Avid bass fishermen by the dozens converged on a local sporting goods store / graphics design business Friday night for what has become an annual highlight at the end of each Lipari Outdoor Adventures Hawg Fight season.

Nearly 60 Teche Area bassers were on hand to register for today’s Hawg Fight Classic out of Myette Point in the Atchafalaya Basin. People who fished at least one of the year’s midweek evening mini-bass tournaments qualified for the big event. Eighty-four Classic anglers in 43 boats (two qualifiers are fishing alone) started fishing at safe daylight today. The Classic weigh-in begins at 3 p.m.

It was a bittersweet couple of hours Friday for tournament director Tommy Lipari of New Iberia and his bass fishing buddy and weighmaster Elvis Jeanminette of Grand Marais. Lipari announced he won’t be running the circuit next year but will stay involved along with Jeanminette.

Lipari, who owns Lipari’s, cited business and family responsibilities as his young children grow up, Jeanminette said, noting he understands fully after raising three daughters. Lipari got a big round of applause from the appreciative crowd. 

“I enjoy it. (But) it was time to pass the torch. I think everything’s going to pretty much be the same with Paul and Coach,” Lipari said. 

Jeanminette said he enjoyed the eight years they ran the popular circuit together. 

“It was a lot of fun,” he said about manning the scale during weigh-ins at dark-thirty, every other Wednesday night early in the season, then every Wednesday.

Jeanminette said he was pleasantly surprised Carroll Delahoussaye, St. Martin Parish Council member and athletic director at St. Martinville Senior High, and Paul Resweber of St. Martinville, who owns Haroil Construction, an oilfleld gauging business, volunteered to run the Lipari Outdoor Adventures Hawg Fights, which probably will keep the same name, in 2012.

Jeanminette cooked 16 pounds of Savoie’s sausage in a special recipe with “ancient mulatto barbecue sauce” for the Classic qualifiers. It disappeared fast along with 10 bags of chips and cold beverages.

Angler of the Year plaques were awarded for the second straight year to Mike O’Brien of New Iberia and Resweber. O’Brien and Resweber are trying to duplicate their feat last year by doubling as regular-season and Classic champions.

 

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Bucky Crowson showed up with a black eye Friday night for the Lipari Outdoors Adventures Hawg Fight Classic meeting at Lipari’s store along U.S. 90.

No, the Lafayette resident and former New Iberian hadn’t been partying at Shady’s in Baton Rouge. Crowson’s right eye was damaged by a flying torpedo of a 20- to 25-pound silver carp last week while he was prefishing for today’s Classic in the Atchafalaya Basin.

The invasive species is more prevalent than ever in the Spillway after ultra-high water periods in May and June. All it takes to get them into a jumping frenzy is a boat moving at idle speed or, even, one being pulled along by a trolling motor.

Someone, a child or an adult trying to enjoy the great outdoors, is going to be seriously injured by this new threat to our safety on the water. 

I was with Mike Sinitiere of New Iberia last summer when he was driving his boat at idle speed in Charenton Lake. One of many silver carp that jumped at once smashed into the right side of his head and the force of the blow knocked him to his left to the floor of the boat.

More on this fishy subject later.

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Aaron Breaux of New Iberia was proud to announce recently that $27,150 was put into the Denise P. Breaux Memorial Fund after the ultra-successful Denise P. Breaux Memorial Redfish Derby, a fundraising event held in his wife’s honor. The redfish tournament attracted 135 boats and more than 270 fishermen July 30 at Cypremort Point.

Denise Poché Breaux, a friend to many and a kind-hearted, charitable person, died Feb. 27 at age 47 after a four-year long battle with cancer. She loved to fish for redfish.

 

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.