Family Fishing Tournament Wrap Up

"I'll definitely be coming back next year!" That phrase was heard numerous times on Saturday ( 7/1/17) after the weigh in. The combination of great weather and great fishing added to the enjoyment of the participants. This year our staff partnered with the City of Stillwater to host the annual family fishing tournament. Traditionally the tournament has been held at Boomer Lake but this year participants had the opportunity to fish the scenic water of Lake McMurtry. There were both boating and non boating categories for the families to enter in, and to our surprise the biggest catch of the day was landed from shore, a 5.45lb carp caught by Austin Russell. We allowed each team 5 fish and the top 3 teams with the largest weight won. The biggest fish in the boating category was a 3.5lb large mouth bass caught by Joe Johnson. Our staff worked hard to design a tournament that would be enjoyable for fisherman/women of all skill levels. The tournament had several unique features incorporated into it. The weigh in was live on Facebook so families could tune in to see what was caught that day. Lake staff also included educational materials on how to properly handle fish and the importance of reducing stress on fish during weigh in. Staff had buckets for those fishing from shore to place their fish in so they could be weighed immediately after being caught. Handouts were given to boaters that detailed the importance of circulating the water in their live wells to keep fish alive longer. A total of 25 teams registered and nearly 100 people participated in this year's tournament. We had such a blast hosting it and are looking forward to next years event!

If you participated in the tournament and have any feedback or suggestions for us, please contact us at [email protected]