The Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA) Fishing Tournament is one of the largest and most beloved events in Mexico Beach each year. The event encompasses two days of fun with a Captain’s Party and a fishing tournament that includes over 130 boats and 800 people. The 2025 MBARA Kingfish Tournament will take place on Friday, July 25th, and Saturday, July 26th.
Captains, new anglers, and spectators are all welcome to take part in this epic fishing event.The tournament supports The fishing tournament benefits the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association which helps build artificial reefs to improve the future of our fisheries. This event features food, door prizes, and lots of fishing. Fishermen and women will compete for cash prizes in various divisions.
When and Where is the Mexico Beach Kingfish Tournament?
The annual Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association Fishing Tournament takes place at Mexico Beach Public Boat Ramp, located at 4210 Hwy 98. On Friday, July 25th from 5–8 PM, the Captains' Party will include food and door prizes. On Saturday, July 26th, the fishing tournament and weigh-in will take place.
Captains’ Party
The fun starts on Friday at the Mexico Beach Boat Ramp Park. Food is served from 5 - 6 pm. Door prizes begin at 6 pm. The Boat Ramp Parking Area will be full of vehicles and boat trailers. Additional parking for vehicles will be available at the Mexico Beach Pier Parking Area with shuttles to and from the Captains' Party.
The Captains’ Party is not mandatory, but you must be present to win door prizes. If you register online, your door prize ticket will automatically be deposited in the door prize raffle container. If you register late at the Captains’ Party, claim your door prize ticket and drop it in the container provided to compete for door prizes.
Fishing Tournament and Weigh-In
Open Division takes place on Saturday from 12:01 am to 6:00 pm. The Recreational Division occurs on Saturday from 5:00 am till 6:00 pm. Weigh-in is Saturday from 3:00 pm till 6:00 pm at the Mexico Beach Boat Ramp.
Weigh-in ends at 6:00 pm. At the sound of the horn, all anglers must be in line at the scales with their fish to weigh in and be recognized by the Weighmaster Staff. If you are late or don’t have your fish on the line, you are not allowed to weigh.
Tournament Registration
Registration is $250 per boat and online registration can be found at MBARA Fishing Tournament’s Official Website. Entry fees are non-refundable since this is a charity fundraising event. Participants must abide by State of Florida Fishing Rules.
Kingfish Tournament Divisions
The Recreational Division is composed of boats smaller than 26 feet in length and does not meet the criteria of the Open Division. Open Division is composed of boats 26 feet or larger, or any boat wishing to register in Open Division regardless of size, or has a person on board that is or was a professional tournament fisherman or recreational for hire or commercial Captain, guide, crew member, or fisherman in the business of fishing or harvesting seafood, or charter boats with recreational anglers on board.
There are two optional divisions, Ladies and Juniors. Both Recreational and Open boats may enter the Ladies' or Juniors' Divisions. The Ladies' Division is composed of females 16 years or older on the scheduled tournament date. The Juniors' Division is composed of anyone under the age of 16 on the scheduled date of the tournament.
Prizes
There are prizes in several categories at the MBARA Fishing Tournament.For Recreational Division King Mackerel, the 1st Place prize is $3,000, the 2nd Place prize is $2,000, the 3rd Place prize is $1,000, the 4th Place prize is $500 and the 5th Place is $250. The Spanish Mackerel category prize for 1st Place is $1,500 and the Gray Mangrove Snapper 1st Place prize is $500. There are also several prizes in the Open Division for King Mackerel, Ladies Division, and Junior Division.
Tournament Rules
Anglers will want to follow all General Tournament Rules. The Tournament takes its winners seriously, therefore winners may be subject to a lie detector test administered by the Bay County Sheriff’s Department. Any angler failing the test or refusing to take the test will be automatically disqualified as well as the boat used by that angler.
About the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association
The Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA) builds and deploys artificial reefs off the coast of Mexico Beach to promote the conservation and environmental improvement of our natural and artificial marine reef systems.
They are a non-profit volunteer group that raises funds to build reefs primarily with donations, with 99% of donations going towards deploying more artificial reefs. The MBARA Fishing Tournament is the largest fundraising event for MBARA, and they are devoted to building our fisheries future.
Since 1997 the group has developed over 275 reefs comprising more than 4,000 individual structures. The primary function of the organization is the conservation and environmental improvement of our natural and artificial marine reef systems in the Gulf of Mexico near Mexico Beach, Florida. Another function of MBARA is educating the public about the importance of reef systems to the marine ecosystem, and the impact they have on the coastal communities where they are built.
Plan Your Fishing Trip to the Mexico Beach Kingfish Tournament
Now is a great time to plan your trip to the MBARA Fishing Tournament. Whether you are a seasoned captain or an enthusiastic spectator this is an exciting event to partake in. Start planning your trip today. Panhandle Getaways has a growing number of vacation rentals for your stay in Mexico Beach, so book today.