Despite some obstacles, Joe Hector of Extreme Kayak Fishing says his hugely popular Sailfish Smackdown tournament will be held no matter what.

The ninth edition of the tournament, where anglers in kayaks catch and release sailfish for the chance to win major cash and prizes, is Jan. 29. The angler releasing the most sailfish wins $5,000 from RAILBLAZA and Turbo USA. Second place pays $2,000 from Nautical Ventures Marine, third pays $1,000 from SA Company, and fourth pays $500 from Nautical Ventures. Nautical Ventures also pays $500 to the winner of the value-added Dolphin Division.

That’s serious prize money for anglers who paddle and pedal their kayaks off the beach in the tournament, which is organized and run by Hector, the co-host of the Nautical Ventures Weekly Fisherman radio show. The show airs from 6-8 a.m. Saturday on WINZ 940-AM and live-streams on the Nautical Ventures Facebook page.

It was on the most recent show that Hector said COVID restrictions imposed by the City of Pompano Beach might force him to adjust the location of the tournament (visit www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org).

“This is why I tell all of our customers not to worry,” Hector said. “We just move to a public beach. We have a really good lawyer and he told us that if you do it on a public beach, they do not have any authority to shut you down because you’re just a group of guys going fishing, which we are.

“We don’t have a big stage on the beach, there’s no tents on the beach. These guys are literally there to launch, go fishing offshore and come back. But according to Pompano, they’re saving lives by stopping fishermen (in) single kayaks offshore. This whole thing is just mind-blowing.”

Entry fee for the tournament is $150 and anglers can enter on the website. The entry fee includes a goody bag, lunch and refreshments, and appetizers at the captains meeting, which is 5-8 p.m. Jan. 28 at Bru’s Room in Pompano Beach.

The tournament is based on time, so the first angler to land his or her sailfish takes the lead, with the time the fish was landed documented by the tournament boat. The first angler to land two sailfish moves into first place. In the event of a tie, the angler who caught his or her last sailfish first is the winner.

The tournament starts with anglers shoving off their kayaks from the beach between 6 and 7 a.m., with the exact time to be announced at the kickoff party. Anglers must return to the beach by 3 p.m. to check in and weigh any dolphin.

For more information on the Sailfish Smackdown offshore kayak tournament along with fishing tips from top captains, listen to The Nautical Ventures Weekly Fisherman radio show every Saturday morning from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. live on 940 WINZ, an iHeart station. You’ll learn where the fish are biting and how to catch them. If you can’t tune in live, the Weekly Fisherman radio podcasts are available through:

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekly-fisherman-show/id1117007850

Website:

https://www.nauticalventures.com/TWF

Soundcloud:  

https://soundcloud.com/nautical-ventures

WINZ:

https://940winz.iheart.com/featured/weekly-fisherman/about/  (click on podcasts)

 iHeart Radio:

 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-weekly-fisherman-28270572/

 You can also watch the show on Facebook Live by liking our Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Nautical-Ventures-Weekly-Fisherman-Show-136020173136939

You can watch past Facebook live shows at:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Nautical-Ventures-Weekly-Fisherman-Show-136020173136939