By: Dan Carns
October and November are prime tournament months here in Florida. The largest kayak only tournament here in Southwest Florida is the upcoming Lee County, Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing tournament on November 9, hosted by Gulf Coast Kayak in Matlacha, FL. Last year featured over eighty-five participants!
This is the 21st year and continues to bring in big sponsor names as well as bigger payouts every year. There are some very accomplished anglers that fish this tournament, but also a great place to start your tournament âcareerâ as the entrance fee is very low and the group is very laid back and helpful to newcomers.
A few pre-tournament suggestions to help you focus on the day of the event, catch more fish, and hopefully avoid some common mistakes. Spend a day putting everything in your kayak that youâll need on tournament day and either take a picture or make a list of everything. Trust me when I tell you that youâre going to forget something! Strip off a bunch of line so there is nothing frayed and change all your leader material. Ensure that all your reels are clean and operating smoothly. Check the eyes on your rods and carry super glue for emergency repairs. Go through your tackle bags and carry only the gear you really need to chase down redfish and snook. Never and I mean never open a new lure package that youâve never tried and spend half an hour trying to figure out if itâs going to catch fish or not. This is a colossal waste of precious time, and you should spend it on tactics that already work.
Make sure that if you are using bait that you know what time the bait shop opens and call to see if they will have bait that morning. Bring a remote charger for your phone and spare batteries for your live well. Do you know how long it takes to get to your launch, are there any construction tie-ups, do you have a spare tire for your vehicle or trailer. Are you prepared to launch in another location if you get to your spot and twenty people are already there or to re-launch if the fishing is terrible where your first spot is?
This is going to be a long day, up to eight hours of power fishing so bring easy to eat snacks, take a couple of breaks, maybe get out and stretch, drink plenty of water. Are you prepared for rain (raincoat) or an extremely hot day? A word of warning if you use sunscreen or bug spray, do not get this on your fishing gear, clean your hands with sand or mud but keep it off your gear. Warm clothes can be a life saver if itâs cold or you get wet. Do some advanced planning and be confident that you will catch more fish instead of trying to overcome unforeseen obstacles!