BCKFC Championship 2025
October 4, 2025 @ 6:00 am - 3:30 pm
| $20.00 – $75.00REGISTRATION
Limited only to those anglers who have qualified for the Championship Tournament
Registration will be open through the club website until 8:00 PM Central Time, Oct 3rd, 2025.
FORMAT
The tournament will be a shotgun launch at CoCo Marina. Anglers are allowed to fish any waters they can access by kayak from this launch. All anglers must be present for the in-person weigh-in at the designated location and time to weigh their fish.
ALLOWED BAIT / TACKLE
Only artificial baits are allowed. Commercially produced scented baits and attractants are also allowed.
ENTRY FEE
The entry fee is $75 per participant. This includes:
- Your individual tournament entry
- Automatic entry into all four $5 calcuttas
- A coveted BCKFC Championship t-shirt
- A portion of each entry will also go toward plaques for winners and other event expenses..
PAYOUTS
Payouts TBD and will be based on attendance.
PRE-FISHING BAN
A fishing ban will be in effect from September 22, 2025 through midnight on October 2, 2025. This ban applies to all waters within a 10-mile radius of CoCo Marina, regardless of your launch location, and includes scouting the area by boat or kayak—even if you are not actively fishing.
Anglers may begin pre-fishing at 12:01 a.m. on October 3, 2025, the day before the tournament. We strongly encourage catch and release during pre-fishing, especially for redfish.
Anyone caught pre-fishing during the ban period will be immediately disqualified from the Championship Tournament.
LOCATIONS, BOUNDARIES & TIMES
Tournament Start Time
The official shotgun launch time is 6:00 AM. DO NOT leave prior to the shotgun launch
horn/announcement. You may launch and stage in the immediate area of the launch to clear boat ramps
but DO NOT venture forth and do not cast before shotgun launch. You may launch later than 6:00 AM.
You must be present at 6:00 AM. REMINDER: Be courteous, DO NOT BLOCK LAUNCHES.
Tournament End Time
The scale opens at 3:00 PM & closes at 3:30 PM. See the WEIGH-IN section below for rules.
Boundaries
Anglers are required to launch from CoCo Marina and are allowed to fish any waters they can access by kayak from this launch.
OBJECTIVE
Winner Determination
The angler with the highest total cumulative weight is the winner. The highest total weight wins, regardless of the number of fish caught.
(For example: A heavier two-fish stringer wins over a lighter three-fish stringer.)
Fish Requirements
- Redfish
- Limit: 2
- Minimum length: 18.00”
- Maximum length: 26.00” (Tail CANNOT touch the 26.00” line)
- Speckled Trout
- Limit: 3
- Minimum length: 13.00”
- Maximum limit: Only 2 Trout may exceed 20.00”
- Flounder
- Limit: 1
- Minimum length: 11.00”
Calcuttas (Included in entry. $5 per category from each entry fee.)
- Mule Trout – Heaviest speckled trout
- Stud Red -Heaviest redfish
- Saddle Flounder – Heaviest flounder
- Leopard Red – Redfish with the most spots
AWARDS & CEREMONY
The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday Ocobter 4th, 2024 at 4 p.m. The award ceremony
location will be announced and the award ceremony will be streamed on Facebook Live.
WEIGH-IN
Scale Opens: 3:00 PM
Scale Closes: 3:30 PM
DO NOT BE LATE! You must physically appear in line with your fish and sign in no later than exactly 3:30 PM, not a second past. The official time will be determined by the cell phone of the appointed timekeeper. Weigh-ins will continue for all participants who are in line by 3:30 PM. Any entrant not in line by this time will be considered late and will not be allowed to weigh their catch or qualify for awards or points. Proxy sign-ins are not allowed.
There will be no culling fish at the weigh in table. You should have your fish culled before getting to the weigh in table.
Only authorized persons will be allowed in the weigh-in station. Please try not to distract these volunteers while they go about their tasks. Weighed / Entered fish may or may not be returned as per the weigh-master’s discretion.
Preservation of Fish
All parts of all fish should be placed on ice and maintained for freshness. Fish will only be accepted for the weigh-in if they are in a cooler bag, ice chest or other appropriate container that also contains ice. The entire fish should be in the container. Do not appear at the weigh-in with fish that are on a stringer and are not iced in a proper container or bag. Practices such as "air drying" fish or parts of fish, or using salt in your fish bag, are strictly prohibited.
Measuring Fish
Fish will be bent, loosened and manipulated before being measured with a pinched tail laid flat on the measuring board. Tails of trout and flounder will be manually pinched to obtain maximum length as per the instructions found in the Louisiana Fishing Regulations, 2026 pamphlet. Tails of larger redfish will be pinched using the standardized tool attached to the measuring board, which, if needed and used, will be moved to the 25.50” line to pinch the tail of larger redfish.
Over/Under Sized Fish
Anglers possessing a legal fish that does not meet the size requirements of the tournament will be granted an opportunity to replace that fish with an alternate fish that does meet the tournament size requirements. If the second fish also fails to meet the tournament size requirements the angler will be disqualified.
All fish must be legal, as outlined in the 2026 LDWF Fishing Regulations Brochure, AT THE TIME OF WEIGH-IN. Anglers possessing illegal fish will be disqualified. KEEP IN MIND that iced fish will shrink. A just barely 18″ redfish might be a 17.8″ redfish when you get to the weigh-in.
Tie Breaker
In the event of a tie, the first angler to have signed in will be considered the winner while the other angler will be dropped to the next position.
GENERAL RULES
PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
Participation is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Minors are eligible to participate with a parent or legal guardian signature on the release form. All participants represent that they are physically and mentally competent and fit and able to participate. By entering, all participants agree to assume all risks of personal injury, death, and damage to or loss of property and further agree to indemnify and hold BCFKC, its officers, members, agents, and sponsors harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, and causes of action resulting directly or indirectly from participation.
FISHING LICENSE
All anglers must possess all licenses and permits required by law to catch or harvest any species eligible in this tournament.
KAYAK/WATERCRAFT REGULATIONS
ALLOWED PROPULSION METHODS: Paddle, pedal, pole and electric motor. See additional requirements for motors below.
MOTOR ELIGIBILITY: Only one electric motor may be attached to the kayak. It must be attached to the kayak in a safe manner for operation and meet the following criteria:
- Maximum of 3 HP or 155 foot-pound thrust.
- Dual-prop motors operated by a single power source are allowed if manufactured and sold as a single unit.
WATERCRAFT ELIGIBILITY: Must be a vessel the manufacturer identifies and sells as a kayak, including: inflatable kayaks, modular kayaks, stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) and canoes. Catamaran-style personal fishing vessels are allowed if they comply with all other regulations. Other watercraft may be approved by the BCKFC Board prior to competition.
PROHIBITED WATERCRAFT: The following are NOT allowed: soloskiffs or vessels marketed as skiffs, homemade kayaks, sailboats, jon boats, pirogues, coracles, rowboats, dinghies, skiffs, float tubes, inflatable rafts, rigid inflatable boats (e.g., Zodiac), pontoon boats, pontoon-style pond boats, twin-hull watercraft, or similar.
WATERCRAFT SIZE RESTRICTIONS: Vessel must be at least 9 feet and shorter than 18 feet.
ANCHOR SYSTEMS: Both manual and motorized anchor systems are permitted.
DEPTH FINDERS: Depth finders and fish finders are allowed.
WADE FISHING AND BANK FISHING: Contestants may wade fish or fish off the bank only if they remain within 100 feet of their launched paddle craft. “Launched” means the kayak is partly in fishable water (not in a parking lot puddle).
PROHIBITED ACTIONS: Mother-shipping, tethering, holding, or any transportation coordination with non-competitors is strictly prohibited.
KAYAK INSPECTION: By entering the tournament, contestants agree to have their kayak inspected by BCKFC personnel.
WATER COURTESY / ENCROACHMENT
Do your best not to disturb someone else’s fishing area, by encroachment, or noise. An angler officially establishes his/her fishing area by having their craft anchored in place. If you come upon an angler in an egress area, as quietly as you can, ask which side he or she would like you to cross at. A good rule of thumb is that if you can both cast to a common point you’re too close. Respect others and use the golden rule.
PROTESTS
All protests must be written and submitted electronically (text/email/direct message from social media) within 30 minutes of the conclusion of “weigh in” to be considered. The tournament director is the final authority on deciding the merits/outcomes of a protest. All anglers are encouraged to report cheating.
CHEATING/FOUL PLAY
All anglers are encouraged to report violations. Cheating and contest fraud in a fishing tournament is a felony crime in the state of Louisiana. Bayou Coast will enforce a zero-tolerance policy with regard to cheating.
POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION
All participants, by signing up, agree to take a polygraph examination if requested. Any participant can be asked to submit to a polygraph examination. No explanation shall be required from the hosts of the tournament as to why a specific individual is asked to submit to a polygraph examination. Refusal to submit to or failure of a polygraph examination will result in disqualification from the tournament, forfeiture of any and all prizes / awards, and potential banishment from all future Bayou Coast events. No refunds for tournament fees will be granted for person(s) refusing to submit to or failing a polygraph examination.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE
A waiver, release of liability, and covenant not to sue are part of the entry form. It is required that all contestants take responsibility for themselves while participating in event activities. Please DO NOT let your competitive nature push you into doing dangerous things. You must agree to the Waiver to participate. The Waiver is in the online registration page linked below. BE SAFE, BE SEEN, AND WEAR YOUR PFD!
COMMUNICATION
No electronic communication with non-registered anglers during tournament hours, unless not fishing related (your spouse/kids, work, etc). No pre-arranged coordination with any non-registered anglers on the water for the purpose of scouting or locating fish during tournament hours.
PFD REQUIREMENT
You must properly wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD while afloat in your watercraft during all Bayou Coast events. PFD’s must be worn outside of the angler’s outermost layer of clothing. Failure to comply with this rule during competition could result in disqualification from the tournament. Disqualification will be determined by the Tournament Director based on investigation of any specific incident. PFD’s may only be briefly removed on the water for the purpose of adding, removing, or adjusting clothing while an angler is stationary and not actively fishing.
RULE CHANGES
Interpretation of rules is exclusively left to the Tournament Directors and Bayou Coast Officers. The decisions of this group are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. Please do your part in not providing a reason to place them in a position where they must make rulings, decisions, etc. Keep it simple, keep it clean, and when in doubt…do the right thing.
CATCH REQUIREMENTS
Each participant must catch their own fish. You may not give fish to another participant. You may not net a fish for another (adult) participant. Youths should hook and retrieve their own catch. A parent/guardian may net fish for them and may handle the fish once it is netted (including pictures in CPS events). In CPS events, anglers (participant or not) may not aid in taking pictures of fish in any way.
DRONE/UAS USAGE
Tournament participants are not allowed to use unmanned aircraft systems (drones) during the tournament day(or official practice days) to scout for fish, spy on other anglers, or any other means that may be viewed as benefiting/advancing their fishing.
WEATHER
Tournament days may be shortened or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions. The decision to shorten or to cancel will be left totally to the discretion of the Tournament Director. A 4-hour period shall constitute a day of fishing.
REFUND POLICY
There will be no refunds available. Should the event date change for any reason, an announcement will be made, and a refund grace period allowed for anglers who cannot make the new date.