo.
Even more, the four-man team made a complete rodeo sweep, taking first, second and third lunker spots, as well as first, second and third (five-fish) stringers with 26 pounds, 25 pounds and 24 pounds.
For winning the STAR division, Bruce took home a Mercury-powered 1810 RG Nautic Star, but the win was more than just a boat.
“I finally accomplished what I wanted to my whole fishing career,” he said.
