SPRING LAKE — Rainy weather couldn’t deter the return of the annual fishing tournament for kids this past weekend, as families near and far converged in Divine Park for a full day of free fishing and fun for all.
Young fishing enthusiasts ages 15 and younger braved the on-again, off-again rain with friends and family on Saturday to take part in the annual contest presented by the Shark River Surf Anglers (SRSA) Club and the American Legion. There was no charge to participate.
Greg Hueth, trout contest committee chairman and SRSA president, told The Coast Star that it was a “good day” for the 26th year of the tournament, “overcast, the fish biting…a little chop on the water, so it’s all good.” He noted that the weather actually benefited the fishing, saying that “on a great sunny day, they’ll stop biting through the course of the day, they’ll come and go and everything like that.”
“You get a little east wind (today), makes it a little chilly, but you know something? They’re making it, they’re hanging in there,” Hueth said. “The kids are always good; it’s the parents that go home.”
Festivities kicked off at 8 a.m. sharp, with the mass of eager participants casting their lines into the water with the hopes of reeling in the biggest fish of the day before the awards ceremony at 2 p.m.
Contestants were divided into several age categories, with a grand prize awarded to the overall winner and individual prizes given to anglers in different age groups for first, second and third place who caught the heaviest trout. Even those who did not place in their age categories went home winners, as all children received a goody bag for their participation in the contest.
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