RIVER BASSIN’
TOURNAMENT TRAIL www.riverbassintr
ail.com
This eco-conscious series celebrating the bass and the kayak-friendly backwaters of the southeast hit in 2010, with glitzy prizes and major league sponsors such as Bass Pro. In 2011 it returns bigger than ever, with no less than 11 events on the schedule.
TIP SHEET
Sean Brodie is the inaugural Grand Finale champ. He says if you want to win, go big or go home. “Many anglers mistakenly believe they must downsize lures to catch river bass,” Brodie says. Wrong.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT… Large, slow lures like a 6-inch SPRO BBZ1 or Zoom Magnum Fluke, something that will entice a lunker to get off the couch.
JAMAICA BAY KAYAK FISHING TOURNAMENT FOR CHARITY
www.captainkayak.com/tournaments
The northeast’s largest gathering of kayak anglers goes off annually in Jamaica Bay, a hop, skip and a jump from the Big Apple. This long-running bass, bluefish and weakfish contest fishes in May. In 2011, it benefits Casting for Recovery.
TIP SHEET Jerry “Captain Kayak” Collins has hosted this celebration of the sport since 2009. He says most winners cash in on the tube and worm, an eastern kayak staple. However, Jamaica Bay is plugged with bunker in May. Bunker chunks or live bunker often produce larger fish.
IFA KAYAK FISHING TOUR www.ifakayak fishingtour .com
It doesn’t get more pro. The Inshore Fishing Association runs this six division tournament series in local redfish hotspots from North Carolina all the way to Texas. The CPR competition is rigorous, starting in early spring and leading up to an overall championship late in the year. Bring your A game.
TIP SHEET 2010 Louisiana Division champ Brendan Bayard says start hard and end easy. Begin the day far from the weigh in and fish downhill. “That way I don’t waste a lot of time back-tracking,” he says. When he’s shooting for a slam, he targets the toughest species from the start. “The bite is stronger at daybreak. Knock out the harder species first,” he explains.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT… A black-over-white MirrOdine for speckled trout, and a Saltwater Shad Assassin rigged with a gold spinner blade for red drum.
40 …KAYAK ANGLER EARLY SUMMER 2011
CREDIT: BENTON PARROT
PHOTOS: COURTESY RIVER BASSIN’ TOURNAMENT TRAIL
PHOTO: CLINT BARGHI
PHOTOS: MICHAEL BARTGIS
PHOTO: CLINT BARGHI
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