Backwoods' Kayak Fishing Series -- Fall Trinity River Event (Fort Worth) 10/24

I don't know about you all... but as good as the Trinity has fished this year, it's time for another event in Fort Worth!

On October 24th, Backwoods Fort Worth will be hosting it's fall roadrunner style paddle sport tournament on Fort Worth's own Trinity River.

This event will have a conventional and a fly fishing division. Entry into both divisions will be $40 with an optional $10 Big Bass side pot.

Registration will take place at Backwoods located 2727 W 7th St. The awards ceremony will take place at a location to be determined! The boundaries of 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.

The timetable will be as follows:

6:30 a.m. -- check in (FREE COFFEE!!!!)
7:00 a.m. -- captain's meeting
7:30 a.m. -- first cast
4:00 p.m. -- scorecards in
4:30 p.m. -- award ceremony

What to expect out of the Trinity in October:

SHAD SHAD SHAD!!!!!! At this time of the year depending on water temps the fish start to key in on shad moving shallow in big numbers to spawn. Especially in the early morning. During periods of shad spawning activity fish will readily eat a variety of shad imitation baits and flies. My personal favorites are the spinnerbait, a regular non-bladed swim-jig and a rabbit strip clouser for the fly fisherman. As the day progresses fish become open to a very wide variety of forage which is one of the characteristics that make the Trinity river so special! At this time of year several 90+ stringers are not out of the question. North Texas heavy rains sometimes make the river muddy in the fall. Have no fear... I've found the bigger fish bite better under such conditions, especially when target fishing with slower moving baits and bulky flies.

Gonna try my best to make it out and get a few buddies to come this time! Had a blast last time the River is always fun! On one side note you mentioned shad. When they had the water main break a Few weeks ago in the Trinity Park area, I dont know what exactly it did to the rivers water, but the following day there were literally thousands of dead shad and hundreds of dead catfish all along the bank in that stretch. So the shad spawn (at least in that area) May not be as strong in years past. Hopefully they dont have anymore issues like that!

The guys at Backwoods put on a great tourney you don't want to miss it!!

Guys I've fished the Trinity a couple times in the last month and honestly it's fishing better than just about anywhere else inside the metroplex... here's just a smattering of the quality and quantity you can expect to catch out there...
Come on out and enjoy the fellowship in Downtown Fort Worth! It's gonna be a blast, just like last time!

G.A.,

Are boundaries listed to the east and west one long stretch or divided by portages or different in-out spots?

Where are the best places to put in?

What cameras do most of the kayak fishermen use?

Hawg Trough is the standard measurement device?

Brad

I can't believe I have to miss this one! The Trinity is my baby!

Gutcheck is right Trinity has been HOT pretty much all summer long and it only gets better in the fall. I may actually have to miss this one. I have alot going on this month. We will see how it plays out though.

Okay I know this might be a shot in the dark being this close to tournament time but can someone help me with some put in locations? Please...Not asking for your super secret spots just somewhere I can launch within the boundaries. My wife and I plan on checking it out this weekend to see what it's like. Not familiar with the Fort Worth area so trying to save me some gas money.

PM me if you like. "Maybe hook you up with a 12 pack of your favorite brew." within reason cause I know some of you suckers drink some expensive stuff.

Found some help.

Online registration and complete rules can now be found at http://www.backwoods.com/pfd. Check out Streams and Valleys website for a pretty decent map as a starting point. It shows where all of the river trail system parking areas are as well as some recommended boat launch sites. It does not show all of the dams though, only the ones where the river trail crosses.

Work scheduled just got changed and I am now working the Saturday of this tournament. Good luck to you guys its going to be a blast!

There is an optional side pot for the best team on the trinity. It's a braggin rights thing so step on up its gonna be a blast!


https://www.facebook.com/events/473069249532190/

Unfortunately I gotta work that Saturday...hopefully I can see some tourneys on Sundays!! Good luck to all!!

whoohooo!! registered and patiently waiting!!!

Nice!!! You bringing Katie and doing team challenge?

Hahaha.. I don't think yall can hang. My daughter is a pretty good stick!!!

I know I was gonna back out if she was coming!!!

Sooo....Is this being postponed?

Last I heard it wasnt. Gonna get reallly interesting if we get the 4+" they are thinking we should get. Good luck to you guys if its still on!

I don't see how it would even be an option if the rain keeps up. The Trinity gets ugly quick!

I havent heard or seen otherwise on their social media accounts. Hopefully someoen will chime in. And I agree with you. If I wasnt working and had planned on fishing this I would be out with all this rain. Its going to be a mess.

They said they would make the decision public at noon today.
Patience Grasshopper!

Due to the weekend forecast and the Flash Flood Watch that we are under unitl Saturday night, it is very likely that our kayak bass fishing tournament on the Trinity this weekend will be postponed. We certainly want to do all that we can to ensure everyone's safety and we want to give everyone ample time to rearrange their weekend plans. We will continue to monitor the forecast and the river conditions and will post the final decision before noon tomorrow.

Straight from their Facebook page

With the ongoing flash flood warning in mind, the tournament is now officially postponed. The 10-day forecast has improved and it looks like the rain will be tapering off by mid-week. We are going to re-schedule for Saturday, October 31 with the updated timetable listed on Facebook event page. If you have pre-registered, are unable to attend, and would like a refund, please email tournament director Tim Martin at tmartin@backwoods.com. The event webpage will be updated soon.

Looks like I may get to fish it now

Yep!

Didn't see that until today Jerry lol. No one getting impatient here. I can't fish it either way anyways

After visiting several sections of the river, I can say that river conditions are not unsafe at the current time. The big question is what will happen with this next wave of rainfall predicted to hit later this evening. I don't think that it will make the river unsafe tomorrow morning, but there may still be light rain and the water will likely look like chocolate milk. The fishing will probably be pretty poor.

For us, the point of putting on this tournament is for you all to have a good time. We don't really stand to gain or lose anything by having the tournament tomorrow or postponing it. What would those of you that are looking forward to fishing a tournament on the Trinity like to do?

I would like to try fishing tomorrow. I know there will be some added challenges; and possibly fewer fish caught. If you postpone, I'll do my best to make the alternate date.

I vote "FISH".


Stan

I'm out if it's tomorrow. But if postponed I will probably be able to make it.

Alright, the overnight forecast has worsened with two more inches of rain expected in the next 24 hours. We are going to postpone until Saturday, November 21st (the timetable will change due to daylight savings time). Hopefully, that will allow those that need to ask off of work enough time to make arrangements resulting in a larger number of participants. Sorry for the last minute cancellation, but safety comes first and I would rather make this call now than in the morning.

Thanks for trying Tim. You have likely made a wise decision. I will be there on the 21st.

It's tough to do but I would've postponed both weeks if I were running it too...

Look forward to seeing everyone on the 21st....

Good call Tim!

The tournament event information for November 21 has been updated on the Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1596257077282508/. If we have to reschedule again, it might become an ice fishing tournament instead.

Don't forget guys. It has been rescheduled to this weekend on Saturday November 21st! Updated information can be found on the FB page!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1596257077282508/

Hope everyone has had success pre-fishing! River ought to fish good with some added current lately!

Woot Woot!!!

Cold front blowing through Saturday! Should make it interesting. Finally convinced my buddy and possibly his girl to fish this tournament too! Should be a blast whatever happens!

Really getting excited!!!

Sure wish we could have Fridays forecast for Saturday! Going to make for a very interesting tournament. Pressure skyrockets right at start time, calling for 20-25mph north winds and we will be lucky if we crack 50 degrees! lol Hope everyone stays safe and bundles up! Still looking forward to it! Always nice to be on the river even when the weather doesnt cooperate sometimes.

Wondering how many guys we are gonna lose thanks to tomorrow's forecast? Which has now changed to 20-30mph North winds with gusts up to 45MPH!! going to be VERY interesting and VERY cold. Stay safe and dress warm to all who show up tomorrow! Me and Chris will be there! Although we are starting to wonder what we have gotten ourselves into here lol!

Who one the tournament?

Sanderson 1st, Me 2nd, And Ninja 3rd. Winning limit was 88" followed by my 85" and I cant remember what 3rd was. I think 76" or so. Big bass was a 19" which I just missed it by a 1/4" with my 18.75". Over all it was actually a good day fishing with lots of fish caught for the conditions the way they were. I think I ended up landing right around 20 bass and had a few come off right at the kayak. The day certainly went much much better than I had imagined it would lol.

Oh and a big shout out to Tim and his guys at Backwoods for putting this tournament on and making everything go smoothly! Even with the weather it was still alot of fun and a good time! Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to everyone who competed in the tournament this past Saturday. Conditions were certainly challenging and I think we were all surprised by the quality and number of fish caught. Big Shout out to Thurber Mingus for hosting the post tournament gathering and award ceremony. It is a great, come as you are after a day on the water, kind of place right next to some great fishing on the Trinity. Pics of the big bass and all three top finishers fish can be found on the Backwoods Fort Worth Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1162442890451423.1073741847.169388013090254&type=3.