SCOTTSBORO — Registration is now open for the 5th Annual Captain D’s Castin’ ‘N Catchin’ presented by Harbin Automotive. This fishing tournament benefits the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children’s of Alabama and will be held Saturday, Oct. 3, at Goose Pond Colony Resort (417 Ed Hembree Drive, Scottsboro, 35769).
Organizers have incorporated social distancing protocols to ensure the safety of all participating anglers and tournament staff.
Online registration is available at www.castinncatchin.org. The entry fee is $110. Those who register on or before Sept. 19 will receive an official tournament t-shirt mailed to the address provided during online registration. In-person registration will still be available the day of the tournament.
The grand prize is at least $5,000 guaranteed. The top 60 winners will receive either cash or fishing prizes. The Big Fish first-place winner will be awarded $1,000, along with $500 given to the top finishing parent/child fisherman team younger than 16 years old. The payout is based on 200 boats. Winnings and number of payouts will be adjusted based on total number of entries. Checks will be mailed to the winners following the tournament.
Northeast Alabama Community College is the sponsor of the tournament’s school division. The school division is open to those active in a school fishing team (junior high or high school; grades 7-12). Teams in the school division must have a boat captain age 18 or older who will not fish and must operate the engine. The entry fee for the school division is $55 and includes entry in the Big Fish competition. The first place winner in the school division will receive a guaranteed $1,000 payout. One in three entries in the school division is guaranteed payout in either cash or prizes.
Fishing for all teams will begin at safe light (approximately 5:30 a.m.) with boats launching from Goose Pond Bait, Tackle & Grill. Weigh-in will begin at 2 p.m. that day. Parking will be available at Goose Pond Bait, Tackle & Grill; Goose Pond Amphitheater and Goose Pond Civic Center. Transportation will be provided to and from parking sites
There will also be a silent online auction for a day of fishing with 2014 Bassmaster Classic Champion Randy Howell.
The tournament has raised more than $500,000 since 2016 for the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children’s of Alabama. This “heart hospital within a hospital” represents a five-decade tradition of superior cardiovascular clinical care and research dedicated solely to children. This single platform of care includes surgeons, intensivists, cardiologists and many others, including nurses, social workers, child life specialists, counselors, nutritionists, occupational and physical therapists and chaplains.