No Limit fishing tourney set for Saturday

OTHELLO – The Big Bass Power Hour is coming to Potholes State Park on Saturday, presented by Native Watercraft.

The tournament features anglers using kayaks to get across the Potholes Reservoir, either man- or engine-powered. It is part of a five-event series that spans across the U.S.

“We are doing five of these events in different parts of the country this year,” Marvin Forte, an event organizer, said. “They’re sort of distinct events, so I wouldn’t really call it a tour.”

Those who register for the event must bring an eligible vessel to qualify for the competition.

“This is all on kayaks,” Forte said. “We allow kayaks, we allow canoes. Inflatable kayaks, paddle boards are also acceptable. They’ve got to be on one of those, most of them are human-powered although some of them have electric motors. So, either one of those is acceptable.”

The previous events, held in California, the Carolinas and Michigan, are all similar in nature, with the main separating factor being location. The total number of anglers in attendance varies per region, but the Carolinas event in April gathered nearly 160 anglers.

“It just depends on the region and how many kayak anglers there are,” Forte said.

Throughout Saturday there will be two competitions going on in relation to the Big Bass Power Hour, both in relation to the length of the fish. Each hour anglers will submit their longest fish caught through the TourneyX app, done by taking a photo with measurements of the fish caught. Submitted fish must be at least 14 inches, Forte said. The competition lasts for eight hours, with eight prizes awarded.

In addition to the hourly competition, there will be a reward for those who have the most inches of fish caught during the day. There isn’t a limit of how many fish an angler can submit through the app, so long as they are a minimum of 14 inches.

“Each fish has to be a minimum of 14 inches long, and all those fish, however many they catch, are totaled up and that’s your score,” Forte said. “In kayak tournaments, we do catch, photo, release, so it’s all photographs on board to show the length.”

The total reward for each prize will depend on the number of anglers in total that sign up, with about 70 registered as of Tuesday.

“With 70 anglers that’s going to mean $700 is the payout,” Forte said of the holy payout. “And then the daily no limit will pay $300 for first, $230 for second, $150 for third and $100 for fourth.”

Forte added that the totals for the daily no limit will change too, depending on how many anglers show up.

Along with cash prizes, three Native Watercraft kayaks will be given to winners of the no-limit competition, Anglers can launch from any point at Potholes besides Lind Coulee, due to other tournaments in the area.

Those interested in participating can register at https://bit.ly/KYKFSHN1. Registration closes at 10 p.m. on Friday. More information on attendance times, deadlines and more can also be found on the registration link.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibovona@columbiabasinherald.com and welcomes news tips related to sporting events both on and off the field.