ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The Kids Win Fishing Tournament at The Wharf has set a new fundraising record for Make-A-Wish Alabama, with organizers presenting a $30,000 check to the charity on Monday after the sixth annual event drew 125 young anglers and their families last weekend.
The tournament, presented by Rouses Markets, turned a weekend of fishing and weigh-ins into the biggest single-year gift in its history for Make-A-Wish Alabama, which grants wishes to children with critical illnesses across the state. The total tops the $28,500 the tournament raised for the charity in 2025.
This year’s participants also got to see where their money goes. During the tournament, Make-A-Wish Alabama granted a wish for a local child named Bri at The Wharf, a moment organizers said served as a reminder of how the community can come together to support local kids.
Where every kid wins
The Kids Win Fishing Tournament is built around a simple idea spelled out in its name: every child who takes part is treated as a winner, with the chance to collect prizes and trophies regardless of the size of the catch.
The event is open to children ages 3 to 10, who compete in two age groups — a “small fry” division for ages 3 to 6 and a “large fry” division for ages 7 to 10. For 2026, fishing began Friday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. and ended Saturday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m., when young anglers brought their catches to the scales for weigh-ins at Marlin Circle on The Wharf’s Main Street.
Registration opened July 30 and was limited to the first 125 children, with an entry fee of $55 per child. Registered anglers received goodie buckets and fishing rods, which families picked up at The Wharf Management Office in the days before the tournament. Rouses Markets and Bryant Bank sponsored kids’ activities, snacks and drinks during the weigh-in.
A tournament that keeps growing
The tournament has expanded steadily. In 2025, registration was capped at 100 children at $50 each, and the event raised $28,500 for Make-A-Wish Alabama. Organizers raised the cap to 125 anglers for 2026 — and every one of those spots translated into support for the charity, pushing the total to a record $30,000.
Last year’s tournament also included a wish presentation, when a young girl from Bay Minette received a pontoon boat to enjoy the outdoors with her family. Pairing the weigh-in with a wish granted on site has become part of the event’s tradition, connecting the families who fish with the children the money helps.
The tournament has also drawn a broad base of business support. The 2025 edition listed Rouses Markets as presenting sponsor, with gold, silver and bronze sponsors that included local contractors, marinas, restaurants, banks and utilities.
About Make-A-Wish Alabama
Make-A-Wish Alabama is the state chapter of Make-A-Wish, the nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children diagnosed with critical illnesses. Wishes can take many forms — a trip, a meeting with a hero, a special gift or a chance to be something for a day — and the organization relies heavily on community fundraisers, corporate partners and volunteers to cover the cost.
Events like the Kids Win tournament play a direct role in that work. Every dollar raised goes toward making wishes like Bri’s possible, and organizers said seeing a wish granted in person during the event helped young anglers understand that their fishing weekend was about more than trophies.
About the presenting sponsor
Rouses Markets is a family-owned grocery chain founded in Houma, Louisiana, with stores across the Gulf Coast, including locations in Baldwin County. The company has served as presenting sponsor of the Kids Win Fishing Tournament, underwriting activities that keep the event affordable and family-friendly.
The Wharf as a community gathering place
The Wharf, the waterfront entertainment and shopping district on the Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach, is home to restaurants, shops, a marina, an amphitheater and the Ferris wheel that has become a landmark on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Over the years it has grown into one of the area’s go-to venues for concerts, festivals and community events. For a look at how the development came to be, see our earlier feature, “From Receivership to Town Center: How The Wharf Became Orange Beach’s Gathering Place.”
The Kids Win tournament makes use of the setting, with families fishing from local waters and then gathering in the heart of the district for the weigh-in party.
Getting kids hooked on fishing
Beyond the fundraising, youth tournaments like Kids Win give young children a low-pressure introduction to fishing, one of the Gulf Coast’s signature pastimes. Coastal Alabama offers a wide variety of opportunities for young anglers, from piers and seawalls to bays, bayous and the Intracoastal Waterway, with species such as redfish, speckled trout and catfish commonly caught close to shore.
Kids’ tournaments have become popular fundraising vehicles around Baldwin and Mobile counties in recent years, combining a family activity with a charitable cause. Across Mobile Bay, a new youth tournament, Hooked on Fairhope, recently debuted at the Fairhope Pier.
Looking ahead
With a new fundraising record set and all 125 spots filled, the Kids Win Fishing Tournament has established itself as one of the Orange Beach area’s signature fall events for families. Information on future tournaments is typically posted by The Wharf ahead of registration, which in recent years has opened in late July or early August and filled quickly.