Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Clubs Minimalist Challenge VII, an event for the books

 The Minimalist Challenge



.......is the first of a 5 series Angler of the Year Tournament sponsored by Pack & Paddle out of Lafayette, La. Anglers are only allowed to use the lures that are handed to them during the check in process, no gulp spray, no jig heads or favorite plastics, only what is handed to you.  This year the lures were provided by Superior Tackle of Baton Rouge(jig heads) and Texas Tackle Factory supplied the plastics and one top water lure per angler.  Anglers are then sent off with a shotgun start at 5:30am and must be back between 12-1 for weigh in. 

I finished 3rd in this tournament last year and today it still stands as one of my favorite events of the year. Unfortunately this year, my weigh in bag arrived at the scales a little too light.

After 2 of the best prefishing days I have ever had, earlier in the month, I showed up to Cocodrie, La with a mission for Fridays pre-fishing journey before the tourney, find the trout and win the MC VII. Ric (Redfinn) and I hit the water and headed south, water was low, but hopes were high. After 3 hours of battling currents, crossing rock levees

 , dragging through the woods, muddy waters, and mud, and not landing a fish, I made the call to return to our honey hole to confirm the Reds were still there. We entered the area and there they were, spooked a few, and picked up a few, and that's all I needed to see.

 Tournament day was gonna be golden. After a night of fun and festivities and wayyyyyy tooo much food coming off of the Orion Smoker,

I hit the rack at 8:30. I woke up refreshed, got everything set up for registration, had my yak ready to roll, and as Sherman yelled go, I looked like Fred Flinstone peddling that rock mobile, I was going as fast as I could push that Hobie Outback.  When I hit the channel and headed south and I actually topped 7mph, the current was rolling. 

 

I eased up in to the honey hole to watch the sunrise, I could see a couple tails and one red that was halfway out of the water. Every time I eased towards one, the oysters would ease some plastic off my hull and the fish were gone before getting into casting distance. the water was about 2 inches lower than the previous day and that made it harder than ever to move around. I guess two inches really does matter.. after a couple hours in the area I decided it was time to move. I made it to another area beyond a rock levee, and stumbled upon chicken wing who was sitting about 15 feet short of casting distance from a school of reds piled up on a point, and they scattered as I eased around him. A few minutes later I stumbled upon a black drum that got my heart pumping, until I realized it wasn't the spotted gold I was looking for, but either way it raised my hopes again. I turned around, crossed a different rock levee and hit the channel, and then another rock levee to a hole I knew held some fish in the past.

And the fish were there, BUT unfortunately too big for slot, I landed a 32 and a 29 inch red within minutes, but that was it. At this point I decided it was time to head back and start getting the scales set up.

 Over all, it was an adventurous trip, I learned a lot and picked up some good tips from some tenured anglers that were willing to share their experiences.

I'm already looking forward to the next event on the horizon, and this time I hope to be just a little bit more productive.

Winners are:

1st Place – Denis Soigner (Again!) - $474.00
2nd Place – Charlie Daigle – 319.95
3rd Place – Doug Menefee – $213.30
4th Place – Chris Cox - $118.50
5th Place – Randy Robichaux - $59.25

Big Fish – Clayton Shilling - $220+ a $100 gift certificate to Pack &

Leopard Red – George Hogan Jr. - $250


Total Prizes = $1755.00

Congratulations to all those who competed and especially to the winners, it was a hard fought battle and I applaud each and every one of you.