Big Fish reeled in at Montgomery County Fishing Rodeo

Saturday, June 11, 2022

Montgomery County Fishing Rodeo. (Mark Haynes, Clarksville Online)

Clarksville, TN – It was partly sunny, and warm with a slight breeze Saturday morning, perfect weather for the Montgomery County Fishing Rodeo hosted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

The event was for children 5 to 15 years old and took place at the Liberty Park Pond.

“Today we are doing the Montgomery County Free Fishing Rodeo. It’s a youth event that allows kids to come out and learn to fish. The agency stocks the pond with 750lbs of catfish,” said Montana Michelson with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Over 210 kids took part in the event. Everyone showed up early to register and then waited for the signal to begin fishing which happened at 7:30am. Lines went in the water and almost immediately, catfish were being reeled in.

“We have come out for this a couple of times. The kids love it. It’s a good way to get kids outdoors doing something fun,” Lisa Conroy stated. “I think it’s great that TWRA does this every year for the children.”

Hadley Wilkins won the female big fish award at 4ibs 41oz. (Mark Haynes, Clarksville Online)

TWRA does events like this to encourage interest in fishing. It gives children, who may never have fished, a chance to do so.

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“We try to make this into a little tournament thing. We have three big prizes. There is a prize for big fish, male and female and then there is one for total weight. Those come with trophies and then a bike,” Michelson stated.

Hezekiah won the big fish male at 4lbs 44oz. (Mark Haynes, Clarksville Online)

Raffles were held all during the event. Each child was given a ticket for a chance to win prizes such as fishing rods, tackle boxes, fishing nets, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, backpacks, and more.

Once 9:00am arrived, it was announced for all lines to be brought in. Fish were gathered and brought to the tables for weighing. The weigh-in was done by the Montgomery County Bass Club. Once all the fish were weighed, the winners were announced.

Hadley Wilkins won the female big fish award with a catfish that weighed 4ibs 41oz. Big fish male award with to Hezekiah with 4lbs 44oz. The winner with the most weight was Hunter Garton at 7lbs 93oz.

Hunter Garton won the most weight at 7lbs 93oz. (Mark Haynes, Clarksville Online)

Sponsors for the Montgomery County Fishing Rodeo were Walmart, Academy Sports, Bowles Bait, Tailwater, Clarksville Jewelers, and Frito Lay.

“The weather was great today. I am glad to see so many kids show up for the event. It’s all about them and giving them a chance to learn fishing,” said Michelson.