BUZZBAIT
TOURNAMENT PRO JEAN MCELROY AND KAYAK KEVIN WHITLEY TEAMED UP AT THE ADVENTURE FISHING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN DELACROIX, LOUISIANA. PHOTO: KEVIN WHITLEY
Adventure Fishing World Championship lives up to its name DUAL SURVIVAL
A few years ago, I heard about a kayak tournament that tests navigation skills and fishing skills. After completing several long-distance paddling tours and fishing all over the country, I knew this event was right up my river. The Adventure Fishing World Championship
(
www.adventurefishingworldchampionship. com) requires a two-angler team to paddle from checkpoint to checkpoint and catch fish in between. I was lucky to team up with tournament veteran Jean McElroy for the 2015 event in Delacroix Island, Louisiana. Each year, the tournament organizers choose a
challenging location to test anglers' fishing and navigation skills. The Cajun bayou is famous for an endless maze of marsh loaded with life. The day before the tournament, I caught largemouth bass and redfish from a hole guarded by a 10-foot alligator! The morning of the tourney, 53 teams were
staged and waiting to open their maps. Jean and I set our strategy. At each checkpoint we would
14 … KAYAK ANGLER
get a token. When we caught a fish, we'd take a picture of it with a token. Then return the token to the box and start looking for the next station. As the name promises, we faced adventure from the
start. A few minutes after starting towards our first checkpoint, the wind switched direction and picked up to 30 miles per hour. Jean and I made it to the checkpoint, grabbed our token and tucked into the marsh. With the wind blowing and time ticking, we really felt the pressure. We hit a nearby flat and I caught our first fish. A quick picture, return the token and we were off to the next checkpoint where Jean landed a 28-inch redfish. On the map, the next checkpoint looked like an
easy paddle up a canal. A quarter-mile later, the canal was cut off by a low, stone wall. Jean started looking for a way around, but I told her, “We’re going to paddle like hell and jump the wall like the Dukes of Hazzard!” She laughed. A little
farther, a wooden wall cut across
the canal, but we were able to sneak through a missing board.
At the next checkpoint, Jean landed a bass and I
landed a redfish. We had four hours to get the next token and
back to the check-in, so we decided to hit a double checkpoint. On our way, we had to carry our kayaks to a ditch, then cross a berm and scrape through a shallow bayou. I got discouraged trying to paddle through the skinny water, but Jean was right at home and caught a 13-inch bass, which was worth 26 points with the double token. We returned the token and paddled back to
the start/finish line. Our hard work and strategy put us in eighth place. Team Chasing Tail with Jeremy Carson and Cody Phillips took first place and Steve Lessard and Clayton Shilling’s team Pop’n Cork finished second. I felt victorious for finishing the event, can’t wait to see what they cook up for next year. "Kayak" Kevin Whitley shares stories of travel
and fishing on his website, blog, podcast and videos. Catch him at
www.kayakkevin.com
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