SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - The 2025 Fishing for Hope tournament is an annual event that has a lot to look for.
It’s one of the largest non-profit fishing competitions held along the Texas Gulf Coast and its proceeds go to help a clinic that provides health care services to thousands of uninsured people from South Texas.
This year, the tourney goal was to raise a little more than $500,000 for the medical facility called Hope Family Health Center of McAllen.
That is up from last year’s sum of $450,000.
Anglers from all over the Lone Star State have been participating in the worthy cause and this time they hopped in 180 boats to fish for the species allowed in the tournament - red fish and speckled trout only.
The winners in each of four divisions – doctors, guests, women and junior- is declared based on the length of each fish and in the aggregate length of the two species.
According to the tournament rules, the maximum length of a red fish was 27 inches in length and 19 inches for a trout.
Dr. Dan Guerra, a co- chair for the tournament that is sponsored by DHR Health, said the weather was great for the anglers fishing during the daylong event held Saturday, Aug. 23.
Stormy weather descended on the area just as the weigh-in was about to close so everybody made it safely to the location at Jim’s Pier on South Padre Island.
“This is its 19th year,” he said. “We started with about 100 boats, compared to close to 200 today.”
As the weigh-in kept going, the anglers started showing up with the fish they caught.
Some of them entered a red fish or trout in the check-in, while others had both fish.
Anglers like George Davis of Long Island and Mando Reyes of San Isidro said fishing was tough but, nevertheless, fun.
Davis’ team won several prizes, including the Calcutta, whereas Reyes had a net full of trout but did not place.
Fishing or Hope is the signature fund raising event for DHR Health.
The organization has raised more than $4 million over the years.
