The 2011 Reeling for Kids Fishing Tournament to benefit the Boys and Girls Club will be held June 3rd and 4th.

The total purse of the event this year is over $30,000. They will be raffling a 21' Mirage boat with a 150 HP Mercury engine valued at $70,000. The raffle is limited to 1000 tickets to increase the odds of winning. This boat was built specifically for the Reeling for Kids tournament. For a detailed list of the prize payout click here.

The event kicks off this year on Thursday May 26^th with a sponsor dinner at the Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. There will be food from Blue Water Bay and Music from the band Sensation. There will also be a silent auction with some great prizes. Tickets are available for $100 a piece with proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County.

Other events leading up to the start of the tournament include a Captains’ meeting on Tuesday May 31^st at PPI/Charles Perry Construction 8200 NW 15^th Place, Suite B Gainesville, FL. The tournament headquarters will be open Thursday, June 2^nd for boat registration and captain check in from 1pm to 7pm. Right now the headquarters is scheduled to be the Estuary in Steinhatchee.

The Reeling for Kids Fishing Tournament was started in 2003 by Doug Johnson and several volunteers with the Alachua County Boys & Girls Clubs.

Doug essentially grew up in the Northwest Boys & Girls Club in Gainesville, and the club was instrumental in helping him develop skills he would use later as quarterback for the Florida Gators. Doug would later move on to the NFL, playing for the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. Even as a NFL player, Doug started this tournament to give back to his "club" and to help young kids in Alachua County receive the benefits and help he received as a kid.

Today, Reeling for Kids is the primary fund raising source for the Boys & Girls Club and has grown into one of the largest saltwater fishing tournaments on Florida's West Coast. The tournament has a volunteer Board of Directors made up of business professionals, Boys & Girls club staff, and other volunteers who help make this event bigger and better every year.

For all the details of this fun event visit www.reelingforkids.com