The Acadiana YHEC’s 5th annual Take Your Family Fishing Freshwater Tournament is one of two fundraising events lined up for the Youth Hunter Education Club.

The fishing contest is scheduled to be held April 30 at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park. Less than a month later, Acadiana YHEC officials are playing host to the 12th annual Acadiana YHEC Sporting Clay benefit to be held May 21at Ed’s Sporting Goods in Kaplan.

Dozens of boys and girls from across the Teche Area are members of the New Iberia-based Youth Hunter Edcuation Club. They count on money raised at fundraisers like these to enable them to enhance their outdoor knowledge and skills in various events.

There have been some noteworthy performances by proud members of the team, most recently in 2015 when Elijah Dupré,competing at the senior level, and Cameron Jumonville qualified for nationals in New Mexico. Dupré, who was part of the program for eight years, emerged as a leader on the local YHEC squad.

An Acadiana YHEC spokesman said the fishing contest raises money to help the members defray travel and lodging expenses when they qualify for the NRA International Youth Hunter Education Challenge, as Dupré and Jumonville did in 2015.

Entry fee for the fishing contest is $25 for anglers 16 and over. Anglers 15 and under compete for free.

There will be first-place awards in each division/category and participation medals for youths who preregister.

There is an optional 50/50 Split Cash Contest.

The following individual awards go to the motorboat division: heaviest bass, heaviest sac-a-lait, heaviest bream and heaviest catfish for men and women. The same individual awards go to men and women in the canoe/kayak division.

For all watercraft, youths 10-15 can win heaviest bass, heaviest sac-a-lait, heaviest bream and / or heaviest catfish. Ditto for the Little Tanglers (9 and under).

There also is an all-boat competition for heaviest five-fish stringer of bass, sac-a-lait, bream and catfish and heaviest four-fish stringer of one bass, one sac-a-lait, one bream and one catfish.

Sounds like a lot of fun for the family. 

For more information call 256-2848 or go to Acadianayhec@acadianayhec.com

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Don’t forget to circle this date on your calendar and to attend the New Iberia Ducks Unlimited chapter’s general membership banquet April 14.

For the second year in a row it is being held in the spring at the Cajun RVera at the SugArena. For more information on the popular fundraising event, call Foster at 637-3469.

Teche Area waterfowl hunters have been increasingly supportive of the local DU chapter in recent years. The hard-working fundraising committee was rewarded for its endeavors when it was named last month to the 2015 DU President’s Honor Roll.

 

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.