2018 central coast slam down kayak fishing tournament

Its always fun to fish, but when you can do what you love and give something back to the community while doing it, that’s amazing.
At the 2018 Central Coast Slam Down VII, the fishing tournament gave all proceeds from the event to the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center (CCASC). Our entry fees and raffle ticket purchases all helped provide funds required for camp expeditions, teen dances, game nights, talent shows, first responder outreach trainings, support groups, adult programs and local advocacy.

With 105 anglers signed up for this year’s Slam Down, it was a great showing for its seventh consecutive year supporting the CCASC. Ryan Howell of Central Coast Kayak Fishing does a phenomenal job of hosting this event each year, and to date it is one of the biggest kayak fishing tournaments on the West Coast.
The tournament started at 6:30am on Saturday, September 15, 2018, and contestants left from many beaches in the area to fish ocean waters anywhere within San Luis Obispo County lines.
I launched out of Leffingwell State Beach and used my tried and true methods to pull up some nice fish! Be sure you check out my fishing report on Leffingwell and don’t miss the video we did on this tournament!
All anglers had to be off the water and fish had to be submitted by 3pm, with the goal of catching three species of ocean fish.
The requirements were:
Two of the three species of Rockfish, Cabezon or Lingcod
Once you had two species, the third species could be any other fish
Of those two species you had to have two of them for a total of four
If you could catch a two species double and a single third to qualify for the “slam,” the three species, five fish tournament limit was measured points per inch and ranked by over all points
(Yes, we realize you may have to read through those requirements a few times to get it… we’ll wait.)
This year’s event surpassed my expectations and was a blast to participate in. With over 100 contestants, there was no shortage of camaraderie and the staff and volunteers helping Ryan over at Central Coast Kayak Fishing did an outstanding job putting this event together, from beginning to end.
Be sure to watch our video on this year’s Central Coast Slamdown to see how I did, including the BIG ONE that got away (again)…
If you are thinking of participating in a saltwater kayak tournament, but are unsure, leave a comment with your questions – I’d be happy to chat with you! This is my second year fishing the Slam Down and from what I have seen and heard, they get better every year. So do yourself a favor and sign up. I will definitely be back next year.
Mr. B