The Cypremort Invitational Fishing Association tournament, the longest-running fishing contest in the Teche Area, isn’t a sprint. It’s a three-month long marathon.

CIFA members know that and fish accordingly, especially the 40th annual Cypremort Invitational Fishing Association tournament’s winners in 2024. New Iberian Kyle LeBlanc caught his winning speckled trout early while Jordan Morgan of Lydia in the stretch run of the tournament that began July 6 and ended at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Morgan, 35, was ecstatic.

“What an amazing way to end this summer. I’ve spent many days on the water and not get one bite, and other days when it’s an absolute feeding frenzy. The thrill of hearing my drag scream still gives me an adrenaline rush like no other,” he wrote in a recent text.

Morgan had one of those days to remember Sept. 14. Luck was on his side, he said.

While fishing the Iberia Comprehensive tournament with Travis Thomas of Loreauville, that redfish bit the shrimp he was soaking on the bottom in front of a drain in Hawkins Cove. He got to hear that sweet sound of a drag as line peeled out.

After Thomas netted the redfish, he said, “I knew the moment I got him to the boat that was it. The perfect length and fat. It was really a solid fish.”

It weighed 8.55 pounds on the digital scale at the tournament’s weigh-in site under the pavilion at Quintana Canal, good enough to anchor the Southern Outcast two-man team’s winning three-fish “slot” redfish stringer weighing 21.9 pounds worth $1,000.

The long-time friends since high school enjoyed the moment before heading to Dago’s Mobil & Grocery in Lydia, official weigh station for CIFA. They rolled up, Morgan asked what was winning and just knew he had the ongoing tournament’s new leader in his hands.

At the time, his 8.53-pound, 26 ¾-inch redfish knocked young Max Baudry’s 7.49-pounder from first to second, where it stayed until the last day.

Morgan, an NDT inspector for Tuboscope, feels very proud considering the caliber of fishermen in CIFA.

“I look up to so many other fishermen who I’m really good friends with. I knew I had competition on my hands when I started seeing the names each week on Facebook (CIFA page),” he said. “A few months ago my name was the only one listed under redfish for the CIFA but changed quickly that knocked me off in less than a week’s time.”

Following the winner in the Redfish Division standings are Ty Bonin with a 7.80-pounder caught on the last day of the tournament (Sept 28); Baudry, a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Loreauville Junior High, third with a 7.49-ounce redfish (Aug. 2); Matt Migues, fourth with a 7.27 (Aug. 22); Robbie Champagne, fifth with a 7.20 (July 13). Troy Amy’s wife, Keyna, cashed in in the Speckled Trout Division.

The winner is enjoying being king of the mountain. Morgan has bragging rights for a year. And well-deserved.

“It’s been a great summer and I’m thankful to be able to do what I love and get a rewarded for it. Can’t wait to repeat it next year,” he said.

LeBlanc had to sweat it out a whole lot longer than Morgan before experiencing that winning feeling in the Speckled Trout Division. He caught his 4.36-pound game-winner on July 24, 18 days after the tournament started and two months-plus before it ended Sept. 28.

“It’s possible somebody could knock it off,” he said in a story Sept. 11 in The Daily Iberian.

Nevertheless, he was confident the big speckled trout would stay above the rest of the pack through the remainder of the tournament.

It was well worth the wait for the 34-year-old all-around outdoorsman who won the Redfish Division in 2023.

“Winning the speck division feels great,” the Delta World Tires mechanic wrote in a text soon after the digital scale at Dago’s closed for good on the tournament this past Saturday.

“I’ve been in CIFA probably 4-5 years now and spent so many hours on the water fishing for speckled trout. So far the biggest I’ve put up for a CIFA tournament was a 3.09 in 2022, so this is definitely a big accomplishment,” he said. “Last year I tried everything to catch a big trout, live bait, ran around everywhere (but) just couldn’t put anything together, got lucky and came across that (31-pound) bull red at Diamond Reef and won that.”

As for speckled trout, now he knows it isn’t so much the bait or the spot. He caught his winning fish on a Matrix Shad after getting an invite from Damein Clement, who owns DCFishing Services LLC. Clement was going scouting and was looking for a partner.

“This year Damein invited me on a last-minute trip and BAM a 4.36 falls in my lap. It definitely changed the way I look at speck fishing … never know where a big one will be hanging out … just luck of the draw thing, I guess. But it’s great feeling to finally weigh in a winning fish (speckled trout).”

The 4.36-pounder was hanging out at Tee Butte on that trip with Clements. They went there because a summer squall was hovering over the near-offshore waters they wanted to fish in the Gulf of Mexico.

LeBlanc said the speckled trout was in 4- to 5-foot depths on the east side near the end of the main reef. He initially believed a catfish smacked the ultra-violet Matrix Shad he was throwing on a ¼-ounce leadhead.

“It just kind of hit it and took off with it. Like I said, I thought it was a catfish,” he said.

When Clements netted it, he knew better. It was the right species.

“I said, ‘Man, that’s a nice fish.’ I figured it was over 3 pounds. Even 3 pounds would put you ‘in’ in CIFA.

The slender speckled trout measured 24 inches long.

There are some other familiar names that stuck on the leaderboard in the Speckled Trout Division, starting with veteran Troy Amy, who boasted a 3.34-pounder that finished second. His son, Bo Amy just as accomplished, finished third with a 3.06.

The Amys were followed by Hunter Romero and his fourth-place 2.73 and Keyna Amy’s 2.52.