IFA Kayak Tour Championship Set for Panama City, Florida
Championship features increased payouts
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The IFA Kayak Tour Presented by Hobie Fishing will visit Panama City, Florida, for the 2016 championship event, Oct. 7-8. The two-day event will feature increased payouts and contingency prizes while bringing together the best inshore kayak anglers from Texas to the Carolinas.
“We are thrilled to have the most skilled kayak anglers competing together in our rich waters,” said Jennifer Vigil, president and CEO of Panama City Community Development Council, Inc. “This season’s IFA Redfish Open held here in April was a great success and we want to show the kayak anglers the same hospitality and let them experience all that Panama City offers.”
The championship event will begin with registration on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 5-7 p.m. at The Shrimp Boat Restaurant (1201 Beck Ave., Panama City, Florida 32401) followed by the captain’s meeting. Anglers will launch Friday and Saturday from the location of their choice with the weigh-ins set at Sunjammers St. Andrews (1129 Beck Ave., Panama City, Florida 32401) Check-in times will be announced at the captain’s meeting on Thursday.
All anglers who entered at least two regular-season kayak events and competed in one event will qualify for the $50 entry-fee championship. First-place prize at the IFA Kayak Championship Presented by Hobie Fishing, regardless of field size, is a Hobie Mirage Pro Angler kayak valued at $2,549. Second and third place finishers will be awarded cash prizes of $1,500 and $750, respectively.In addition, the Divisional Anglers of the Year will square off during the championship for the Overall Angler of the Year award. The winner will receive $1,000 and paid entry fees for 2017.IFA events are made possible through the sponsorship and continued support of these well-respected brands: Hobie Fishing, Ranger Boats, Cabela’s, Lucas Oil, Yamaha Outboards, RAM, Berkley Gulp!, Berkley Gulp! Alive!, PENN Reels, Spiderwire, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Power-Pole, BoatU.S., Amphibia, Arctic Ice, Protect the Harvest, General Tire, SuperClean, Valley Fashions, ENGEL Coolers, T-H Marine, ATLAS, G-Juice Powertex Group, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, The Shrimp Boat Restaurant, Sunjammers St. Andrews and the Panama City Community Development Council.
For more information or to become a member of the IFA, the fastest-growing inshore fishing tournament series in the United States, go online to www.ifatours.com. To discover more about kayaking and Hobie Fishing go to www.hobiefishing.com.
