Gwinnett Daily Post

At Lake Lanier Islands Resort on Sept. 12, the Lake Lanier Striper Club will help fishing tournaments "go green" when it hosts a tournament that will be decided by "virtual" weigh-ins.

"This is a great opportunity for the Lanier Striper Club, AT&T and Samsung Mobile to participate in a first-ever approach to a fishing tournament," said Dan Saknini, president of the Lanier Striper Club. "Last year, our club saved 3,000 pounds of fish by putting all the fish we caught back into the lake whenever possible. So, we took that idea and decided to expand it to a fishing outing using the latest wireless technology on the market today."

Each competitor's boat will be equipped with a wireless device and a measuring board. Participants will take pictures of their catch and send them, via multimedia message, to a central coordinating tournament contact.

Mobile e-mails and text messages will keep participants abreast of the standings, officials said, and the winner will be determined via an analysis of the pictures.

"Technology is changing the way fishing enthusiasts enjoy and experience the sport today including the use of underwater cameras, fish finders and GPS to track fish, so the idea of using wireless technology with a focus on conservation just made sense to us," said Steve Sitton, Southeast region president for AT&T's Mobility and Consumer Markets unit, and member of the Lake Lanier Striper Club.

The Fun Fest kicks off with a Captain's Pre-Tournament Party on the evening of Sept. 11 and the fishing begins at 7 a.m. Sept. 12. Boats will leave from and return to Lake Lanier Islands Resort docks, and the event will conclude with the awards ceremony and remarks at the Resort.

A participation fee of $200 covers one boat and up to four people, officials said. Prizes and giveaways are planned for contestants and those in attendance.

For more information, logon to www.lanierstriperclub.com/tournament.