Pictured above at the captain’s meeting before the Pompano tournament: Left to right - Earl Miller, General Manager, Bahamas Tourist Office Vertical Markets; Rosalyn Pinder, representing Freeport, Grand Bahama; Douglas Perez, Extreme Kayak Fishing; Donna Munroe, representing, Flamingo Bay Resort; Richard Treco, Manager, BTO Vertical Markets and Joe Hector, Extreme Kayak Fishing Organizer.
The Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament, called “May Madness,” that recently drew 100 plus kayak participants to its event at Pompano Beach, South Florida, is expected to move to The Islands Of The Bahamas in April of 2014.
The sport which involves fishing for Big Game from a kayak is expected to take place in Freeport, Grand Bahama at the Flamingo Bay Resort. The organizers have already done some pre-fishing in The Bahamas and boast that they were able to catch a good number of species including Wahoos.
Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament has been held in Florida over the past two years with the Broward Children’s Center Pompano, as its charity. The event is said to be the largest Kayak Fishing Tournament of its kind in the United States at this time, and according to its organizers is growing consistently.
“We are so pumped over the event moving to The Bahamas,” organizer Joe Hector said. “We believe that going to The Bahamas will help to expand the tournament and introduce this type of fishing to the masses. Taking the tournament to The Bahamas, means taking it to a place, that has the best fishing in the world.”
“Working with The Bahamas will make a great marriage. We Feel that coupled with The Islands Of The Bahamas, Extreme Kayak can become the biggest and best offshore Kayak Fishing Tournament in the world.” the organizer said.
Mr. Earl Miller, General Manager, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Vertical Markets, also expressed excitement at the proposed venture. “Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Vertical Markets Department is always looking for new water sports to add to our overall initiatives.”
Miller also noted that fishing for Big Game in The Bahamas is normally a very expensive venture, when one takes into consideration the funds needed for chartering a sport fishing boat or making the crossing in one’s own boat. Fishing on a kayak, he said, can greatly boost Bahamas tourism figures, as it makes the sport of Big Game fishing more accessible and affordable and thus will attract larger numbers of fishermen.