The most unique fishing tournament in the area will be taking place Saturday, August 3 as the 36th Annual OCARC Fishing Tournament gives anglers of all ages a chance to win cash and great prizes.
Weigh-in begins at 5pm (certification starts at 3pm) at the covered pavilion near the Orange Boat Ramp. Even if you don’t fish, watching the weigh in is always exciting for all ages because you never know what’ll come across the scales.
The “uniqueness” of the tournament is that you can fish for fresh and saltwater fish. In fact there are 12 categories of fish that could bring you a check. The entry fee is just $30 and forms can be picked up at OCARC on Park St. in Orange. The tournament actually begins at 5pm August 2 for those that might want to night fish.
Will any records fall? Local guide Chuck Uzzle, who writes a weekly column for The Record, said the redfish record could be threatened the way fishing has been lately. “I’m excited to see the results,” he said. “Saltwater fishing has been good.” Benny Coleman set the new Red record last year. The conditions are currently the exact opposite from what we had last year when people were catching stingrays at West Bluff. Now the river and lake has been full of freshwater all year long but Uzzle added that lately, or at least before the rains this week, he’s found water that was “aquarium” clear.
As for the bass, it’s been a tough year locally and there’s been many opinions given as to why. But lately we’ve seen and heard of a few bigger bass being caught. It’s worth noting that the bass record owned by Greg Savage was back when you could fish the lakes. That is no longer allowed.
Tournament director John Thomas likes to see the kids involved in the tournament. Every kid that weighs in receives a trophy and has the chance to win other prizes.
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