Fishing season never ends it just slows down. November is usually considered the last month of autumn and December the first month of winter. One might think that because of the much cooler temperatures and other activities in November and December (hunting, preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) that fishing comes to a halt. While it’s true that November and December are the months with the fewest number of fishing contests being held, there are still plenty of opportunities to fish competitively.
Some of the most common and widespread fishing contests/challenges for the next two months are those that are held by states. This year there are 16 states that hold various tournaments, challenges, and awards. From the Arizona Fat Cat Challenge to the Wyoming Cutt Slam you should be able to find one near you. Some offshore events include The Delaware Sportfishing Tournament and the North Carolina and Virginia saltwater tournaments. Other states with events like these include CA, CO, IA, MD, MI, MN, NM, NV, PA, TN, and UT.
Online tournaments offer another opportunity to participate in a fishing contest the last two months of the year. A few that are running nationwide include BassGrabbers Tournament Trails, the CAG Fall Big 4 and the Kayak Musky Challenge. Some regional tournaments are The Fisherman Coastal Kayak Clash in the northeast, the Southern Fortune Fishing from Georgia to Texas and The BIG Five in nine Eastern states.
Fishing competitions that are always held late in the year include the Fall King of the Beach, Fall Mack Days, and the Suncoast Kingifsh Classic. Surf fishing events held in November include the November Long Island Wide Surf Fishing Contest, the LBI Surf Fishing Fall Classic, the Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge, and the Ken Karwick Memorial Surf Fishing Contest.
The Champlain Basin Derby held on Lake Champlain is probably well known to the residents of NY, VT, NH, MA, ME and CT as it runs through the end of the year and into 2023. Year-long tournaments now running include those hosted by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, the Bluegrass Kayak Anglers, the Hudson River Fishermen Association, the Marco Sportfishing Club, and the Manasquan River Marlin & Tuna Club.
Although the number of fishing contests fall from over 4,000 a month in April through August to 1,013 and 418 for November and December respectively, there are still plenty of opportunities to find and fish a competitive event yet this year. Find them all at AmericanFishingContests.com.
