The Most Unusual and Hilarious Fishing Award Categories

While odd and unconventional, these strange fishing prizes prove that fishing tournaments can bring awareness to issues and give out awards for having fun and getting creative on the water. And who knows - your crazy inverted catch or mounted fashionista fish could be fodder for a viral video. You might even catch the attention of sponsors and find yourself laughing all the way to the bank with a pile of crazy fishing trophy cash!

Intended to highlight invasive species issues, writing categories like "most exotic invader" award those who inadvertently catch non-native fish. The more unusual or out-of-place the catch, the better to bring awareness. So, if you hook something unusual for the lake, river or region, prepare for your 15 minutes of fame! Just don't get too excited about that piranha or arapaima unless you want a visit from the authorities!

Part skill and part sheer luck, upside-down catch contests award those who somehow manage to hook a fish and land it while their boat has capsized. Extra points if you and the fish wind up in the drink! While precarious, these unusual fishing prizes showcase the lengths competitors will go to while having fun. Just remember to hang onto your rod when your boat flips.

You read that right - Trashiest Catch awards celebrate reeling in garbage instead of marine life. Prizes typically go to the angler, who dredges up the most bizarre lost items like old tires, rusty tools, and even discarded toilets! While not environmentally friendly, these unusual awards add humor and highlight pollution problems. Be prepared for many dad jokes about "flushing out the competition!"

It's one thing to have your record-breaking fish stuffed and mounted. But some tournaments offer special taxidermy awards for catches like a fish with the most parasites, a two-headed fish, or the best-dressed mounted fish. Yes, best-dressed mounted fish. Competitors will submit their preserved catches wearing goofy costumes or hats for consideration. Hard to keep a straight face with awards like these.

You've likely seen trophies given out for the biggest catch or other common fishing awards. But some fishing tournaments offer prizes for the most unusual catches that will leave you laughing at the absurdity. We're not talking run-of-the-mill awards here. Hold onto your fishing poles as we reveal some of the wackiest fishing prize categories.

Fishing tournaments often conjure images of proud anglers hoisting aloft normally-shaped trophies celebrating landing monster catfish or record-breaking bass. But another world of wacky fishing awards exists for the strangest and most hilarious catches out there. Read on for some of the most unusual - and funny - fishing prize categories that highlight skills and luck and bring awareness to ecological issues in the most absurd ways.

While traditional fishing trophies have their place, these unconventional and quirky award categories inject humor and fun into the competitive fishing scene. And they manage to bring awareness to ecological issues in silly and lighthearted ways. So next time you’re out on the water with a rod in hand, consider going for an upside-down catch or the weirdest “exotic invader” you can dredge up because one person’s unusual catch is another person’s viral video and possibly a pile of crazy fishing prize money!