I was asked by a group of local fisherman to help get the permits for an innovative one day CT River catch and release striped bass tournament the proceeds to benefit the Branford Veterans Outreach Program that runs a Take a Vet Fishing Program. The Tournament runs from 4:30 am to 3:30 pm on Sunday May 6. The longest striped bass caught from a boat or shore wins $500. I think there will be other non-cash awards for youth and other categories. The waters are the CT River only from Windsor Locks to the mouth. Entry fee is $25 for Adults and $10 for the Youth entries. Lure or fly only- no bait. After its over there will be a get together with food and stuff.

You register on Saturday after 12:00 pm or Sunday before it starts at Rivers End or Fishin Factory 3 in Middeltown and pick up a tournament tape measure and your number on a card.

To enter a fish you take a picture showing the tape measure from the mouth over its body to the V notch in the tail with your number also in the picture. You can release the fish and email the photo to a special email address where they keep track of the longest fish. So not a kill tournament - just need to keep your cell phone dry. The rules are attached.

Hopefully this will be an annual tournament for a very good cause.

The Take a Vet Fishing Program has been working with disabled vets for a number of years. A few striper fishermen got together with a couple of goals in mind and a fun and challenging way to approach it.
The goals are to,
1. Honor our Vets - Lets get vets involved, the TAVF Program will pair disabled vets with guides and other volunteers to enable them to fish in the tournament. All net proceeds from the tournament will go to the TAVF.
2. Honor the Connecticut River - This is one of the greatest natural resources in the state. Let's make people aware of this. The contest covers most of the River.
3. Honor the Fishery - Let's get away from the contests that wind up with a bunch of dead fish on the dock at the end of the day. Tournaments can be held with catching and releasing just like they do with largemouth bass and be successful.

This is our first try at this type of event. We may have a few stumble and screw ups but it's very deserving of your support. We hope this can be an annual event and serve as a blueprint for other tournaments.
The tournament is open to everyone, just enter prior to the start time. You can fish from shore or boat with spin, conventional or fly tackle as long as it's artificial only.
Contact myself (860-388-2283)or Andrew at the Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown (860-344-9139).
Thanks for your support,
Pat Abate

Pat- thanks- you did a much better job of explaining what the Tournament is all about and how it can be a model for the future.

awesome idea. I will check with my scheduler :)