LCEC to hold annual charitable fishing tourney
LCEC is still looking for Southwest Florida’s best anglers as it is ready to hold its 26th annual Fishing Tournament for the United Way.
This comes after two years of having to hold the tournament virtually, though the virtual element is going to stay intact thanks to modern technology.
This catch-and-release tournament (which ensures the survival of our estuaries) is happening on Saturday, Sept. 10, at D&D Matlacha Bait and Tackle.
The tournament will have an honor start at 7 a.m., fishing wherever they see fit, and final photos must be submitted by 3 p.m.
“We’re super-excited. The pandemic threw us some wrenches like with any other tournament or organization, but we’re really excited to have it live and in-person this year,” said Laura Puerto, spokesperson.
A mandatory captains’ meeting is happening Friday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m., to review rules and pick up team bags.
Cash and prizes will be awarded on tournament day, in addition to a silent auction, raffles, food, sun and fun.
Puerto said the last two years, the tournament used Fish Donkey, an app that helped LCEC do the tournament virtually by allowing the anglers to take pictures of their catches and submit it through the app
People would then monitor the app to see who got the biggest fish and who won in different categories. All submissions had to be in by 3 p.m.
“It’s more convenient for the anglers and better for the estuary because we want to respect the water, which is why we do the catch-and-release and different guidelines the FWC has put out,” Puerto said. “I don’t foresee us going back to bringing fish in to weigh in.”
There was no post-tournament celebration. Only the captain’s meeting was done in-person, with attendance limited to captains because of the pandemic.
All proceeds benefit the United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee counties. Despite the pandemic, Puerto said donations did not suffer much.
“We are very fortunate to have amazing sponsors and that people did partake in the tournament. It’s not that registrations went down, it lost a bit of its luster because we couldn’t have our big event,” Puerto said.
Teams looking to sign up can download the FishDonkey app through the app store to register your team, with the deadline of Sept. 5. A four-angler team costs $400, a three-angler team costs $300, $200 for a two-person team and $100 if you’re flying solo.
Download the FishDonkey app through the app store to register your team. For more information, visit uw.lcec.net/SitePages/Fish.aspx
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com