Paddle Palooza is the oldest kayak fishing tournament in Louisiana. Hosted by the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club, the popular event annually sees hundreds of participants and this year was no exception with 285 kayakers entered. This year’s event, number 13 in its 12-year history (it was so much fun they did it twice in the first year) was blessed with perfect weather, skilled anglers and hungry fish.
At the 4:00 p.m. cutoff, the line to weigh-in fish was snaked through the parking lot at Top Water Marina in Leeville, Louisiana. Tired anglers who began fishing at 5:00 a.m. trudged their heavy catch coolers inches at a time toward the weigh station. Weigh-master and club President Todd Lewis would place hundreds of fish on the scales during the two-hour time period it took to get all the fish logged in.
Paddle Palooza is a kill tournament and the club takes no shame in that. “Our fisheries are healthy and we enjoy eating these renewable resources,” Lewis said. Many of the tournament fish are donated by the participants, cleaned immediately, and served up as a delicious dinner for the tournament participants. The rest are taken home by the anglers to feed their families.
Presented by The Backpacker, Hobie and a host of other sponsors, the top prizes for the “Cajun Slam” winners were a Hobie Pro Angler 14, a Hobie Outback and a Backpacker $1,000.00 gift card, respectively. Fourth through tenth Slam winners received a cash prize.
Kyle Templet won the “Leopard Red” category for catching a redfish with 13 spots. Hobie Top Gun Brandon Barton crushed the spotted sea trout division with a fat girl that weighed-in at 5.67 pounds. David Guidry topped the redfish category with an 8.29 pound bronze bruiser and Perry Watts with a big 2.4 flounder.
In years past, flounder proved to be the most difficult fish to catch and made completing the Cajun Slam (trout, red and flounder) quite elusive. However, this year was a record with many anglers coming to the scales with all three fish. When it was all said and done, Hobie Team member Casey Brunning took top honors. Brunning’s slam totaled 12.47 pounds, consisting of an 8.13 red, a 2.54 trout and a 1.8 flounder.
“After three years of fishing Paddle Palooza and never landing a flounder, this year was a dream come true,” Brunning said. No stranger to the podium, Brunning has won Big Red twice before at Paddle Palooza and his wife, Jennifer even won once. “When I caught my first flounder around 10:00 a.m., you would have thought I had won the lottery. I’m sure folks in the next Parish could hear me celebrating,” he added. Although only 12-inches, it completed the coveted slam. However, Brunning went on to catch two additional flounder, each one successively heavier.
While in the weigh-in line, Brunning was hearing stories of all the big trout caught and how so many participants had found flounder. His hopes were fading. “When my name was called, it was a sound I never imagined. The 2016 Paddle Palooza XIII Champion—what a cool sound and pretty neat feeling,” he said.
Paddle Palooza has cemented itself as one of the largest and most lucrative kayaks tournaments in the country. Participants are virtually guaranteed great fishing, food and friendship.
Team Hobie had eight members finish in the money:
Casey Brunning 1st Place Cajun Slam
Vlad Moldoveanu 2nd Place Cajun Slam
Steve Neece 6th Place Cajun Slam
Clayton Shilling 8th Place Cajun Slam
Brandon Barton 1st Place Mule Trout
Chris Holmes 3rd Place Mule Trout
Brendan Bayard 5th Place Mule Trout
Benton Parrott 3rd Place Saddle Flounder
