South Padre Island, Texas - The 84th annual Texas International Fishing Tournament (T.I.F.T.) took place the first weekend of August 2024 on South Padre Island. Teen and pre-teen anglers made their mark winning three out of four overall divisions. Eleven year old, Isla Gonzalez wanted to compete with adults this year, according to Captain Brian Barrera via Facebook. “I have never seen a little fishing girl with the determination that this one has,” Barrera’s post stated. That determination and two days of hard fishing not only paid off for Gonzalez, who won Tarpon Champion, but also for Offshore Grand Champion winner, Halle Bryant, 12, and seventeen year-old Oliver Schwarz, who won Bay Grand Champion.

The total number of anglers competing in the 84th tournament tallied to 1,063. The break down: 768 adult anglers; 121 Junior 0 to 7 years; 67 Junior 8 to 12 years; and, 71 Junior 13 to 16 years. “The Texas International Fishing Tournament is not just a two-day fishing tournament. It is a 5-day event
for friends and families to gather in beautiful South Texas,” says T.I.F.T. Executive Board President, Melissa Mikulik. “We are proud to be able to welcome so many to Port Isabel and South Padre Island.”

T.I.F.T. Hostess, Cassandra Delgado, a Baylor University student from Los Fresnos, welcomed and engaged with participants throughout the tournament. As hostess, Delgado is also the recipient of the Mike Baldree Memorial Scholarship. Twenty-six scholarships were awarded by the tournament this year, totaling $52,000.
The tournament kicked off at the South Padre Island Convention Center with Play Day, followed by two days of fishing the Laguna Madre and Gulf of Mexico in a variety of divisions, and culminated in an awards ceremony. Event emcee, Tim Smith, made mention that many participating junior anglers are second, third, and even fourth generation T.I.F.T. participants.

“It was pretty amazing witnessing the family aspect of T.I.F.T. at work in this year’s tournament,” says Mikulik. “We had junior anglers take the top prizes in 3 of the 4 divisions. This event has been a part of generations of families for the past 84 tournaments and we can see that it will continue on for many more to come!”

The 85th Texas International Fishing Tournament will take place July 30 through August 3, 2025.