DONALDSONVILLE – One of the most anticipated fundraisers of the summer didn’t disappoint July 20, a development that bodes well for the future of bass fishing in and around the Spillway.

Cliff “The Cajun Baby” Crochet’s second annual Every Fish Matters banquet raised an estimated $79,000 gross after approximately 400 outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen of all ages filled the Assumption Parish Community Center.

“I think it’s a good deal. It shows the generosity of people; it shows the care for conservation, and it shows the care for our waters,” Crochet said after the event.

“It’s an exciting deal to see a lot of people come together and support our local waters. That’s a huge deal for us.”

Crochet, a veteran on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour, said the money will be used to buy F1 largemouth bass fingerlings to stock on both side of the Atchafalaya Basin next year before June. F1s, generally referred to as “Tiger Bass,” are a cross between two pure largemouth bass strains – northern bass and Florida bass – known for being more aggressive than other hybrids.

One of his good fishing buddies, another outdoorsman in the bass pro ranks, said he enjoyed the event immensely and challenged bass clubs and individuals in other parts of the state to schedule similar events.

After the inaugural Every Fish Matters banquet last summer, Crochet purchased thousands of F1s earlier this year from the American Sport Fish Hatchery near Pike Road, Alabama, southeast of Montgomery. It is the only fish hatchery licensed to produce and sell Tiger Bass.

Dozens of area residents distributed the fingerlings on March 26 during a tournament out of Doiron’s Landing, Stephensville, and again April 15 when they picked up 40,000 baby bass at Veterans Park in Pierre Part, Crochet’s hometown. Those bass were released in the nation’s last great overflow swamp and on the Stephensville side of the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee.

Many of those volunteers and others showed up and paid $50 per person last Thursday to ensure another solid stocking event adds bass to the region’s waters. It was a good time and all had fun, Crochet said, noting he mingled with the crowd and kept his ears open.

“It was a good night. I’m very pleased with the money, with the attendance. The good thing is I’m learning stuff, taking suggestions for improvement (on the banquet format). I’m in a position to gather people,” Crochet said.

“Last year I described it like a class reunion … old friends and stuff,” he said, noting the latest fundraiser had the same feel.

On his Facebook page the following day, July 21, Crochet wrote: “Thanks to everyone who made last night’s 2nd annual Every Fish Masters conservation banquet a huge success. This event could not be possible without the many volunteers, donors and generosity of great people. Fingerlings that will be released with proceeds from last night’s event will be released in the spring of 2024. We will announce details of that event in the coming weeks.”

Fellow MLF BPT veteran Gerald Spohrer of Gonzales was among those who attended the fundraising event, Crochet said. Spohrer has been an active supporter of the banquet since its inception, as has the MLF Anglers Association.

“I think it’s a really cool thing. I think that area (free flowing tidal waters oft-affected by hurricanes) needs that kind of support,” Spohrer said the next day.

The Gonzales outdoorsman, who also runs a private charter boat operation out of Venice, said he and Crochet have seen similar volunteer projects elsewhere across the country that benefit fisheries.

“We really don’t have anything like that here. There were a couple small examples,” Spohrer said, noting in this region people sometimes give up after hurricanes impact a fisheries.

“When Cliff put together this deal last year, I was not expecting the turnout I saw. It blew me away. Cliff did a good job setting it up,” he said. “The impact of this right here will carry on for generations. It’s really fun to be a part of. I’m really excited to see the fisheries five years from now.”

He donated two of the live auction items that Thursday. One was his bass pro jersey and another was a two-night stay on his houseboat in Venice.

Last year he donated an offshore trip for $4,000. Spohrer and Crochet took the high bidders out a week before the second annual event.

Spohrer hopes others join to plan similar events. He acknowledges it’s a lot of work. Hopefully, he said, one possible host could be Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia.

“If we can get four, five groups doing the same thing in the state, that will really make an impact,” the personable Gonzales outdoorsman said.

Other widely known Louisiana pros who live in or around the region were unable to attend the recent fundraiser because of travel plans for a regular-season tournament at Lake St. Clair in New Baltimore, Michigan. Their AFTCO Bassmaster Elite tournament begins July 27.

Crochet will leave the Sportsman’s Paradise on July 27 to compete in the MLF BPT for the seventh and final tournament of 2023. The Minn Kota Stage Seven event will be held Aug. 1-6 at Saginaw Bay and Saginaw River in Bay City, Michigan.