Tidelines – July 7, 2011
If you’ve ever thought about entering a fishing tournament, then this week’s centerfold would be a great starting point. We’ve collected information on all of the tournaments scheduled for the second half of the summer, or at least from all the tournaments that are on our radar.
If you know of a tournament that isn’t listed, then please let us know about it. In addition to printing three tournament lists throughout the year (free of charge, only as a service to our readers), we also maintain the list online at www.FishermansPost.com (click on “Tournament List”).
Any new tournament information, or any modifications to the info printed in our centerfold, should be sent to info@fishermanspost.com.
In the “Late Summer” list we compiled for this issue, you’ll find tournaments of all shapes and sizes. Whether you are looking to win a lot of cash, satisfy your urge to compete, help support a worthy cause, or make new friends and be a part of a certain fishing community, the answer could easily lie somewhere within our pages.
There are some tournaments for blue water big money (Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament, Ducks Unlimited “Band the Billfish” Tournament), some for king mackerel big money (Raleigh Club’s KMT, Onslow Bay Open KMT, Sneads Ferry Rotary Club KMT), some from piers (Mike Martin Memorial Tournament), and some from kayaks (TJM Celebrity/Charity Kayak Fishing Tournament).
There’s one focusing only on tarpon (Oriental Rotary Tarpon Tournament), two targeting only sailfish (Capt. Eddy Haneman Sailfish Tournament, Cape Fear Sailfish Classic), and three that will only weigh in flounder (Cape Fear Flounder Classic, Wildlife Bait and Tackle Flounder Tournament, NC Flatfish Championship).
And then there are some for ladies (Alice Kelly Ladies Tournament) and some exclusively for kids (Oak Island Open Youth Fishing Tournament, Starling Marine Summer Celebration).
Fisherman’s Post has very much enjoyed its role as the leading source for fishing tournament coverage in the area, and the work and travel involved in providing that coverage has given us a front row seat to the many different personalities of each event. In writing this Tidelines column, I started to go down my own memory lane and recall some of the aspects of certain tournaments that I’ve most enjoyed, but I quickly realized that any list, even a long one, would inevitably be leaving certain events out.
Even the above quick list doesn’t come close to plugging all the events I’d love to (and I may get calls from certain Tournament Directors because they didn’t get a mention).
Perhaps instead of a list of specific aspects of certain tournaments, I’d be better suited to talk about what, in general, I personally like in a tournament.
Most people like when a tournament is a fundraiser for a good cause, and I’m no exception here. I also like an event that offers free food and drink as part of the entry fee. My name only makes the leader board once in a great while, so since I rarely get a cash payout, I like it when I get some wining and dining regardless of my finish.
Registration should be easy. The weigh-in should be smooth. And the awards ceremony should be short.
Then there are the “extras” that can make a difference. A good raffle is a plus. My luck with raffles far surpasses my luck at fishing. Captains’ bags with free stuff are always nice, or even better yet are captains’ buckets (just about everyone could use an extra 5-gallon bucket).
And I also like a tournament that hires Bob Troilo to run its registration and weigh-in. This last one I like not necessarily from a personal perspective but more from the vantage point of my role with the newspaper. Bob gives Fisherman’s Post printouts of all top finishers, and his lists and info make a huge difference in putting together a timely and thorough coverage article (or more accurately make it easier for Max Gaspeny to write the article).
Fisherman’s Post, in addition to covering saltwater fishing tournaments up and down the North Carolina coast, also hosts four of its own tournaments. If I’m ranking my favorite Fisherman’s Post tournament, then that’s the easiest list of all. My favorite Fisherman’s Post tournament is the one that I’ve just completed.
