Women anglers prepare for day on the water

The summer fishing season is in full swing and next week women anglers will take to the water in the 29th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament.
Coming the weekend after the Texas International Fishing Tournament, the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce sponsored LKT is open to women anglers only.
 Men may participate, but only as captains, boat operators and deckhands.
“We expect to have about the same number as last year,” SPI Chamber President Roxanne Guenzel said.
As of mid-week, the chamber had received about 100 angler registrations, and Guenzel said there should be between 275 and 300 participants.
“We get a lot of onsite registration,” she said. “A lot of people like to wait on the weather.”
The tournament is Saturday, Aug. 7, and registration runs Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the South Padre Island Convention Centre.
Fishing in both the bay and offshore divisions starts at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
At the end of the day, anglers will bring their catch to the weigh-in station at South Point Marina in Port Isabel.
Weigh-in time for the bay division is from 2:30-5:30 p.m., and 2:30-7 p.m. for the offshore division.
Trophies will be awarded for Offshore Grand Champion, Bay Grand Champion, as well as first through fourth place in each species category.
Qualifying offshore fish include kingfish, dolphin, bonito and blackfin tuna.
In the bay division, anglers will be after red drum, speckled trout and flounder.
The tournament wraps up on Sunday with an awards ceremony and brunch  at 11 a.m. at the convention center.