Every other Wednesday evening becomes special soon for many bass anglers across Acadiana.

The Wednesday Night Hawg Fights Bass Tournament Series opener is scheduled to get underway March 22. Each Hawg Fight is a pressure-packed derby with a time frame from 5:30 p.m. to dark-thirty, which early in the season means less than 2 hours on the water before weigh-in. For example, sunset is 7:20 p.m. on March 22.

Circle that date on your calendar if you like going head to head against some of the area’s top bass fishermen.

Acadiana’s bass anglers welcome the challenge year after year since the origin of the mini-tournaments in the 1980s. It’s a great break to the work week and whets their appetite for competitive bass fishing.

The 2023 WN Hawg Fights BTS schedule features 12 regular-season tournaments ending Aug. 23. Other tournaments DATES are set for April 5, April 19, May 3, May 27, May 31, June 14, June 28, July 12, July 26, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23.

The WN Hawg Fights BTS Classic is scheduled to be held Aug. 27.

The goal each Hawg Fight is to go out one or two bass anglers to a boat – entry fee is $60 per boat no matter if there are one or two – and come back with three bass at least 12 inches long each and kickin’ (alive). It’s easier said than done much of the time.

In 2022, no one did it better than Mike & Mike. New Iberians Mike O’Brien, veteran weighmaster, and Mike Sinitiere, the highly popular circuit’s director, won just one of the 12 Hawg Fights but were consistent enough to win Angle(s) of the Year. They finished ahead of Greer Billeaud of Lafayette and Andre Cazelot of Breaux Bridge, 1,028-1,007.

“It’s the consistency of catching. A lot of guys don’t care unless they’re first, second or third,” O’Brien said last year after they clinched AOY on Aug. 31.

Bringing a limit to the scale is the key, O’Brien said, “Especially in two- to three-hour tournaments. Time is very crucial. You’ve got to catch them so fast.”

Sinitiere said, “It was very close and competitive. We enjoyed the season and it felt great to come out on top because we do have quality fishermen on that circuit.”

How popular is the local evening bass tournament circuit, which fishes mostly Lake Fausse Pointe and the Atchafalaya Basin out of Bayou Benoit Landing and Myette Point Landing but last year added Lake Martin.

Chris Vedrines of New Iberia, a WN Hawg Fights BTS regular who records and posts the results religiously, reported 294 boats showed up over the course of the season for an average of 24.5 boats per tournament. One hundred and forty-six different anglers fished at least one tournament and 42 qualified to fish the Classic.

“I’m looking forward to this season. Hopefully, we’ll have as good a turnout or better than last year,” Sinitiere said Friday morning. “Hopefully, we’ll fish a few different places this year. It’s going to be up to the vote of the fishermen where we fish at.”

The 2022 Classic in the Atchafalaya Basin out of Myette Point Landing was won by Mike Louviere and Tabitha Landry, both of Jeanerette. They topped a 19-boat field with 12.34 pounds to win $2,000.

WN Hawg Fights BTS board members include Sinitiere (321-1178), Jean Trahan (344-1698) Jacob Shoopman (339-2267), Rusty Owens (577-3138) and Brad Romero (224-1008).

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.