Ride the Bull Kayak Tournament - Advice Requested

I'm fishing it for the first time as well. I'm going with some heavier gear bc the pass is gonna be crowded with a few hundred other kayaks and getting tangled up with them and losing a big bull is a real concern.

Good anchor. If it’s anything like it used to be it’ll be super crowded. It’s basically just a game of chance.

I would go with heavier line. With that many yaks fishing in the area, the faster you can land the fish, the better. You don’t want to have to be patient and wait for the fish to wear itself out and risk getting tangled up with someone else’s line, especially if someone else near you gets hooked up at the same time.

I used to follow this tournament from a casual distance. One time I remember something like 200 boats entered. And maybe like 30 fish were caught all day? What's up with that? There's lot of places I can think of that would have better fishing than that? Or maybe that was an anomaly???

It's a fun tourney. We've fished it for 5-6 yrs now. 3rd in 2018. HEAVY ANCHOR!! More than you think you need is key. When the current is rolling in the pass it'll move you around and the last thing you want is to be moving around, it's crowded. I use a Penn Battle 4000 w/ 65lb braid and a 6 oz egg weight, basically carolina rigged crack or whole crab on the bottom. I put 2 lines out at once and hope for the best.

DO NOT UNHOOK your fish until the weigh in boat has it. You don't want that think slipping out on the handoff a splash... he's gone.

If you fish cut mullet you'll have a blast with cats and sharks all day, not thanks.

If you can rig some shade on your yak, then do so! It's makes a big difference if you're sitting in the August sun all dang day.

Make sure EVERYTHING you own it tied to your yak. I've seen so many flip and lose rods/reels, phones, pliers, you name it.