Palma Sola charity fishing tournament with a twist raises thousands for nonprofit

Since 2009, the Kiddie Pole Classic has brought anglers laughs while remembering “tournament” fishing is more than just winning.

The tournament has a unique catch — all anglers must use cartoon fishing rods like the old Barbie fishing poles with push button reels. It gives participants a challenge that all enjoy and an even playing field. It’s hard not to smile when your fishing tackle is something designed for handling the smallest fish, but you’re trying to tackle some much bigger.

“I did the tournament back in 2019 with another friend of mine. We took kids out as a group,” said Captain Rachel Nobbe Cato. “We fished it all together with the kids and we had a great time. I didn’t know much about it, but learned and it was a great experience.”

The tournament, organized by Chasten Whitfield to raise money for Face Autism, Inc. also had kids helped by the charity aboard boats. Fourteen captains participated and brought these special anglers with them to catch anything that may swim and experience a day on the water. Captain Rachel had a pair of young ladies she said were extremely engaged.

“We went out, caught bait, and went to a nearshore reef off the beach. We caught some mackerel and grouper there. Then we came inshore and caught some trout and jacks. What was bizarre to me is that the girls loved catching catfish more than anything else!” Cato said with a laugh.

“They were very much involved, very engaged,” she added. “They started fishing immediately at each spot and were very excited about catching fish. They were ready for their next bait and next fish. By the time we were at the end, they were very tired and arms were sore, but kept saying they wanted another one.”

Cato said the action was consistent all day. This was made difficult by the tackle setup they used. But it also provided plenty of laughs.

“The drag can only handle so much,” Cato recalled. “The mackerel on the beach were ripping off line. I had to assist with the casting. At one point when we were back inshore, one of the girls had a jack rip the pole out of her hand right when I handed it to her. I jumped in after it and grabbed it from the neck deep water. She kept fighting and landed the fish!”

By tournament’s end, Cato’s tired anglers joined many others at the awards ceremony where her pair had their 19-inch trout and 15-inch mackerel to show off. They, and all the other kids, left with a trophy to go with their many memories. The tournament raised $4,000 for Face Austism, Inc.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/kiddiepoleclassic