It's OCARC Tourney time

For many local anglers the annual OCARC Fishing Tournament symbolizes “summer fishing” and for the past 36 years that’s exactly what it’s done. This long running event captures the essence of our local community and provides both support for a great organization as well as bragging rights for some lucky anglers. Tournament director John Thomas and his staff do an exceptional job running the event as well as making sure everyone, especially the kids, has an opportunity to not only participate but to actually win.

The tournament, which starts at 5pm on August 2nd, has 12 different categories encompassing both fresh and saltwater species. Obviously, the glamour divisions such as Largemouth bass, speckled trout, redfish and flounder garner the most attention and have the highest payouts. For many, the results from this event are a great barometer as to the state of the local fishery. This year the biggest influential factor will be the amount of freshwater that has inundated the area for much of the late spring and early summer. Run off from the big lakes, Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn, has really done a number on the saltwater side for the folks who fish the north end of the lake and the Sabine River. Easily the best bite in town is at the jetty and I would be willing to bet the better fish will come from that area,

This years tournament will have a little different twist to it as the speckled trout regulations have changed. No fish between 20 and 30 inches may be kept so the winning fish will be the heaviest 20 inch trout that can be found. Now that the Speckled trout division has a slot limit it will be exactly like the Redfish division which has been very competitive thanks to the slot limit. Now if an angler catches one of those 30 plus inch “trout of a lifetime” they can weigh it in but the odds on that are less than good. I personally would love to see one of those fish show up just to let us all know we still have trout like that in this area, but it is truly a long shot.

The entry fee for this terrific event is just $30 and you can pick up the forms at OCARC on Park street. The final weigh in will be held on August 3rd at the pavilion near the Orange Boat Ramp. Fish certification begins at 3pm with the final weigh in starting at 5pm. If you have never experienced this event you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Locally the fishing has taken a slight step backwards after the heavy rains from last week. The bite at the jetty remains the best bet in town for saltwater folks while the freshwater program continues to struggle. Look for some nice redfish to be caught and some sneaky good flounder. I would expect a trout around 3 pounds or perhaps a shade heavier to take home top prize in that division. The largemouth bass bite has been a toss up at best for most local fishermen. I did see some very nice fish caught within the last two weeks so they are still out there if you are fortunate enough to find them.

Good luck to everyone fishing the tournament and congrats to the OCARC for continuing such a wonderful event.