If you are an avid fisherman and love the sport, there is no better way to take that love to the next level quite like a fishing tournament. As much fun as something like a fishing charter can be, a tournament will bring all the aspects of fishing together into an unforgettable event.

As with most hobbies, it is the community spirit that makes fishing such a great sport. As secretive as fishermen can be about their favorite fishing spot, they do love to talk about fishing with other fishermen that share their passion.

Organizing a tournament does take a lot of work and dedication, but when done right it is definitely worth the effort.
In this article, I will go over several things to keep in mind to make sure your tournament is successful.

Food and drink
If you are relying on people to bring their catch back to be cooked and served, you’re going to have a bad time. Not only will you be waiting a long time for a meal that might not be enough for everybody, you may be doing a catch and release tournament in which there won’t be any fish to cook anyway.
Have an event catering company come and take care of feeding people. It is cost effective and one less thing for you to think about.

Permits and planning
Before you do anything, make sure you have contacted the city or town where you plan to host the tournament. You’ll definitely be needing a permit, but there might be more involved than just that.
If your tournament involves boats, then the harbormaster will need to know the details as he will have to manage an area with more boats than usual. For kayak fishing, other boaters will need to know to watch out for small craft and this will take planning. For shore fishing, permission may be needed for accessing public and private land.

Get plenty of volunteers
It is going to cost quite a bit to put this event on so paying employees will likely sink it before it even begins. Ask around for volunteers to help organize before, during, and after the tournament.
Everybody has some expertise in some aspect of the tournament so try to match people with the right job. A retired police officer, for example, will do a great job with safety and security. A boat captain can make sure that all the boats are safe to take part.
There are plenty of people whose job is or was to organize things and are going to be suited to certain tasks to make sure the event goes well.

Get sponsors
You’ll need prizes and trophies so try to hit up some of the local businesses to help out in exchange for advertising. A local bait shop or charter company will be more than willing to give some prize money or be involved in a raffle.
When you are asking for money or goods, make sure your proposal is professional and clearly describes the tournament with hard numbers. They will be more willing if you let them know how many people will be attending and where.