On April 11th, Backwoods Fort Worth will be hosting their first ever roadrunner style paddle sport tournament on Fort Worth's own Trinity River. Exact boundaries and official rules will be posted on this thread shortly. Expect boundaries to be within Fort Worth city limits.

This event will have a conventional and a fly fishing division. To raise the stakes a little bit, Backwoods will award a full cash prize to the winner of the event in both divisions with 2nd and 3rd receiving gift cards redeemable at Backwoods in Fort Worth. Entry into both divisions will be $40 with an optional $5 Big Bass side pot.

Registration will take place at the Panther Island parking area on Purcey (32 45 21.92N -97 20 34.77W). The awards ceremony will take place at Backwoods Paddlesports at Panther Island Rentals (32 45 33.44N -97 20 19.11W).

The timetable will be as follow:

5:30 am - Check in (Free Coffee!)
6:30 am - Captains meeting
7:00 am - First cast
3:00 pm - Scorecards in (Free Beer and Food!)
4:00 pm - Awards ceremony

Sage Fly Rods will be the weigh in location and watercraft from Hobie, Wilderness Systems, BOTE Watercraft and Diablo Paddlesports will be on hand for demo from 2:00 - 5:00 pm.

What to expect out of the Trinity in April:

Bass on the Trinity typically begin to spawn during the first full moon in March (depending on water temps). With that being said, if cold weather persists, the tail end of the spawn may still be on. Expect most of the post spawn fish at this time of the year to be keying in on shad and bream starting to move shallow. Females on the river tend to stay shallow and active through the beginning of May. I'd expect bluegill colored jigs and fly patterns to take a lot of the bigger fish turned in, with shad patterned crank baits, spinnerbaits and flies filling limits. I'm expecting a few kicker fish to be caught early in the day on frog and/or shad imitation topwater baits.

One thing is for sure, the fish EAT at this time of the year on the river, and it should be a blast with a lot of limits turned in!
Oh, and don't think because it's a river in downtown Fort Worth, that big fish don't exist... This 6 pounder was taken last week!

Looks like another GREAT event!!

On my calendar! Sounds great!

Rev TCF in!

BAM! Love this idea! Sign me up for the fly division.

Gutcheck in!

Ninja in!

Sound sweet!

Same weekend as the APT Spring Shoot Out. A guy could have the possibility of winning two tournaments in the same weekend with the same fish! I dig it! Count me in if all works out.

Wow, us North Texas guys have some great events coming together this year. 2015 must be the year of growth up here... I like it!

Coffee? Beer? AND Food!

This is long overdue! I hope it's the first of many in the Fort Worth area?

If this event is a success you can bet it will be the first of many. Backwoods is wanting to test the waters. They have never hosted a tournament before. They are hosting this tournament in the interests of learning to run a successful kayak bass fishing tournament so they run more/bigger events in the future!

Sounds like fun!!

Sounds like fun hoping to make it

Bass Grabbers hosted a tournament here and it wasnt a very big success. But that being said I am definitely in for this one. This is one of my favorite spots to fish on the Trinity and i know it VERY WELL should be ablot of fun. I hope they aren/t very restrictive on the boundaries because there is alot of nice water to fish

The BassGrabbers had an event scheduled at this location for that day. Now that we know you guys are doing something like this, we are cancelling ours and sending everyone YOUR WAY! Looks like this could be a lot of fun and it also looks as if it will build a larger reputation on the river. We will post this on our schedule as well!! Great idea!

I might be in! We'll see how work turns out!

Where do I sign up? Website?

Wish I could make this one, looks like a great time.

You can sign up during check-in the morning of the event! You won't want to miss it! Fish ought to be chompin!

I can't make this one. It sounds fun. I'm gonna try to make the next.

Any word on the iangler app being used I really liked using it.

what do I nees for fish verification. I dont have a livewelll

Tim, the general manager at Backwoods is looking into it. Don't know if it will be used yet. It's his call. For now I would expect to score your fish on a score card.



Knot at work, All you will need is a hawg trough and a camera to score your fish. No live well needed! The tournament will be based on the length of your fish. If Backwoods decides to use the iAngler app you will be using a phone app to score your fish. Official rules will be posted soon!

Is that app avaliable on android and iphone? Sounds like a neat idea although id rather just snap a pic and get the fish back in the water ASAP as opposed to fumbling around through an app. Although I have not used it so I dont really know how it works?

They have an android and iphone app I myself have a windows phone so I have to go straight thru the website. You can take your pics make sure you have a good one release the fish then upload your pics . It really is a neat tool once you start using it.

Good stuff G....Im in.

So we just need to show up at 5:30 that morning for the registration? Just wanna make sure I don't miss this tournament, cause it sounds pretty great.

This may be a dumb question but is any one allowed to register for the tournament?

Yes, open to the general public. Backwoods is getting ready to make a big impact on the kayak community, and this is a great start!

Yes, show up at the Panther Island parking lot that morning and you will sign up there!

I asked this on the facebook page but figured I would ask here as well. If we have 30+ guys show up to this will there be additional parking once the small lot at the end of Taylor St. fills up? I got to thinking about that and thought it could be a problem. Its not a very big parking lot

It says roadrunner so maybe some will drive to other locations to launch?

Didn't know that was an option since there are supposed to be boundaries set within the "city limits" which puts a pretty big limit on other areas you could put in. If that's the case though Im cool with that. I know plenty of other put in spots for this stretch.

Within city limits means official city of Fort Worth limits not just the urban area that encompasses downtown. After talking with the general manager at Backwoods, expect boundaries to be from below the dam at Lake Worth to East 1st Street. The west boundary will be up to about Camp Bowie Blvd and down to the Benbrook Dam.

yes he answered me on Facebook in great detail. He really opened it up which is going to be great! Now I have to figure out what spot I want to hit up first and what spot I want to finish it up in . This is great for me because I know the river really well really looking forward to this event!

If I'm still around DFW I plan to be at this event! Always do well on the trinity . I expect the winner to have 90+ inches

YUP!

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR Tim Martin Backwoods GM tmartin@backwoods.com

Tournament Director cell phone number for use on tournament day only. 817-773-2510

TOURNAMENT TIMETABLE

Saturday, April 11, 2015
5:30 a.m. Registration � Panther Island Pavilion Parking Lot
6:30 a.m. Captain�s Meeting- Panther Island Pavilion Parking Lot
7:00 a.m. First Cast
3:00 p.m. Score Cards In- Backwoods Paddlesports at Panther Island Pavilion.
4:00 p.m. Award Ceremony- Panther Island Pavilion

Sage Fly Rods rep will be demoing fly rods and BOTE SUP rep will be demoing paddleboards from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Demo watercraft will also be available for trial from Hobie, Wilderness Systems, and Diablo. There will be free coffee at registration and free beer and food at the award ceremony.

The Panther Island Pavilion Parking Lot is at 395 Purcey St, Fort Worth Texas, 76102. It is also recommended that you park here to turn in your scorecard since there is a limited number of public parking spaces closer to Backwoods Paddlesports on N. Taylor St. There is a several minute walk to Backwoods Paddlesports from the parking lot on Purcey and everyone needs to plan for this to ensure that they are able to meet the 3 p.m. deadline to turn in their scorecard and memory card.

EVENT RULES

GENERAL RULES

This will be a roadrunner style tournament on the Trinity River in the Fort Worth Floodway. The boundaries of the eligible fishing water to the west will be the Lake Worth Dam on the West Fork and the Lake Benbrook Dam on the Clear Fork and the eastern boundary will be the East 1st Street Bridge on the West Fork of the Trinity at Gateway Park. All tributaries that join the Trinity River within these boundaries are eligible for fishing, but they must be accessed by watercraft from the Trinity River.

All fish must be caught within the aforementioned boundaries within the tournament timeframe and released back into the river.

Any disorderly conduct, illegal activity, or violation of rules will result in disqualification.

In the event of inclement weather or unsafe river conditions, the tournament director may delay, reschedule, or cancel the event. The tournament will first be delayed by one hour and up to three hours before it is rescheduled. The reschedule date will be the following day. If there is inclement weather or unsafe river conditions on the second day, the tournament will be delayed in the same manner. If the weather or river conditions prevent the start of the tournament on the second day, the tournament will be canceled. If the tournament is rescheduled, entrants that cannot participate on the rescheduled date will be refunded. If the tournament is cancelled, all entrants will be refunded. No refunds will be given for non-attendance if the tournament is run on the originally scheduled date.

Participants grant Backwoods and Backwoods Paddlesports at Panther Island Rentals the unconditional right to use their photographic likeness obtained in relation to the tournament in connection with future tournaments, production, promotion, and/or articles and press releases and shall not be entitled to receive any royalties or other compensation in connection with such use.

PRIOR TO START

All participants must pay entry fee of $40 and sign a release of liability prior to competition. All participants under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian present at registration to sign the release of liability on their behalf. Entry into the Big Bass Pot is optional and is an additional $5.

There will be two divisions, one for those fishing with conventional rods and one for those fishing with fly rods. Each participant must declare the division in which they choose to compete when they register.

All participants must have a valid Texas fishing license with a freshwater stamp endorsement or be exempt under state regulations and provide their own coast guard approved personal floatation device

All participants must provide their own Hawg Trough with the raised � in increments visibly darkened with a permanent marker, their own digital camera, removable SD card, a compatible USB cord (as a back-up), and a blue or black writing pen to comply with scoring requirements.

All participants will be provided with a score card and a unique identifier.

All participants must be present at the Captain�s Meeting and abstain from casting a line until 7 a.m.

DURING COMPETITION

Participants must wear a PFD at all times while on the water.

Participants may fish from kayaks, canoes, or stand up paddleboards propelled by human power. No motorized propulsion may be utilized at any time while on the water during the tournament. Only one individual, the participant, will be allowed in a watercraft.

All participants must maintain a distance of 10 yards from one another at all times and there is to be no electronic communication between anglers or those observing the event except in the case of an emergency. The event director is to be notified in the event of any kind of emergency.

All fishing must be done from your watercraft. At least one foot must be on or inside the watercraft at all times when fishing or landing a fish. You may not leave the watercraft to land a fish. All fish must be photographed with the angler on or in the watercraft.

Fishing may only be done with rod and reel and only with artificial lures and flies. Only one rod may be used at a time. Trolling is allowed, but you cannot troll with one rod and cast with another.

Only largemouth, smallmouth, or spotted bass 10 inches or longer will qualify for scoring.

Qualifying fish must be documented according to the following Catch, Photo, and Release standards. All objects that are to come into contact with the fish should first be made wet. The fish must be laid on a Hawg Trough left-side up with either the upper or lower lip of the fish (mouth open or closed) against the left end of the device with the tail lying unpinched by the angler along the measuring scale. One overhead photograph must be taken with both the lips and the tail of the fish visible along with the angler�s left hand displaying the unique identifier. The fish is then to be returned to the water and completely revived before being released. The length of each fish, rounded down to the nearest � inch, is to be recorded on the scorecard along with the number of photographs taken of that fish.

All participants must be in line to turn in their scorecard and camera memory card at the check in at Backwoods Paddlesports at Panther Island Rentals by 3 p.m. There will be no exceptions made to this rule.

AWARDS

The length in inches of each participant�s five longest fish, verified according to the previously outlined Catch, Photo, and Release standards, will be added together and the sum will be the participants score.

The participant with the highest score in each division (conventional and fly) will be first place, the second highest score will be second place, and the third highest score will be third place.

In the event of a tie between any of the top three highest scoring participants, the award will go to the participant in the tie with the longest fish. If each participant�s longest fish are the same length, the next longest fish will be considered and so on until the all fish have been compared. If all fish are of exactly the same length, a coin toss will decide the winner.

The cash prize pot for each division will consist of ninety percent of all entry fees collected from participants in that division. Within each division, the cash prize pot will then be split as follows:

First place � 60%
Second place � 30%
Third place � 10%

The Big Bass Pot will be awarded in full to the single participant among all competitors ( both conventional and fly) that have paid the additional $5 to enter the Big Bass Pot with the largest bass caught during the tournament and documented according to the aforementioned Catch, Photo, and Release standard.

Please contact Tim Martin, Backwoods General Manager and Tournament Director, at tmartin@backwoods.com with any questions.

Really looking forward to this

Oh ok cool so now it is paying out 3 places! Sweet! This is going to be a GREAT tournament and the timing is perfect because the fishing is really heating up on the river!

Agreed! I've been crushing em. Need to find new places though

I got this whole week off. Gonna do a BUNCH of scouting on all my spots to figure out where would be my best bet come April 11th! Cant wait!

Here is the link to register online. You may also pay the morning of the tournament with cash--exact change only.
Backwoods Paddle, Fish & Deliver Tournament (PFD)

I'm registered!!!

Nathan I thought about getting the yak out for this with the extended boundaries. But the fly fishing for sandies and hybrids has been too good! Good luck I know you are on home water there. You know if pet man is fishing it?

The rules state "you must remove the memory device from your camera." I'm assuming this means we must have a regular digital camera and will not be allowed to use an iPhone. Is this right?

That is correct. You must have some type of camera with removable storage. However, it is recommended that you do bring a USB cable that could connect your camera to a computer just in case there is difficulty with the card reader.

I'm registered! This will be my first ever Kayak tournament.

The bank fishermen aren't going to know what to think with all the kayaks they'll see that day.

I believe Chris is fishing this one as well. Should be a really fun tournament with free reign of the river!

Im registered! Will we need to show the confirmation email at registration time the day of or will y'all already have it on file?

I just have an iPhone for pictures. I don't know if there is a way to remove anything from it for pictures. If not, would I be SOL?

LastHurrah- We are trying to keep things simple and I am afraid that phones with locked screens, different cords, and searching through someone else's pictures just makes things too complicated. There is also liability as your cell phone has more of your sensitive personal information on it than your computer does. Try borrowing a camera from a friend. If not, you can get a cheap digital camera starting at $40.

Nathan, we will have a printout of all registered participants, but stuff can always go wrong. Having a snapshot of it on your phone never hurts.

Using a camera is a much better option over using a phone. With a camera you can clear the storage card and not have any pictures except those for the current tournament on it. It's also a lot easier to plug an SD card into a laptop as opposed to trying to get it to recognize a number of different phones. PLUS, if you happen to drop a camera in the river it generally costs less to replace it.

Thanks for the responses guys. I will see what I can come up with.

Is this tournament beginner friendly? As in, I've never fished a tournament and I'm not that good at fishing lol

Yes, the guys who are saying that they are coming are the best group of folks you will ever want to meet.
I have a spare waterproof camera if you don't come up with one. Just PM me.

Considering this is the first tournament that I have organized, I would say that it is about as beginner friendly as it gets. However, I have appreciated some great advice and assistance in planning this event from Guillermo Gonzalez and Rob Milam. Thanks for your guidance gentlemen.

Very kind gesture Jerry. I will see what I can do and let you know. Thanks again!

What about phones with a removable sd card like my sony experia? I can just put a fresh card in it and take it out at the weigh in. I can see pictures so much better on my large high def display on my phone so there is no question on whether or not I took a good pic of the fish. Plus my phone is water proof to boot. This is the route im going to go. Wife has a small digital I could use but the screen is tiny and pixelated and the battery doesnt last very long (would probably have to carry a backup) So a phone for me is much much simpler. Just my .02 this only works though if your phone has a removable card.

I just picked up a camera from Walmart originally 119 but on sale for 45 pretty good camera too! O did I mention it has a front screen for selfies #bestdealever!

Haha... I'm sure Tim won't mind scrolling through a few selfies with all the straight up TOADS you're going to catch Jason!

Just registered. This is going to be a great time and slugfest I'm sure. There are a lot of hungry fish on the river right now. Looking forward to meeting everyone down there!!

If Basschamps wasn't the same day I'd be there, I'm jealous! Y'all are going to have some fun!

Anyone else fish their butts off this weekend???

Very excited and grateful that backwoods is doing this event... I've never once fished the river in Ft. Worth so I'm flyin' blind. I'm just picking a spot on Google Earth and hoping there's fish there.. Mostly looking forward to the camaraderie and beer at the weigh in LOL!

Wish I could attend, best of luck guys! I'm sure this will be a great event!

No need too for me. This is my stomping grounds i know every stretch very well . One of the reasons im so excited about this tourney!!

Yeah a little

Nice catch!

Oh no here we go!

He's the sacagawea of the trinity. Don't mess.

That's awesome though. I wish I felt that confident in any body of water besides my pond

Don't forget guys! You can register online at,

Backwoods.com/PFD

Really looking forward to fishing with you guys! Sounds like it's going to be a fun one!

Not bragging or anything just saying... lol. Ive probably fished this river more than all the contestants combined over the last 5-6years or more. Until recently I dont think people even realized how nice of a fishery the Trinity can be. I still get people just flat out amazed sometimes when I catch a fish from the bank or the yak asking me all sorts of questions about the river and what kind of fish are in it etc. I think more people are starting to realize it now.

Anyways just basically really looking forward to this tournament. It will be my first "real" kayak tournament and im looking forward to meeting everyone and having a good time. The guys at Backwoods are awesome for putting this on!

Hey im the first one to admit that a big head can get you in trouble! I don't think ill be walking away with this by any means. Too many other good sticks out there. Im just excited to be fishing for something on the river for once instead of just fun fishing it. Also excited for others to realize how great of a fishery this river can be. Maybe it will lead to better access and a cleaner river with more people aware of it.

If you aren't very familiar with the Trinity in Fort Worth and legal access points, here is a link to Streams and Valleys website. They are a non-profit that helps to promote the development of recreational opportunities along the Trinity and they have a pretty cool interactive map on their homepage.

http://www.streamsandvalleys.org/

I don't know how I feel honestly! I've enjoyed the secret

Does a hawg trough have to be used? Or is another measuring board alright? I already have a board and haven't been able to find a hawg trough and the rest of the week I don't think I'll have time to get out to get one.

Do we know how many have registered so far (and how many in each category)?

Yes, it must be a Hawg Trough. We do have white ones at Backwoods in Fort Worth for $19.99 + tax. We will have some for sale at registration for $20 even (cash only), but as the rules state you will have to take a few minutes to take a Sharpie and darken the lines on it to make them more visible in your photographs.

90% chance of rain Saturday...... I think I'm out on this one and will use this kitchen pass another day!

Jerry, 18 signed up so far. We did not have registrants designate a division online so we do not know how many plan to fish in each division. Everyone must declare a division at check-in.

So, is there a contingency plan to maybe just combine the entrants and fish heads up?
I don't have a problem with that if a bunch more don't sign up between now and then.

Yeah better bring some rain gear and water proof everything. Whats the protocol if there are really high winds and lightning in the area? Both make kayaking very unsafe.

I hope you guys aren't letting the chance of rain scare you off. It's just a part of it. The rules state that if the weather is too bad they'll delay the start a couple times before canceling/rescheduling. I think the fact that 18 have pre-registered is a good sign. A lot of people will wait tip the morning of. I like the idea of only having 1 division. I think the fly guys stand just as good of a chance at winning as anybody. There's plenty of fish to catch up shallow.

Hmm slinging a fly gets pretty dang hard when it's windy.

All I'm going to say is , bad weather tends to bring the best bite! Even there! Let us hope it isn't even questionable. Sadly, my work is contemplating working that morning... But until they drag me in im there.

I have a feeling there will be a lot more people there than are pre registering

Rain won't stop me!
I don't have an issue with one division. I just want to fish.

50% chance...the way the weather folks predict weather it'll probably be a nice day with some drizzle early. I'm in, only lightning can stop me.

Ya you got a pretty good shot considering
Josh Sneed will be on Ray Roberts fishing
Bass Champs.

I've been eating for 60 years but can't out eat Takeru Kobayashi!

I'm in the same boat. Keeping fingers crossed that I get all work done Friday.

I'm not and know several that aren't registered that plan on going. Should be a great event!

Yeah ill bet it will be close to a 30 person event probably. Im not afraid of rain at all, I've had some of my best days in the rain/overcast skies. What I am afraid of is lightning and really strong winds. Ive had too many close calls with lightning lol. But like was said they are prediciting 50% chance right now so who knows it may do nothing and it may dump 3" of rain. Its Texas weather and is generally unpredictable!

Hey man you don't look so good. I think you may need to "call in" Saturday lol

Considering that it has been advertised as having two divisions since we first posted the event on Facebook in February, we will maintain two separate divisions. When first posted, we also stated that there would only be registration available on the day of the tournament so we are expecting more to register that morning. The weather forecast has been improving over the past couple of days so we are hopeful that trend will continue. However, we will be collecting everyone's cell phone number at registration as a precaution should we feel that conditions become unsafe after everyone is on the water. In that case, we will send out a mass text message with a request for a reply so that we are confident that everyone has gotten the word.

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear and bad judgement.

I like that statement!

I guess I'll bring my conventional tackle also. If there are only a handful of fly fisherman the pot will be too small to justify the long drive.

Rain forecast is looking better every day. Down to 20% scattered showers with a lot of dry hours in between. I'm bringing waders and a rain jacket, but hopefully it won't hurt the fishing too much.

Of course I don't know if it's worth going since Nathan is going to be there. I've heard somewhere that he has fished the river quite a bit.

It's funny this isn't one of his weekends to "work"

You guys are too funny. I just merely stated I fish the river alot and am excited about the tournament. Also not my fault that about 90% of the other kayak tournaments have fallen on my Saturdays to work. I don't get to make tournament schedules. I could go out tomorrow and zero for all i know. Im just excited I finally get to fish one of these things!

packed up ready to go

Just giving you a hard time "Bull".

I used to be in the oil field offshore and it seemed like everything happened on my weeks on the rig. And I'm pretty excited about this myself.

I'll buy you a free beer after you win the tourney.

Also I may or may not just follow you around everywhere you fish and throw in the same holes right behind you.

Use that carolina rigged buzzbait I showed you, and you'll be fine.

lol, u fish in with elliot tomorrow?

Sunday we are yeah, weather permitting. Gonna try to crack to code at Marine Creek. Good luck tomorrow, let me know how you do!

so far im still in... went out there today and tinkered around. only got one 14incher . it was about 3p.m. so ill blame the late start!

Good luck today everyone! Hope it's going well!

Couldn't make it... So who won!?

Absolute BLAST! I'll be fishing this fishery a lot more!! Thanks for a great event Backwoods! 1st - 5th place had a 5" difference. Congrats to the Winners good Job guys!

report- I pre fished for about 3 hrs earlier this week and that was my 2nd (1st was about 2yrs ago with G on a totally different part of the river). Gutcheck and I put in and I said "I'm going right" and "ill go left" he said. Keeping in mind he has never even fished the Trinity before. Well in case you haven't notice our local "Kayak Bass Professor" Gutcheck is a dam good stick. He ended up with 1" more than me for 4th and 5th (places where not paid or announced ) as far as we could tell. Pretty awesome for seeing the water for the first time that morning! If you don't count Tom in for the money your fooling yourself. Next tourney on the Trinity we will be more prepared.
Rumors of a Backwoods Brazos tourney in the air! I hope so!

Awesome! So what were the totals that won the tournament? Someone post some pictures!

Amen to that

Where's the lengths!?

They are holding out on us because they want backwoods to post the results.

Here are the results from the Backwoods Paddle, Fish, and Deliver Tournament held on the Trinity River in Fort Worth. Thanks again to all of you that participated. I plan to organize another one in the fall.

Conventional Tackle
1st Place Nathan Montgomery 88.25"
2nd Place Guillermo Gonzalez 86.75"
3rd Place Joey Camereno 85.25"

Fly Fishing
1st Place James Yorek 71.00"
2nd Place Ross Pinkerton 37.75"
3rd Place Jerry Hamon 37.50"

Largest Bass
Nathan Montgomery 19.5"

Tim thanks again for putting this on. This was honestly one of the best times I've had at a tourney. Just a blast. The trinity is a fun place to fish. First day I've ever fished it and I caught about 15 fish and had 84 inches. I could see this tourney growing and I feel like with all the different stretches it could handle a lot of anglers. The beer and sandwiches at the weigh in were awesome!

And congrats to Nathan. That dude is definitely the guy to beat on that river. I look forward to learning some other spots out there for the next one!

Congrats to Nathan !

71 inches with a fly rod youzer

Good work!

Here are a few pics...fun tournament for sure...and best of all, it was local...

Awesome guys! Thanks for posting pics. Hope they set up another one soon.

Thanks Tim and company for an absolutely great event!
I really enjoyed spending time on the water with both old and new friends!
Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks again everyone. Some additional pictures have been posted on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/backwoodsfortworth

found this post too late. I have been looking for local kayak tournaments and have been having a hard time... Do you know when the next tournament will be and where.

check out this post.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...SP#Post10763008