Grab your fishing reel and slide into your kayak or canoe for the third annual Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic Aug. 6. The event, sponsored by the Bayou La Batre Area Chamber of Commerce, expects about 250 anglers competing in the junior and senior divisions.
“Our town is beautiful and has a unique atmosphere,” said Lance Lemcool, media communications chair of the BLBKC committee. “The fishing is excellent and we have many hotspots within a short paddle. Bayou La Batre is well known for its seafood, and the people are friendly and welcoming.”
Great prize packages is one reason the event has grown in popularity, said Dena Pigg, BLBKC committee chair. “We direct a large portion of our budget to making sure our prizes are top-notch,” she said. “Even if you don’t catch the biggest fish, every fish that is entered puts you into the drawing for the grand prize. Our Junior Division prizes are just as exciting.”
Any angler who catches a legal fish can enter a drawing for a new kayak during the tournament. The day’s activities also include live entertainment, vendors, T-shirts, arts and crafts, and food.
Besides the prizes, Lemcool believes kayak fishing is popular with anglers because of the challenge of the sport. “With kayak fishing you need to hunt the fish, paddle to where you think they may be and see if you were able to outsmart them,” he said. “Many times they outsmart you, so you need to paddle to the next spot and try again. Kayakers can reach spots not accessible to standard fishing. Going into the shallows and finding holes, getting up close to shore where the big ones are feeding, having a monster redfish take you for a ride . . . again, what’s not to like?”
Lemcool offered several tips for anglers competing in the Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic:
- Bring plenty of sunscreen.
- Scope out the waters.
- Use shrimp as bait. (Previous winners have used live shrimp.)
Pigg noted that those under the age of 16 can fish from the pier if they choose. “I had a parent call me last year to say her son has fished with us the past two years and he turned 16 so she is going to purchase a kayak so that he can continue to compete in the tournament.”
The Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic was started in 2014 as part of an effort to assist in the area’s recovery from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. For more information about the tournament, please go to http://bayoulabatrekayakclassic.org/, or call 251-824-4088 or 251-402-5081.
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