By Mike Hammond
It is that time of year again, Florida’s biggest and longest running kayak fishing tournament is back on Saturday, Nov. 9.
There were some big changes to the Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing Tournament last year. For one, the captain’s meeting and “weigh-in” were held at Scotty’s Bierworks. Both anglers and organizers enjoyed Scotty’s hospitality and look forward to holding the events there again this year.
Last year’s tournament app had mixed reviews with the anglers. If you participated, you probably heard “hee-haw” sounds in your sleep for days afterward. This year we will not use the app and instead return to photo, release, and bring your camera / phone to judges at the weigh-in station.The tournament continues to be a “Slam” tournament, meaning the largest total number of inches of all three target species caught (sea trout, redfish and snook) wins the tournament. Catching all three species beats catching two species no matter what the total inches are.
The tournament also continues to support the Candlelighters of Southwest Florida. The Candlelighters help children with cancer and their families. Between COVID and Ian, raising funds has been challenging for several years. Please consider supporting this organization, even if you are unable to fish the tournament.
Something new this year is that the tournament will be included in the Calusa Blueway Challenge. All registered anglers will be eligible to collect points toward prizes. If you’re not already participating in the “Challenge,” go to www.visitfortmyers.com/CalusaBluewayChallenge and get started. It is already running and goes through February 2025.
Finally, something that has never changed: There will be lots of great prizes, raffles, auction items, camaraderie with other anglers and fun. Hope to see you there. For more information on the 21st annual Calusa Blueway Kayak Fishing Tournament, go to: https://www.facebook.com/calusafishingtournament.
