The Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament is a two-day, redfish-on-fly tournament with the proceeds directly benefiting Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. Proceeds raised during the event will be used to promote the organization’s mission. Organizers have assembled an amazing raffle lineup with a number of high-end fly products to award at the awards ceremony and dinner.
The tournament is a two-day, fly-fishing-only, catch-and-release redfish tournament with an optional Snook Calcutta with a 50/50 cash payout. The proceeds from entry fees, 50% of the Snook Calcutta and raffle ticket purchases directly benefit Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. There is no in-person captain’s meeting and the weigh-in will be conducted by photo and email. The tournament is limited to 50 teams or 100 anglers total. There will be prizes, an award ceremony, dinner (sponsored by Hells Bay Boatworks) and the raffle. The schedule is as follows.
Friday, March 12
8 p.m. Mandatory virtual captains meeting via Google Meet. Only one member of each team must attend. Format and rules will be discussed and questions answered. The link to the Google Meet will be provided by email.
Saturday, March 13 – Tournament day #1
7 a.m. Lines in!
4 p.m. Lines out!
4:15 p.m. Deadline to email weigh-in photos
Sunday, March 14 – Tournament day #2
8 a.m. Lines in!
3 p.m. Lines out!
3:15 p.m. Deadline to email weigh-in photos
6 p.m. Awards ceremony, dinner and raffle at the Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 13th St. W., Palmetto, Florida.
6:30 p.m. Deadline to check-in at the awards ceremony to be eligible for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place.
NOTE: Daylight Savings Time takes effect at 2 a.m. on March 14. The later “lines in” time is intended to exclude dock light fishing. The earlier “lines out” time is intended to accommodate travel time to the awards ceremony. Anglers must check in by 6:30 p.m. to be eligible for awards.
Two-angler team – $250 (per team)
Includes two, long-sleeve microfiber tournament shirts, two Tampa Bay Waterkeeper hats, dinner for two anglers at the awards ceremony, and one raffle ticket for each angler.
Solo-angler team – $125
Includes one long-sleeve microfiber tournament shirt, one Tampa Bay Waterkeeper hat, dinner for one angler at the awards ceremony, one raffle ticket.
Raffle tickets
- Additional raffle tickets may be purchased at the awards ceremony by cash or card.
- Raffle tickets may only be purchased by tournament anglers.
- Raffle tickets will be $20 each or six tickets for $100.
Note: Tournament fees and raffle ticket purchases are direct contributions to Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The tournament covers Florida’s west coast from the southern tip of Sanibel Island to the southern edge of the Crystal River Power Plant main channel. Anglers may launch at any ramp but must fish within the stated boundaries.
Redfish photos (with measuring tape, tournament placard, team number and daily code word visible) and Calcutta Snook photos (with tournament placard, team number and daily code word visible) must be sent by email to thewaterman@tampawaterkeeper.org within 15 minutes of lines out on each tournament day (4:15 p.m. on Day 1 and 3:15 p.m. on Day 2).
The weigh-in email should have a subject line as follows:
“Waterman weigh-in – team name and team number – Day 1.”
Emails received after 4:15 p.m. on Day 1 will be disqualified.
Emails received after 3:15 p.m. on Day 2 will be disqualified.
Each team will receive a response email indicating that their weigh-in was received on time, with the length of each fish weighed in as determined by tournament officials.
Please do not send more than two redfish photos and one snook photo per day.
Anglers are required to have their weigh-in photos available for inspection at the awards ceremony/dinner, if necessary.
After sending the weigh-in email, we ask that each team post their weigh-in photos and individual photos of the angler holding the fish on their social media accounts with hashtags #tampabaywaterkeeper and #thewaterman prior to the awards banquet.
I’m looking forward to participating in this tournament because the money will be used to help protect our fisheries in the Tampa Bay region. I hope I’ll see you there. For more information visit the Tampa Bay Waterkeepers website and be a part of the solution!
