Fishing Rodeo Set June 7 at Johnson Road Park

A lifetime hunting and fishing license, plus a three-day, two- night vacation to Reelfoot Lake are two of the prizes on the line when the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency plays host to its 2008 Mid-South Junior Fishing Rodeo on June 7 at Johnson Road Park behind Germantown Baptist Church off Poplar Avenue in Germantown.

The rodeo is sponsored by Memphis, Light, Gas and Water and hosted by the Germantown Parks and Recreation Department. Additional sponsors include the TWRA, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Youths ages 6-12 are eligible to fish in this free event.

Carl Graham of Collierville will donate one of his Hammer Rods to the rodeo champion and will be at the lake to offer young anglers tips on how to catch fish. It’s not unusual for TV personality and Hall of Fame angler Bill Dance to show up at the rodeo, which is an off-shoot of the old Mid-South Junior Fishing Rodeo sponsored for more than 50 years by The Commercial Appeal.

Dave Rizzuto, Region 1 fisheries biologist for the TWRA, said the park’s lake will be stocked with catchable-size catfish.

Prizes will be awarded to the youths in each age group (6-8 or 9- 12) with the most points (point total will be assigned to each species of fish and the child with the most points will be the winner). Also, prizes will be drawn throughout the rodeo from registration forms.

Larry Rea of Germantown, retired outdoors editor for The Commercial Appeal and host of Outdoors with Larry Rea on Country Legends WMC 79, will serve as the rodeo’s emcee.

Memphis Realtor Jackie Welch has agreed to again to fund the purchase of a lifetime hunting and fishing license for one of the rodeo’s participants.

Also, the grand champion, along with his family, will earn a vacation trip to Blue Bank Resort on Reelfoot Lake, courtesy of resort owner Mike Hayes, a member of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.

Onsite registration will be 7-9 a.m. on June 7 with fishing 9-11 a.m. Check-out is 11 a.m.

Contact the TWRA Region 1 office in Jackson at (800) 372-3928 or call Germantown Parks and Recreation at 757-7375.

Originally published by Special to My Life .

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