McKenzie, Tenn.–Catfish were on the prowl Saturday morning at McKenzie’s City Park Lake for the 18th Annual Steve McCadams “Casting For A Cure” Kids Fishing Rodeo. An eager bunch of fishermen were ready to corral them, too.
Taking the top spot in the age five and under bracket was Eli Davis of McKenzie who landed eleven fish; big fish went to Hunter Thorpe of Gleason for a dandy weighing over 2 ½ pounds.
In the 6-8 year age bracket it was Drake Thorpe of Gleason winning big fish and Aiden Brock of Huntingdon landing the most fish. For the 9-12 bracket it was Dalylah Keith of McKenzie with most fish (a hefty stringer of 18) and Sammy Calderon of McKenzie earning big fish honors.
In the 13-15 age bracket it was Joe Fitzgerald catching the most fish and Claudia Pineda of Gleason taking big fish honors.
All winners were presented with a special engraved plaque plus a bicycle and additional door prizes.
Surrounding the shorelines on a hot summer morning were some 84 boys and girls ages 15 and under, ready to test their tackle on what they hoped were hungry catfish ready for breakfast. Most of the young anglers quickly got their wish.
Once the siren sounded to kick start the event at 9 a.m. action was fast and furious. Bobbers disappeared. Poles bent. Kids and adults squealed with delight. The game was on.
Some 300-plus pounds of channel catfish were waiting with an appetite. The youngsters wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity. All around the little lake big smiles broke out as one fish after another tugged away, sometimes twisting up a few lines before making a blitz toward deep water.
Most of the youngsters were on the front lines of battle with channel catfish and an occasional bluegill. The fish had been stocked on Wednesday by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and were sporting an appetite by Saturday morning.
“It was great to see so many youngster tying into these aggressive catfish at the same time,” said McCadams, who hosts the event every year during the first week of June. “I believe we had more kids catching fish this year and several even managed to land double digit numbers on their stringers.”
McCadams said, “We even had one four-generation family at this year’s rodeo as James Choate of McKenzie was there with daughter Teresa Matlock who had participated in rodeos with me back in the 60’s at Carroll Lake. On the banks helping guide great grandkids were Carl Davis and his dad Gary. Young Eli Davis kept the family fishing reputation going too as he landed eleven catfish winning the most fish title in the 5 and under category.”
Thanks to several people who open their hearts and pocketbooks to support the rodeo it was another successful event. After the expenses of the rodeo McCadams makes a donation to the Jackson office of the American Cancer Society each year.
All the anglers were winners as each participant went home with a door prize. Winning special recognition were boys and girls who landed the most or biggest fish in four separate age brackets.
“I appreciate Ricky French and Mike Beasley of McKenzie City Parks who help make this a success each year plus several volunteers who help with registration and weigh-in. It’s a pretty big job but I love it and look forward to next year’s event.”
A tip of the hat to area merchants who donated prizes and concessions as well and to TWRA for stocking the fish.
Photo: Braden Pugh of Paris with a hefty stringer. (Steve McCadams photo).
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