Redfish series casts in Cocodrie

Wake up early, grab the tackle box, bait the hook and relax. For one lucky duo a good day of fishing will result in a $20,000 payday.

The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series returns to Cocodrie Sept. 25-27, attracting the top fishermen to the area, competing for the cash payout. It’s the final chance for fishermen on the series to qualify for the Western division championships in Biloxi, Miss., so the competition will be surreal, said Charlie Evans, president/CEO of FLW Outdoors.

While only members of the series are allowed to fish, the event provides fun for the whole family.

The weigh-in, which will be held in the parking lot of Wal-Mart on Martin Luther King Boulevard, is a spectacle in itself.

Evans encourages people who haven’t seen an aquarium weigh-in to go and watch because it’s worth it.

“The whole thing is being filmed by Fox Sports Net, so it’s a chance to be a part of an actual television telecast,” he said. “The competition will be great; the atmosphere will be great, and everyone is in for a great time.”

The Top 50 fishermen from the FLW Western Division and another Top 50 from the FLW Eastern Division compete in Biloxi for a chance to win a possible $100,000. According to Evans, that in itself makes the Cocodrie tournament all the more important as the guys who are border line Top 50 have one last chance to get in.”This is a very critical tournament,” he said. “Cocodrie and Houma are in for some of the best fishing they have ever seen.”