ESPN Saltwater

Chef Colicchio in field
One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Tom Colicchio, who serves as lead judge for Bravo's Top Chef: Las Vegas, was one of the celebrities in the F.C.A Montauk field this week.

Colicchio's cadre of restaurants include Craft and Craftbar in New York City and Craftsteak at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

While he didn't finish near the top of the leaderboard, Colicchio was still in good spirits at dinner on Thursday. During a live auction, 12 cannolis were auctioned off to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Colicchio bested the competition with a bid of $1,250. They better be some good cannolis.

Columbia's Omni-Shade technology

With sunny conditions blanketing competitors for the majority of Friday, the final day of competition at the F.C.A. Montauk Redbone, anglers could certainly utilize Columbia's Omni-Shade technology.

Designed with the protection of anglers from harmful UV rays in mind, products that include this technology are geared toward southeastern anglers but that doesn't mean they are ineffective in other regions.

The Skin Cancer Foundation certifies all apparel that incorporates the technology and Columbia offers many such products on its Web site, which can be found by clicking here.

Velvick in Montauk
Unrelated to this week's Redbone event, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Byron Velvick is also in Montauk filming for his ESPN2 show, Going Coastal.

Velvick and co. will cover the Montauk fishing experience from land and sea and will focus on the unique culture of the Montauk surfcasting network. The episode will air on ESPN2 in the Spring of 2010.

No bananas in the boat

Those who have spent time on the water know that bringing bananas in the boat is a no-no. Though there seems to be no definitive reason, there are a number of theories why the faux paus was tought to be. Regardless, the negativity associated has been widely accepted.

Still, in rare circumstances, a banana makes its way to the boat. Thursday was one of those scenarios. In the packed lunch given to the FCA Montauk Redbone competitors, bananas were included. The team of Michael Donovan and Jimmy Fay tossed the fruit into the ocean right when they found out.

"Just minutes after getting rid of them, all heck broke loose and when we really caught them," said Donovan.

Jensen versatile on water and land?

Jim "Crash" Jensen was known as a versatile player during his 12-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. But as an angler, is he capable of the same versatility? Thursday at the FCA Montauk, Jensen recorded 21 bluefish.

Of those, he caught four bluefish in three minutes, a feat he had never achieved previously. Despite the success with bluefish, he failed to land stripers or albacore, proving that his versatility might be limited to the football field.

Puris performs

One of the stars on ESPN2's Guidehouse: Montauk, Jason Puris certainly is one of the favorites in this tournament. Thursday, Puris, hooked up with all three species scored in the competition, scoring two SLAMs. His total of 2,600 points puts him in good position for a victory. Still, he must contend with his teammate, Steve Bechard, who registered 3200 points.

Madoff home sold

Despite a slumping real estate market and the vitriol towards Bernie Madoff, the scorned financial advisor's Montauk estate sold for more than the asking price of $8.75 million, two weeks after it was listed for sale. The sale was reported last week.

The home is the first of three once owned by Madoff that the government is selling to pay restitution to victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme, the largest in history. The 3,000 square-foot home on Old Montauk Highway, on the east end of New York's Long Island, was seized July 1 by U.S. Marshals.

The estate was built in 1982 and the Madoffs were the only occupants