5th Annual 4-H Fishing Derby

The weather was beautiful as over seventy-five children, parents, and spectators came out to support the Fifth Annual Holmes County 4-H Fishing Derby held Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Holmes County Fair Grounds.  Fishing, kids, and prizes were plentiful as eager poles dropped in the water to catch the biggest fish at 7:30 AM; Session II started at 9:30 A.M.  Although only a few youth were the lucky ones and caught fish, nearly all of the children present walked away with some kind of door prize to make their day special, courtesy of local businesses and generous donors from our community.    

With the annual Biggest Fish contest built into the derby event, children and parents were scattered all around the pond hoping to catch the biggest fish.  Poles and tackle boxes were readily available for the children to use, thanks to the assistance of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Young fishermen were divided into two different age groups and all competed for the title of the “Biggest Fish”.

Overall Biggest Fish winner in each session received a $50.00 check from the Holmes County Fair Association.  Winner of this cash prize in Session I was Savannah Music;  Jacob Taylor won Session II.  The top three fishermen in each division won trophies and cash/gift cards.  All participants at the fishing derby walked away with participation ribbons.  All in all, the youth appeared pretty happy at the end of the day with the event and the cool prizes they won.

5th Annual Fishing Derby Winners Photos

The event was coordinated this year by Niki Crawson, Holmes County 4-H Agent, and Cindy Owens, 4-H Program Assistant of the Holmes County Extension Office.  Numerous agencies generously donated to support this event and hard working volunteers were on hand to help make the event a huge success.  The Holmes County 4-H Council would like to thank all of the donors who contributed in making this fishing event a wonderful experience for the children.  The 4-H Council is dedicated to bringing many more rewarding events and activities into Holmes County for all youth to participate in and learn by doing.  For more information regarding next year’s fishing event or upcoming 4-H events, please contact Niki Crawson at the UF/IFAS Holmes County Extension Office, (850) 547-1108.