Chad Besancon Memorial Fishing Tournament

05/21/2026

Just a reminder that the pre order for shirts will close at 9 am on Friday, so if you want one, get your order in before then! If you are local, I can bring it to you if you don’t want to pay for shipping!

https://stores.rawkimprinting.com/cbmf/shop/home

05/12/2026

We have tournament t-shirts available for order! You can choose to have your t-shirt shipped to you or select pickup on June 13th during the tournament. If you live locally and are unable to pick up on that date, please let us know!

A few colors and brands of shirts are available and all proceeds will go directly to the Chad Besancon Memorial Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Since the tournament is just around the corner (Can you believe how quickly May is flying by?!), the pre-order will close on May 22nd. So, if you'd like to order a shirt, please do so soon!

We are excited to see you in just ONE month! Happy fishing season!

You can place your order here: https://stores.rawkimprinting.com/cbmf/shop/home

05/01/2026

Did you know that May is Brain Tumor Awareness month? Approximately 108,810 people will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumor this year alone, with over 26,000 of those being malignant (brain cancer). And yet, despite major breakthroughs made in the treatments of other cancers, survival rates for adult and pediatric patients with brain tumors have not significantly changed over the past 45 years.

Five years ago, in May 2021, Chad had a sudden horrible headache, memory loss, speech issues and two weeks later, he had surgery to remove a golf ball sized malignant tumor. Our lives were forever changed when he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. After 3 brain surgeries, multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, Chad passed away on December 26, 2022.

Chad’s life was not just a statistic for us. He was a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend to so many. He was also an avid fisherman and loved the outdoors. This was our motivation for creating a fishing tournament as a way to honor him and raise awareness and funds for a cancer that is often overlooked and underfunded for research.

We hope you are able to join us on June 13th, and even if you don’t fish, help us spread awareness and urge for more research for Glioblastoma and pray we can find a cure soon!

04/21/2026

We are less than 2 months away from our 3rd Annual Chad Besancon Memorial Fishing Tournament on June 13th! We hope you have us on our calendar and join us for a fun day of fishing while raising awareness and funds for Glioblastoma research. The tournament rules are below and a message from our amazing tournament director, Jason Long:

We are organizing our third annual benefit tournament in memory of Chad, who passed away from Glioblastoma. Our aim is to honor his legacy by continuing an activity he deeply enjoyed. We are seeking contributions from businesses, regardless of size, to support this event. As a 501(c)(3) foundation, we can provide a tax credit for your donation. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Please contact us to discuss how you can contribute. We cannot wait to see everyone again this year look for bigger and better things this year! Fisherman put this on your schedule please and thank you! The more boats better pay last year ended up paying $1500 to win! You can lock as much as you want just dont get locked out and be late!!!!! Thank you, Jason Long, Tournament Director.

03/20/2026

We are only a few months away! We hope you have your calendars marked and planning on joining us on June 13th on the Arkansas River for a fun day of fishing! Our tournament director, Jason, is working hard to get you some great prizes and making this an even better turnout than last year! Remember, the more boats we have, the more we payout and the more funds we can raise for a great cause! A $100 entry fee per boat is required, and there is an additional optional $10 fee for big bass participation. Prizes will be awarded for two big bass spots and one spot for every five participating boats. **Proceeds will be donated towards Glioblastoma research at the American Brain Tumor Association.

08/26/2025

We are still so grateful for the amazing turnout we had for the 2025 Chad Besancon Fishing Tournament earlier this month. Our mission with the tournament and the Chad Besancon Memorial Foundation is to raise awareness and funding for Glioblastoma (GBM) research, and we were able to do just that with your help! A total of $1,300 will be donated to the American Brain Tumor Association, specifically for GBM research, and we couldn't have done it without our amazing sponsors and everyone who showed up! We can't wait to continue this mission and see everyone again next year!

08/03/2025

08/03/2025

We are still reeling from our successful turnout from yesterday's tournament! We initially advertised a $1,000 prize, but the impressive turnout led to an upgrade in payouts. This event would not have been possible without the support of our amazing sponsors! Staley Electric, Stewart Ice Company, Fish 'n Stuff, McSwain's Sporting Goods, Fort Thompson, Brent and Tessy Kirkendoll, Jeffery Garringer, and Michael Reeves. And another huge shoutout to our awesome tournament director, Jason Long, who dedicated so much time and effort to make this a successful event. Thanks to both you and Brent Kirkendoll to ensure this event happened this year!

Full list of the results are attached but our top winners were:
1st Place-Brian and Jude-17.79, $1,500
2nd Place-Eric and Shawn-15.22, $1,200
3rd Place-Terry and Bart-14.30, $800
4th Place-Shannon and Allen-13.66, $550
5th Place-Chris and Mitchel-13.61, $350
6th Place-Jeffery and Kevin-13.14, $250
7th Place-Cody and Chris-13.08, $200
8th Place-Don and Rob-12.73, $150

1st Place Big Bass-Brian and Jude-5.22-$250
2nd Place Big Bass-Chris and Mitchel-4.52-$160

08/03/2025

More pictures and posts to come but thank you to all who came out today and made the 2025 Chad Besancon Memorial Fishing Tournament a great success! Special thank you and huge shout out to our Tournament Director, Jason Long, who went above and beyond and we are so appreciative! Full list of winners will be posted tomorrow!

07/26/2025

We are just one week away and we can't say thank you enough to our sponsors, including Staley Electric, Jacob Perkins of Fishnstuff, McSwain's Sporting Goods, Danny Stewart of Stewart Ice House, Brent Kirkendoll, and Tessy Kirkendoll, with more anticipated to join. Your support means the world and we are excited for a successful tournament! The forecast appears favorable for next Saturday, and we can't wait to see you there!