By Steve Waters

Kayak fishermen will be targeting dolphin, tuna, kingfish, wahoo and cobia, among other species, for the opportunity to win major cash and prizes in the Extreme Kayak Fishing Summer Slam set for June 19 out of Pompano Beach.

The angler catching the heaviest total weight of fish wins $5,000 and a Hobie Outback kayak valued at $3,250 provided by Nautical Ventures Marine and Turbo USA.

The second-place finisher receives $2,500 and a Hobie Revo kayak worth $2,800 from Nautical Ventures and Railblaza.

The third-place angler gets $1,000 courtesy of Nautical Ventures.

Those are serious prizes and prize money for anglers who paddle and pedal off the beach in the tournament, which will be held just south of the Pompano Beach fishing pier. The tournament is organized and run by Joe Hector, co-host of the Nautical Ventures Weekly Fisherman radio show, which airs from 6-8 a.m. Saturday on WINZ 940-AM and live-streams on the Nautical Ventures Facebook page.

Other prizes include a Garmin GPS watch, Yeti coolers, a Star spinning rod and a catch bag.

Eligible species are dolphin, wahoo, kingfish, blackfin tuna, African pompano, cobia, mutton snapper, gag grouper, black grouper, warsaw grouper, snowy grouper, cero mackerel and Spanish mackerel. All fish must weigh a minimum of 5 pounds to be eligible. Fishermen can weigh a maximum of five fish, with the heaviest total weight claiming the grand prize.

​In the event of a tie in overall weight, the angler whose fish were weighed in first is the winner.

The entry fee is $150. There are also two value-added divisions, one for kingfish and one for tuna, with the money going to the anglers catching the biggest kingfish and tuna, respectively.

In addition to the cash and prizes, all tournament anglers receive a goody bag that will be distributed at the kickoff party from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 17 at Bru’s Room in Pompano Beach, as well as food on the beach on tournament day and beer for anglers over 21.

The tournament starts with anglers shoving off their kayaks from the beach between 6 and 7 a.m., with the exact time to be announced at the kickoff party. Anglers must return to the beach by 2 p.m. for the weigh-in. For information and to register, visit www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org/summer-slam.

For more information on the Summer Slam offshore kayak tournament along with fishing tips from top captains, listen to The Nautical Ventures Weekly Fisherman radio show every Saturday morning from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. live on 940 WINZ, an iHeart station. You’ll learn where the fish are biting and how to catch them. If you can’t tune in live, the Weekly Fisherman radio podcasts are available through:

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-weekly-fisherman-show/id1117007850
Website: https://www.nauticalventures.com/TWF
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nautical-ventures
WINZ: https://940winz.iheart.com/featured/weekly-fisherman/about/
iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-weekly-fisherman-28270572/
You can also watch the show on Facebook Live by liking our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/The-Nautical-Ventures-Weekly-Fisherman-Show-136020173136939
You can watch past Facebook live shows at: https://www.facebook.com/The-Nautical-Ventures-Weekly-Fisherman-Show-136020173136939