By Paul Lebowitz

September 2006

Kayak… check. Fishing pole... got it. Lures… in the tackle box. Digital camera?

At the annual Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association (TKAA) Charity Fishing Tournament, leaving the camera at home would have been akin to trying to win an outrigger canoe race without a paddle. At the end of the day, the competitors would’ve been stuck at the starting line.

TKAA’s September 30, 2006 tournament used a format known as catch, photo, and release. After landing a fish, anglers quickly snapped its portrait. The tape measure in the background determined the score: one point per inch of red drum, spotted trout, flounder, and striped bass.

Scoring with photographs takes extra time, but offers a distinct advantage. The fish swim away to be caught another day. More importantly, they reproduce, which helps preserve a thriving fishery.

“Conservation is our ideal,” Cory Routh explained. The president of the Virginia-based association said the format is especially appropriate because each year the tournament benefits a conservation organization. This year’s was Lynnhaven River 2007, a river clean-up group. TKAA’s tournament also supported the Wish-a-Fish Foundation.

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA! Competitors kept the photos but not the fish at Virginia’s Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association Charity Fishing Tournament PHOTO COURTESY TKAA

Routh said the Virginia Tidewater area is a great place to stage a kayak fishing tournament. “Just about every inshore sport fish common to the Mid- Atlantic bight can be caught here,” said Routh.

And caught they were by the anglers competing in two divisions: open and fly-fishing. The hot bite produced enough snapshots to stuff a photo album. No photo collection surpassed Calvin Jordan’s. The Portsmouth, Virginia kayaker tallied a four species grand slam of 77-inches. Norfolk, Virginia’s Chad Hoover boasted a three fish slam totaling nearly 49 inches. Hoover’s stellar finish propelled him to the East Coast Kayak Fishing Championship Series title. 

Standout catches included a 28-inch flounder caught by Tarus Vebeliunas of New Jersey, and a nice 34-inch striped bass hooked by Josh Kaptur of Maryland.