- Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Association

King of Crab Island Tournament Information:

The intent, first and foremost, is to promote kayak fishing for a local Kayak dealer here in FWB. To make it more fun than just a demo day, we opted to turn it into a small tournament as well. The idea here is that if the gulf turns out to be too rough that day, then you can still inshore fish and have a chance to win. We are going to discuss more details today with Bobby at Liquid Surf and Sail, so some of this info may/may not change. Bobby is looking for justification for future tournaments, if it looks like turn outs might be good, then he may make it a yearly event. SO SHOW UP in force if you have been looking to have an offshore event. Just dont expect this years "feeler" tournament to be something big....he is seeing what kind of demand there is for offshore first.

Here is what we have put together so far.....

WHEN:
August 1st with a rain day of August 2nd. If we are rained out Saturday, the tournament will move to Sunday instead.

Entry Fee: 20$ (Plus a 1$ PayPal processing fee for a total of $21)

Legal fish for this tournament: Redfish (18in-27in) Speckled Trout Flounder Cobia Snapper Grouper Pompano Dorado (Mahi-Mahi) Spanish Mackerel King Mackerel (No Others Fish will qualify) Redfish must be in the 18-27in slot. You may weigh in 3 fish. The heaviest combined weight of your stringer will be your entry. Top 3 stringers will take the cash: You can fish anywhere in FL waters

Pay Out: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for the HEAVIEST STRINGER of 3 LEGAL fish. 1st=50% Entry fee 2nd=30% Entry fee 3rd=20% Entry fee   Rules: The rules are "DON'T BREAK THE LAW"!! and paddle/pedal craft only. It is your responsibility to know the state laws/regulations and follow them. You can fish anywhere in FL waters. Tournament Rules.doc (Micro Soft Word Document)

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Registration: There will be online registration only, the entry fee is $20.00 with a $1 paypal processing fee for a total of $21.00.

Tournament Flyer: 2009 King of Crab Island (Adobe pdf)

Weigh in: Weigh in will be at the Crab Island Helen Back Pontoon boat. (Look for the banners). The boat will be anchored at Crab Island. Crab Island is located under the Destin Bridge. You can park at the beach access under the bridge and launch your kayaks from there. (Yes, weigh in is ON the water so drag the catches out there for all to see) Weigh in will be from 1-3pm. Lines in the water at 5:30am.

This is going to be a simple cash-in, cash-out tournament. Any entry money is paid right back out. There will be NO prizes. This will be a bragging rights event only with a little wager on the side.

Captains Meeting: There will be a captain's meeting at Helen Back Cafe on Okaloosa Island at 6:30pm Friday night. The captain's meeting is NOT mandatory, but it's good a get together before the tournament. Good Food, Good Drink , and Good Fun.

The main purpose for the event is to support the local Hobie kayak dealer for FWB (Liquid Surf and Sail) and this is just a way of making it a little more fun for us kayakers as well.

Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Tournament Info Page http://www.gulfcoastkayakfishing.com/Tournament.asp
Liquid Surf and Sail Tournament Info Page http://www.liquidsurfandsail.com/Index.cfm?page=events
Helen Back Café Website (Captains meeting location) http://www.helenbackcafe.com/

The GCKFA Master Anglers Program

The Master Angler program is intended to recognize special kayak angling achievements! This event is limited to members of the Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Association. It's pretty simple; if you catch a qualifying fish you just submit a photograph via email. GCKFA will do the rest. The master angler program is limited to kayak fishing trips and will only include catches made from a kayak or while wading with kayak tethered to the angler.

Recognition Tiers: At each level, the accomplished kayak angler will be recognized on the GCKFA website and will be given the opportunity to purchase an embroidered fishing shirt noting their accomplishments.

The lowest tier is "GCKFA Advanced Kayak Angler". This is for the person who submits a minimum of 3 qualified species.
The lower middle tier is "GCKFA Expert Kayak Angler". This is for the person who submits a minimum of 5 qualified species.
The upper middle tier is "GCKFA Elite Kayak Angler". This is for the person who submits a minimum of 7 qualified species.
The top tier is "GCKFA Master Kayak Angler". This is for the person who submits a minimum of 10 qualified species.

How to submit your catch:

If you catch a qualifying big fish, you must follow the photograph guidelines.
1) Photograph your fish along with an appropriate measuring device (e.g. FL Law Stick) and your kayak
2) The fish must have it's mouth closed and it's nose must be at the "0" mark.
3) To certify the photograph was taken during the current year, an image of an annual GCKA token must be in the photo, the photo must also contain a lure of any type, laid on the fish's body.
5) Send an email to Ted Gorder at tgorder@intelligentmanagement.com with photo's of your qualifying catch and a brief story including the date of the catch.
6) Each angler will be allowed to request one species substitution per year. For example, if a member were to land and photograph a tarpon, he or she may request that that photograph be allowed as one of their qualified catches. The ruling committee will determine whether or not the size and rarity of the catch should qualify. All rulings are final and may not be challenged.

Species and Minimum Lengths to Qualify Red Drum (Bull) 32" (See Revision) Spotted Sea Trout 25" Flounder 16" Ladyfish 27" Jack Crevalle 36" Sheepshead 16" Spanish Mackerel 20" King Mackerel 40" Pompano 16" Tuna (any type) 20" Bluefish 20" Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) 24" Cobia 36" Shark (Any species) 48" Freshwater Bass 20" Striped Sea Bass/Hybrid 28"

Rule Revision: For the Master Angler program category for Redfish. This stems from an article I read about a record being denied by the IGFA. Apparently "transporting" an oversized redfish is illegal in FL. This means that paddling to shore with a bull red in order to snap a picture could get us into trouble. For this reason, I am going to ask that we either snap the picture while on the water or have another angler serve as a witness to the size of the catch or help take the photo.
If you are alone, catch a monster and cannot realistically get it on the yak for a photo, I suggest floating a law stick in the water next to the redfish in a way that clearly shows the length over 32". I will consider other measurement options but they must clearly pass all doubt.
A witness that helps measure and/or photo the catch will be best.
This rule change only applies to redfish since all others can be harvested or brought to shore for photo and safe release

GCKFA copyright © 2006