SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — As individuals and businesses continue to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, annual events are feeling the impact as well.
For the past eight decades, the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) has been bringing anglers from around the world together for a weekend of bay and offshore fishing.
However, due to the current state of the pandemic, this annual festivity won’t be feasible this summer.
On Thursday, TIFT’s executive board announced the 81st annual TIFT has been cancelled.
“The TIFT executive board did not come to this decision lightly, recognizing how generations of families and anglers look forward to the event each summer with great anticipation,” the board stated in the announcement. “Not to mention the hundreds of spectators who gather to watch the two-day weigh-in event.”
The tournament was scheduled to take place during the first weekend in August and was expected to bring in hundreds of entrants and thousands of visitors to Port Isabel and South Padre Island.
TIFT’s executive board members stated they will take this time to plan for next year’s tournament, which will be held from July 28 through Aug. 1.
For information on registration refunds, email Kristi Collier at [email protected].
