Walking away with the first place was Francis Tran, of Starkville, Mississippi. He measured a combined total of 46.50 inches, which was enough to net him the win along with an Ascend 128T kayak and $1,000 in cash.
What makes his win even more impressive is that it is just his second year of fishing the IFA Kayak Tour, which he also won last year. It wasn't an easy day of fishing for any of the IFA Kayak Tour anglers as there were high winds to contend with. However, Tran decided to concentrate on the marshes and the pass at Grand Isle, which is a strategy that paid off for him. He also made use of top-water baits and a popping cork over a plastic shrimp to catch his limit
Douglas Menefee of Lafayette, Louisiana finished in second place with a combined total of 35 inches. This was enough to win him an Ascend 12 kayak. According to Menefee, he found the wind to be so severe that it blew out the pass and made it unfishable. Menefee ended fishing Grand Isle at both ends of the island and traveled about 15 miles. His strategy was to target trout with a top-water bait and he also made use of a Carolina rig with Berkley Gulp! on a circle hook. Although the wind made it difficult to fish most of his spots, Menefee stated that he was happy to squeak out a second place.
Finally, in third place was Graves Bayard, another newcomer to the IFA Kayak Tour. He walked away with the $160 third-place price thanks to 28.38 pounds and was also awarded the $100 Junior Angler award. For trout, Bayard fished a popping cork and soft plastics for redfish. Bayard mentioned that the fishing was great and challenging, but that he lost three fish that would have helped his placing. However, he still found the event awesome and was pleased with a third-place finish against the veteran anglers.
The IFA Kayak Tour is moving to Port Lavaca, Texas next with the event taking place on July 12, 2020. Any anglers who enter at least two events and compete in at least one event will be qualified for the 2020 IFA Kayak Tour Championship. The IFA Kayak Tour - Louisiana Division Lafitte, LA top six results are listed below. For more information, visit the official website ( www.ifatours.com. )
Francis Tran - 46.50 inches
Douglas Menefee - 35.00 inches
Graves Bayard - 28.38 inches
Christopher Weaver - 27.00 inches
Matthew Vann - 25.75 inches
Brendan Bayard - 16.63 inches
