The 7th Annual Kid Fish was held at Fort Boggy State Park on Saturday, February 24th and was a great success! After months of preparations, the event came together and was even blessed with nice weather.
Both the morning and afternoon sessions were well attended, and all participants received a goodie bag at check-in and, if they had pre-registered, a free Kid Fish T-shirt. Each session began with Heather Mott, our Park Interpreter, welcoming the young anglers and their families and reviewing the session schedule. Afterwards, the kids were split up into groups, according to punch cards they were given at registration, and attended 5 different mini clinics in “round robin” fashion covering topics that included Fish ID, Fish Habitat, Environment and Safety, Knot Tying and Casting.
Once all young anglers had completed all five clinics, they proceeded down to the lake to check out a rod n reel provided by the park and choose which bait they wanted to fish with – worms, kernel corn or marshmallows. Everyone had a chance to find their favorite spot along the banks of the lake from which to fish and at the designated time, a 45-minute fishing tournament began. At the end of the tournament, points were awarded for each type of fish caught. The two anglers with the most points in their age category were awarded trophies. In the case of a tie or no fish being caught, a drawing was held to award the trophies.
A variety of fish were caught during the tournaments, including rainbow trout (of which 2000 were stocked in Lake Sullivan prior to the event), perch and catfish.
In addition to the trophies, at the end of each session, all participants were presented with a free Zebco rod n reel to take home as well as a coupon for a free ice cream treat from Pratt DQ.
With over 100 participants and their families from as far away as Grand Prairie and Rosenberg, not only was the park enjoyed by the local communities of Leon County, but by a quite extensive range of cities and towns around the state.
Fort Boggy State Park and the Friends of Fort Boggy State Park would like to thank all the volunteers that came out to help make the event a success and extend a very heartfelt thank you to all our amazing sponsors that donated, both monetarily and with in-kind donations. Without them, this event would not be possible. Our sponsors are:
–GOLD: Carlton Coffman Farms; Centerville Economic Development, Kline’s Adventures; Limestone Project Employees’ Fund/PositiveNRG/NRG Energy Limestone Plant, Normangee State Bank, Nucor Steel Texas, Woody’s Smokehouse, Inc. Northbound and Zebco.
–SILVER: Kenneth R. Schroeder, LLC, and State Bank of Jewett
–BRONZE: Ace Hardware of Madisonville, Bobby Walters Insurance Agency, Buffalo Economic Development Corp., Caryn Thompson CPA PA, Centerville Market/Panthers 26, Circle T Realty, Cornerstone Market and Cafe, Houston County Electric Cooperative, Leona General Store, Marquez Economic Development Corp., Patrick & Diana LeBlanc, Pecan Grove Cafe, Pruitt’s City Cleaners, Stitches and Lil’ Britches, Team3 Rentals, The Bank of Madisonville, Wakefield Insurance and Walters Funeral Home
Thank you again to all the kids and their families that came out to participate, the volunteers that donated their time and energy and our generous sponsors who made this all possible. We look forward to seeing everyone at our 8th Annual Kid Fish scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2025!
For more information about being a volunteer or an active member of “The Friends of Fort Boggy State Park” contact the Friends Group at friendsoffortboggy@gmail.com. The Friends of Fort Boggy is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Fort Boggy State Park in the conservation of its natural resources and assisting with special events at the park.
