When you think of Wildlife and Fisheries, fun fishing tournaments might not be among the first things that come to mind.
But thanks to our successful Louisiana Saltwater Series (LASS) redfish fishing tournaments, you can contribute to our tagging program while enjoying yourself in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and surrounding waters.
Held at several coastal locations throughout the year, LASS is the perfect convergence of our tagging program as well as our citizen scientists outreach efforts.
The entry fee is $200 per team in advance and $220 at the dock, and teams can consist of up to two adults and two children 16 years of age or younger. Not only is that cheaper than most saltwater fishing tournaments, but there is a 100 percent payout to winners. Add in the fact that you can sign up for LASS tournaments on the morning of the event, rather than months in advance like most saltwater fishing tournaments. It couldn’t be any easier for anglers to participate.
Tournament standings and winners are determined by the total weight of each team’s catch during the event. Teams are limited to two redfish per day for weighing; however, teams are encouraged to bring to the dock as many live redfish as possible for tagging purposes. Participants are given a raffle ticket for every redfish they bring in to be tagged. Prizes are issued at the end of each tournament.
Dozens and sometimes hundreds of redfish get tagged and released through our LASS events. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas brings a large saltwater tank, and aquarium employees help LDWF biologists keep the redfish alive and revive them. After they are tagged, the redfish are released at the marina.
LDWF Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina said the event is a great way for recreational fisherman and fisheries biologists to work closely with each other.
“It’s a whole day or two days of talking and trading stories,” Pausina said. “We’re learning about them, and they’re learning about us. It’s not just about the fishing tournament.”
This year, five LASS tournaments are being held throughout the coastal areas of the state, culminating with a sixth tournament, the championship – in Venice.
Recreational fishermen qualify for the championship tournament by competing in four of the five LASS tournaments leading up to the grand finale. In addition to a grand champion being named at the championship tournament, a Team of the Year award is given out to the team who compiles the most points over the course of the season. Two hundred points is doled out to each tournament champion, 199 to second place, 198 to third place and so on. If a team fails to provide any redfish for weighing, the team is awarded 100 points for competing.
“We have a couple of pros, but we have a lot of ‘Average Joes’ as well, and the pros aren’t always winning,” said LASS director Sam Barbera.
In fact, Barbera said the tournament leveled the playing field between those with fast shallow-running boats and those without by allowing competitors to trailer their boats to the location in which they’d like to fish at this year’s Slidell tournament.
At least 30 teams sign up for every tournament, and a whopping 63 participated in Slidell earlier this year. Prize money size is contingent on the number of teams that sign up.
LASS tries to encourage as many youth anglers to participate as possible. Any youth angler under the age of 16 that participates in a tournament is allowed to compete in the championship, and every young person competing receives a prize. Additionally, a special prize is given to the youth who catches the biggest redfish.
“The event promotes family fishing,” said Barbera, who is an expert in the art of putting on a good fishing rodeo. “I’ve been doing tournaments for most of my career in the outdoor industry, and I think this is the best platform going. It’s real easy and laid back. You can make the decision the night before if you want to come, and it’s relatively inexpensive. It’s very family friendly, and it’s the biggest and the best competitive redfish tournament in Louisiana, hands down. We have more venues than any other tournament series, and we have some incredible participation.”
Barbera said the event is a great excuse for a clique of friends to get together and fish.
“We’ve got a great group of people that fish the trail,” said the tournament director. “We have a lot of the same people. We get new people all the time. Every now and then we have one or two drop off that have other engagements, but for the most part there’s been a core group that comes and competes with us. We have all turned into a big group of friends.”
Funding for LASS is completely self-sufficient through cash and prize donations and entry fees. The series is owned by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, and it is facilitated by LDWF. Most of the LDWF biologists on site are working on various research projects and will be happy to tell anglers what their role is in advancing the state’s recreational fishery.
Tournaments in Grand Isle, Slidell and Empire have already been held this year, and tournaments in Delacroix (Aug. 22) and Cypremort Port (Sept. 19) will be held leading up to the championship event in Venice (Oct. 9-10). Events are not held in the heat of summer because heat makes it harder to handle redfish and keep them alive.
Pausina said LASS officials are open to moving tournaments around the state.
“If they want us to go somewhere, we’ll definitely go try it out,” Pausina said. “I love the Saltwater Series. I think it’s a great idea, and we’d like to do something similar on the freshwater side.”
Visit lasaltwaterseries.com to sign up and to get more information on the events.
