"I look forward to this tournament every year. More so than just about anything else on the kayak fishing circuit."

It's a common refrain heard around the Annual Yak Attack Kayak Fishing Tournament benefiting Heroes On the Water and Project Healing Waters. Both HOW and PHW are exceptional organizations endeavoring to help with the physical and emotional rehabilitation of our military veterans, by taking them fishing. It's proven to be very effective.

This year the Yak Attack tournament was held May 20-21. Once again, tournament headquarters was Twin Lakes State Park outside of Farmville, VA. Big thank you to VA State Parks and Twin Lakes State Park for continuing to donate the facilities for this event.

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Luther Cifers, owner of YakAttack, kicked off the Friday night Captain's Meeting talking about his inspiration for starting this tournament years ago. Giving back to our veterans and building community are always at the forefront of his message and it resonates with our tribe of kayak anglers.

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Oliver Hughes, from Heroes On the Water, gave a heartfelt speech about going on his first HOW trip, volunteering, and becoming a representative of HOW. Many veterans praise HOW for saving their lives, but Oliver credits the program with saving his marriage.

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After the speeches, the food line was opened. Kayak anglers all along the east coast have heard tales of the food at this event, and rightfully so, it is always delicious. The first night everyone queued up for ribeyes, smokey ribs and hot dogs.

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We sponsor a "Have a Drink On Us" cooler bar for both Friday and Saturday night. We filled some Orion Coolers to the top, and they didn't last long!

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Saturday morning, the fishing portion of the tournament dawned a rainy, cold mess. It didn't deter anyone from getting out though. With two trophy bass lakes in Farmville and a pile of smaller lakes in the area, anglers had a lot of options for finding fish. I braved Briery Creek Lake and caught 11 largemouth for the day. All of them were in the 15"-18" range. Not big enough to place in the Top 3, but a ton of fun.

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Kayak fishing tournaments are catch, photo, release, which means you measure your fish on a board, snap a photo of it and then release it back into the water. Most folks just use a simple point and click camera, no need for the over kill demonstrated by me.

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All the prizes for the tournament are awarded through raffle to raise funds for Heroes On the Water and Project Healing Waters. And there are always great prizes. This year it was an impressive line-up of fully YakAttack rigged kayaks and SUPs.

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Because of all the great sponsors, there was a fully rigged Old Town Predator 13, Jackson Kayak Kilroy, Live Watersports L2Fish SUP and Wilderness Systems ATAK on display. All of which were raffled off. That's not to say that winners don't walk away with something, because they do.

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photo courtesy of Chris Poe facebook

Chris Poe, who won the Bass Division, walked away with this killer Goyotaku bass print from the famed angler and artist, Rob Choi. The Crappie Division winner, Nik Brown, and Bluegill Division winner, Carter Clevinger, got fresh prints from Rob Choi as well.

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Photo Courtesy of Carter Clevinger facebook

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Nik Brown, Jackson Kayak Pro, also won the Slam Division and was awarded this cool plaque.

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Nik was also the Director of the fishing portion of the tournament, which explains this face when he realized he'd won two divisions in that tournament.

:) ha!

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Following the awards, dinner was served. Another night of fantastic food. Saturday usually features smoked chicken and pulled pork, all the standard delicious sides, and Vicky Cifers' famed desserts.

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As the line dwindled, the raffles kicked in, and kayak anglers from across the country settled into the camaraderie of the event. There were a lot of psyched raffle winners. From the great assortment of paddlecraft down to the homemade VA wine, the YakAttack Tournament is all about fun, fellowship, raising funds and a little bit of fishing. It sells out super quick every year, and those that have attended can attest to the good vibes and excellent atmosphere.

As the event wrapped up, Luther stepped to the mic and gave an estimate on the amount raised. Over $20,000 would be donated to Heroes On The Water and Project Healing Waters!

Well done YakAttack, well done.

And as we take this Memorial Day weekend to remember those who gave all in service to our country, it's nice to know that so many are willing to give of themselves, to honor those who've served and are still battling the wounds of war.

In Oliver Hughes's pre-tournament speech he referred to HOW and their volunteers as the helping hand that reached into the darkness of his life and offered hope. If you're out there, and you feel that darkness closing in, know that there is a whole community of people ready to offer their hand, and you can find a great many of them at the YakAttack Tournament every spring.

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Did we mention the food?

John Hipsher, Yak Attack, takes a well deserved smokey, succulent rib break on Saturday night.  Big props to John for all his work in organizing this year's tournament. Well done!

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*If you're looking, here is some info. Click the name and go to their websites Heroes On The Water and Project Healing Waters.

You can always call our toll free # 800.442.4837 and we can put you in touch with good people.