Louisiana’s Fall LASS Speckled Trout Tournament on Tap for the Weekend

Speckled trout anglers, get your rods ready, on Oct. 20 the Louisiana Saltwater Series is headed to SeaBrook Harbor in New Orleans for its annual fall trout tournament. With a perfect weather forecast and excellent fishing conditions, it’s expected to be a great day out on the water.

The entry fee is only $100 per team, and there is a 100% payout, plus loads of prizes. Teams may consist of one, two, three or four members. For teams consisting of three or more members, only two of the members may be 16 or older.

At 7 a.m., anglers will venture out to cast lines and reel in the big ones. Because speckled trout can be challenging to keep alive, participants are allowed to bring in their fish beginning at 8:30 a.m., when the scales open. They’ll have until 3 p.m. to make their way back to shore and weigh in. The aim is for the Department to tag as many fish as possible, so anglers are encouraged to bring in call of their catch (within limit), but can only designate two fish as their weigh fish.

Hosted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, the series was created to promote the Louisiana Cooperative Marine Sport Fish Tagging Program and catch-and-release saltwater angling. The program provides an avenue for anglers with an interest in conservation to assist in collecting scientific information about the movements and biology of tagged fish by tagging targeted species of marine gamefish.

Earlier this year at the spring tournament, 46 speckled trout were tagged and released back in to the wild.

Online registration for the tournament will close on Thursday at noon, but those interested in participating can register at SeaBrook Harbor from 5 to 6:30 a.m., the morning of the event. A $20 fee for all onsite tournament registrants will be incurred per team. Only cash and checks will be accepted for onsite registrants.

For complete information, including rules, regulations and registration go to www.lasaltwaterseries.com.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.