The 44th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament Is A Wrap!

The South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce welcomed anglers, captains and their families to the 44th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament beginning on Friday, August 8^th for registration.  Early Saturday morning 267 anglers in 99 boats hit the waterways and 169 returned to the docks before 7:00 p.m. to weigh in their catch.

The Awards Ceremony on Sunday at the SPI Convention Center brought in a full-house of anglers and their families to recognize those who took top prizes.  Winning anglers received wooden cutting boards featuring the tournament artwork designed by SPI Chamber staff member Dianna L. Harvill.   Trophies were also awarded for Grand Champion Bay Division, Grand Champion Offshore Division and the LKT Legacy Award.

This year’s bay grand champion was Britani Snow from Loveland, Colorado.  Britani brought in all three species (Redfish, Trout and Flounder) for a total weight of 12.89 pounds.  She was fishing with Captain Josh Leal on the Reel Situation.  Marti Miller from Port Isabel, TX walked away with the Offshore Championship when she brought in all four species (Kingfish, Bonito, Dorado and Blackfin Tuna) for a total weight of 22.97 pounds.  Marti was fishing on the Red Rocket with Captain Kyle Pattinson.

The LKT Legacy Award, created in memory of Ann Wells by her daughter and granddaughters, was awarded to Lynn Barlow from South Padre Island, TX.  Lynn has fished in every tournament since 1998.  Ann Wells fished LKT for 35 years prior to her death in 2017, and was one of the anglers that started the first all women’s tournament in the State of Texas.  The award was started in 2017 as the “Angler Annie Award”, and was presented to Maria Pinkerton.  In 2018 the name was changed to the LKT Legacy Award and was presented to Sandra Veale.  Kelsey Wells Garcia received the award in 2019, no award in 2020, Sylvia Wernecke - 2021, Diana Johnson - 2022, Charla Givens - 2023 and Sarah Bryan-Reyes - 2024.

Mark your calendar for the 45^th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament scheduled for August 7-9, 2026, and start your own Island tradition.