It’s Fishing Tournament Time in Louisiana: Next Stop Lafitte

The Louisiana Saltwater Series tournament season is in full swing and will again return to a favorite tournament spot, Seaway Marina in Lafitte, on Saturday, May 4. Come out and fish this event that will draw thousands of dollars in payouts to competing anglers.

The two-man team event has an entry fee of $200, with a 100 percent payout for top finishers. Anglers can use artificial lures and weigh in their two best redfish, with a maximum length of 27 inches. The event begins with registration on Saturday morning at 4 a.m., with the mandatory captain’s meeting to follow at 5:45 a.m.

2013 brings with it the best line up of sponsors to date for the tour and its anglers, with Shimano and Power Pro as premier sponsors. Additional tournament sponsors include Daybrook Fisheries, Plaquemines Parish, Mercury Marine, Standard Mapping, Faux Pas Prints, Marsh & Bayou, Swamp Swatter, Frabill, Stick It Anchor Pins and YETI Coolers.

Also, Standard Mapping will again offer a $500 contingency prize to the first place team if they currently have a Lowrance HD-S unit installed in their boat with at least one Standard Mapping E-Card.

In addition to these great sponsors, take a look at upcoming redfish tour stops and event host sites we’ve secured for the remainder of the season:

• June 8 Port Fourchon Marina, Port Fourchon;
• June 29 Sweetwater Marina, Delacroix;
• August 10 The Delta Marina, Empire and
• Championship, October 18 and 19 Venice Marina, Venice.

For complete information, including rules, regulations and online registration go to www.lasaltwaterseries.com. Online registration will close Thursday, May 2 at noon.   A $20 fee for all onsite tournament registrants will be incurred per team.

A youth division is also available for no additional cost to introduce our young anglers to the sport of fishing and to teach the catch-and-release approach to conservation. Youth division participants compete against one another in the youth division, and all youth anglers will be recognized. Teams are allowed to have two youth anglers as part of their team along long as they are under the age of 16.

Friends and family are invited to take part in the weigh-in festivities, beginning at 1:45 p.m.

The Louisiana Saltwater Series is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana’s wildlife and fish resources.

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.