Orange Beach will play host to the world’s largest bottom-fishing tournament April 21-May 20.

Thousands of fishermen are expected to participate in the 2007 Red Snapper World Championship (RSWC).  

A daily entry fee of $5 will allow anglers to compete for the lucrative prizes that attracted more than 11,000 participants from 41 states in 2006. Legendary Marine is sponsoring $500,000 for the largest new world record red snapper.

If the Alabama state record red snapper is broken, the lucky angler will drive away in a new Ford truck. Those participants finishing second through 16th place will divide a total of $36,000. Also, owners who register their boats in the RSWC will receive the same amount of money for their boats as was awarded to first through 16th places. 

New to the tournament this year is a small-boat division for those 35-feet and under. First place will take home $5,000. Also, junior anglers (age 16 and younger) will have a chance to reel in a four-year scholarship to a college in Alabama by catching the state record red snapper. 

Tournament proceeds will be reinvested in the Gulf of Mexico’s fishing opportunities. 

“In the three years that the RSWC has been conducting this tournament, we’ve been able to purchase and deploy more than 600 new artificial fishing reefs off Alabama’s Gulf Coast with monies received from the RSWC,” Minton said. “The location of all but the reefs being used for scientific studies are published and made available to the general fishing public. The reefs cost about $1,000 each to build and deploy. We’re able to take the money donated by the RSWC and match it with federal grant money, which so far has resulted in more than $200,000 dedicated to the state’s reef-building efforts.” 

As a result, Alabama has more than 15,000 public and private reefs nestled just off its coast, in addition to having the largest artificial-reef program in the nation. Furthermore, data gathered during the RSWC provides tremendous insight into the lives and habits of red snapper. 

“When the RSWC started, there were less than 10 red snapper weighing 20 pounds or more in the National Marine Fisheries Service database,” Minton said. “In the 2005 RSWC, fishermen caught 38 red snapper weighing over 20 pounds each from which scientists could pull data. During the three years of the tournament’s existence, we’ve collected data on 123 20-pound-plus red snapper.”

For more information about the RSWC, visit http://orangebeachsnapper.com. To discover the sugar-white beaches of the Alabama Gulf Coast that boast some the world’s best bottom fishing, visit www.orangebeach.com or call 800-745-SAND.