LA-1 Slamma-Jamma
It’s that time of year again.
I’m not a hardcore tournament angler. I’ve never claimed to be. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy them. The anticipation, the challenge, the competition, the camaraderie… I enjoy all of it. I enjoy keeping up with tournaments too. I’m often keeping up with the Bassmaster Elites, the FLW, and many of our local tourneys. But I’m not the type of person who has to fish every tournament that gets put on. Side note: I do have kids, so maybe one day, haha!
I say that because there aren’t many tournaments that I get to fish consecutively, year to year. But there has been one that I’m thankful to say has become a tradition for Karl & I, going on it’s 5th year. Props to him for helping keep it alive when I’ve felt indifferent about competing in it. We’ve never finished in the money, but we (almost) always have a great time. It’s time for the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club’s LA-1 Slamboree!
In honor of the tournament, and our love for it, here’s a brief back track from years past…
2013
Not only was 2013 our first year competing in this tourney, it was our first tournament, period. It was actually only Karl’s second time fishing from a kayak. It was a gloomy day with off-and-on rain. We fished near Fourchon and I recall Karl hooked a flounder early on a Bugg jig, but lost it at the boat. I caught a few small trout, an 18″ redfish, and hooked a nice red that broke my line.
2014 – We didn’t compete. River had JUST been born about a month before.
2015
My least favorite year so far. We launched at a well-known roadside put-in. Winds were howling and the day had a mix of sun and clouds. We searched the area for a while but ultimately got tired of fighting the wind, and headed back to the Marina early for a shower and a snack before weigh-in.
On the Up-side; I do believe this is when Karl won a Duce Rod as a door prize, and I may have won a Buggs Package. It did not go wasted.
2016
We ran late and pulled up at Topwater Marina right at 6am. That fact, combined with me not being fully interested in the event, led us to decide to launch right there at Topwater and head east. Through the series of pipeline canals and blow-outs, we managed to find a few fish. I actually had caught a slam, but all fish were undersized. There was also a pretty serious rainbow at one point as well.
2017
The best yet. We fished near Fourchon for the first time since the first year. bait were everywhere and so were the reds. I think I may have even had a small trout, though I can’t remember quite that well. Right before heading to weigh-in, on a “final” cast with a Skitterwalk, I landed a 36-37″ bull red. Though I couldn’t weigh it, it made the day for me.
So, at this point, you can tell that we’re ready for Saturday. We pretty much know what we’ll do and are just hoping it’ll work in our favor.
Fishing a tournament is great fun, even if you’re not very competitive. Not only could you potentially win some money, you can also get some pretty awesome door prizes. Please register and come join us on the water!
