Redfish Rumble 2026
March 21
| $5.00 – $35.00
REGISTRATION
Registration will be open through www.bayoucoast.com until 8:00PM Central Time, March 20, 2026.
FORMAT
Bayou Coast is running Redfish Rumble 2026 as a live weigh-in tournament. Anglers can launch anywhere in Saint Bernard Parish. Heaviest bag of 2 redfish wins. Entry into the tournament will be $35 per angler or via the BCKFC Season Pass. Calcuttas are optional/additional entry.
ALLOWED BAIT / TACKLE
Only artificial baits are allowed. Commercially produced scented baits and attractants are also allowed.
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)
Anglers may bring one additional redfish to be entered only for the Leopard Red calcutta. This fish does not count toward the two-fish tournament limit but must still meet all tournament slot limits.
Optional Calcuttas (additional $5 entry each)
- Stud Red – Heaviest tournament legal redfish
- Leopard Red – Most spots on a redfish. Spots must be clearly separated and individually identifiable. Weighmaster has final say on spot counts.
LOCATION & BOUNDARIES
You may fish any accessible waters after launching from Saint Bernard Parish . All water reachable from legal launch locations is fishable.
Weigh In: Lancaster’s Crossroads, 4515 LA-46, St Bernard, LA 70085
TIMES
Launch and Lines In Time
Anglers may launch any time after midnight and lines in time is 6:00 AM Saturday, March 21st, 2026. Anglers must launch and pickup in Saint Bernard Parish.
Tournament End Time
Weigh in will take place at Lancaster’s Crossroads. The scale opens at 3:00 PM & closes at 3:30 PM. Anglers must arrive and be in line before the scale closes. See the WEIGH-IN section below for rules.
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.
ANGLER OF THE YEAR / CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION
Eligibility
In order to earn Angler of the Year (AOY) points or a Championship Qualification,
an angler must be a paid BCKFC member in good standing at the time of the tournament in which
those points or qualifications are earned. To be eligible to receive an invitation to the
2026 BCKFC Championship, an angler must also have entered at least
three (3) 2026 Championship Series tournaments or have purchased the
2026 BCKFC Season Pass.
Championship Qualification
The top 10% of anglers on the leaderboard for each Championship Series tournament earn a
Championship Qualification toward the 2026 BCKFC Championship.
At the conclusion of the five Championship Series tournaments, anglers who earned a Championship Qualification
through
tournament placement and meet the eligibility requirements will be invited to compete in the Championship.
If fewer than 45 anglers qualify through tournament placement, the remaining invitations will be
issued based on AOY standings among anglers who meet the eligibility requirements. Forty five anglers will be
invited to compete in the Championship.
AOY Points
AOY points are awarded at each qualifying tournament. 1st place receives 300 points, 2nd place receives
299 points, 3rd place receives 298 points, and points continue downward by one for each subsequent
finishing position. Eligible anglers who weigh in at least one legal fish will receive AOY points based on their
finishing
position. When applicable, eligible anglers who do not weigh in a legal fish (“skunked”) but who check in at the
weigh-in
will receive 100 AOY points.
AOY Standings
AOY standings used to determine Championship invitations will be calculated using each angler’s
best three (3) finishes from the five Championship Series tournaments. Final AOY standings, which include the BCKFC
Championship, will be calculated using each angler’s best four (4) finishes from the six total
events consisting of the five Championship Series tournaments plus the Championship.
AOY Tiebreaker
In the event of a tie in the final AOY standings, the tie will be broken based on
placement in the 2026 BCKFC Championship, with the higher finishing angler receiving the higher AOY
ranking.
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.