The Old School Kingfish Shootout returns for its fifth year: Here's what you need to know
The Olympic motto later this summer is "Faster, Higher, Stronger." For the Daily's Old School Kingfish Shootout in St. Johns County, it's a little different.
Shorter. Quicker. More economical.
"You don't have to get up at 2 a.m. and buy a few hundred dollars worth of bait," tournament director Paul Dozier said.
Family fun in year five is the goal for the Daily's Old School Kingfish Shootout presented by Yellowfin, which begins Saturday at the Vilano Beach Pier.
Fishing hours continue from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, with weigh-in between 2 and 5:30 p.m., part of weekend festivities that will also include the Vilano Beach Street Festival.
Last year, William Crabtree and the Time Machine crew topped the chart with a 46.83-pound fish.
The new format is apparently paying dividends. By now, the event is billed as the largest kingfish tournament in the world, after drawing 654 entrants for the 2023 edition. If the weather holds up, Dozier said, tournament officials expect a comparable count for 2024.
WHAT ARE THE OLD SCHOOL KINGFISH SHOOTOUT RULES?
The most obvious comes down to distance.
Boats competing in the Kingfish Shootout are limited to 3 nautical miles from the coast, with a range spanning from the St. Mary's River at the Florida-Georgia line to Ponce Inlet in Volusia County.
Other rules prohibit the penning or purchase of live bait: If captains want live bait, they'll have to catch it themselves, a process that may begin no earlier than 5 a.m.
All fish weighed in must be accompanied by a photo of the live fish after the catch with the boat number and coastline visible in the background.
"I think people realize it's a more level playing field, and smaller boats can compete with the big boats," Dozier said.
WHAT IS THE GRAND PRIZE?
This year's grand prize is a 21-foot bay boat, accompanied by a 200-horsepower engine and a trailer for a combined value of $115,000. The cash payout stretches to the top 25.
Dozier said the prize placings for the other divisions are also expanding this year, with awards extending to the top 15 for the Junior Angler competition and the top 10 for the Lady Angler division.
Participants who catch a kingfish of any size are eligible to enter a drawing held after the tournament, with a prize of $10,000.
WHAT IS THE OLD SCHOOL KINGFISH SHOOTOUT REGISTRATION SCHEDULE?
Registration remains open at $350 through June 6. Registration is also available Friday, but the entry fee rises to $400.
The mandatory captains' meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. or 7 p.m. Friday at St. Augustine Fish House and Oyster Company.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Old School Kingfish Shootout 2024: St. Johns County fishing tournament
