NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Larry and Sharon Sydnor thought their luck might keep them in second place for the second straight day of the Mercury Outboards Redbone @ Large celebrity fishing tournament last month. But a huge school of redfish changed that — for the better — in the waning hours along the east Florida coastal waters of the Mosquito Lagoon.

The owners of a Ft. Lauderdale sign painting company crafted a come-from-behind-win, catching and releasing 37 redfish with Capt. Mike Hakala in the final hours of the two-day tournament. The Sydnors commanded a runaway finish over first-day leaders Gene Harper of New Smyrna Beach and Mike McAdaragh of Atlanta.

"We had tried a number of the same spots that had produced fish the first day but by noon we had nothing," Larry Sydnor said. "Then our guide took us to a spot on the eastern edge of the lagoon, and for the next hour and a half we were in thick with a school of about 100 redfish."

"We were in them and had numerous double hookups," Sharon added.

"When we ran out of live bait, we tried artificial baits and flies, but the only things they fed on were shrimp," Larry said. "We kept our guide busy measuring (18-inch minimum for points), photographing and releasing all those fish. At the end of the two days Larry had released 26 redfish and one trout; Sharon had 17 reds and two trout. Including team and individual honors Larry, Sharon and Hakala walked away with artwork and sculptures in seven categories.

In the celebrity division, recently retired, major league baseball star Mike Stanley of Maitland, Fla., held onto a first day lead and finished with four awards including the biggest redfish released.

The ex-Boston Red Sox catcher, first baseman and designated hitter had six releases including a 42-inch fish. Guided by New Smyrna Beach Capt. Scott Tripp, Stanley beat out former baseball manager Davey Johnson of Winter Park, Fla. Other celebrities competing in the 20-boat tournament included former Orlando Magic coach Brian Hill, Miami Dolphins? linebacker Steve Towle plus sports hall of famers Jack Youngblood (football) and Denis Potvin (hockey).

Artwork was awarded to the top finishers. Participants paid a $2,000 entry fee to team with a celebrity or as a two-partner team. The celebrity tournaments benefit cystic fibrosis research to find a cure for the genetic disease that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can lead to life-threatening lung infections.

The Redbone began as a small local tournament in 1988 in Islamorada in the Florida Keys to help CF patients like the daughter of tournament founders Capt. Gary and Susan Ellis.

The 14-year-old Mercury Redbone series events have attracted national and international attention raising more than $1.8 million dollars to find a cure for CF. Now many CF Foundation chapters around the country are beginning to include Mercury Redbone celebrity fishing tournaments in their annual special events.

The first year event in New Smyrna Beach was organized by the CF Orlando chapter. The next two new events include the Mercury Redbone @ Large/Mike Schmidt's Winners Circle to Walker's Cay, Bahamas, May 16-19 and the Mercury Redbone @ Large — Everglades City, Fla., June 29-July 1.

For more information on these tournaments or fishing the Mercury Redbone fall series of celebrity tournaments in the Florida Keys, please call Susan Ellis at (305) 664-2002 or visit www.redbone.org.