Fishing for Fun

Kids win just by entering this family-friendly tournament in Port St. Joe.
- by Barry Wise Smith / photography by Debbie Hooper

For eight-year-old Dell Pickett of Port St. Joe, fishing is a favorite pastime. He’s from a fishing family, as his mother tells it, and he relishes the process and competition of the sport.

Since Dell was three, he’s put this interest into practice in the Kids Win Fishing Tournament, held annually at the Port St. Joe Marina. “He absolutely loves it,” says Dell’s mother, Paula Pickett. “We all drag out of bed at 4 a.m. in the freezing cold to fish. Dell is usually the first one out and the last one off the water.” Dell pipes in, “I really like to fish with my dad.”

The tournament, in its sixth year in 2008, has grown from a small, local contest to a highly anticipated event. Started in 2001 at the Port St. Joe Marina, the first tournament saw participation mostly by local kids. The tournament took off in 2005, when The St. Joe Company bought the marina and began sponsoring the event, says Port St. Joe Marina Director and tournament coordinator Aurora Myers. In 2007, 391 children registered for the event, nearly half of whom came from outside Gulf County. “It shows that we’re drawing people from all around, and people are willing to travel to come to the tournament,” Myers says. Organizers are hoping 500 kids will fish in this year’s event, which is presented by WindMark Beach.

Tournament organizer Gary Hites, co-owner with Julie Myers of Seahorse Water Safaris, located in the marina, loves that the tournament introduces kids to the fun of fishing. “For many of the kids, the tournament is their initiation into fishing,” he says. “It’s something that’s a big deal for the kids. They get their first rod and reel, and they get so excited about the chance to fish and win a prize.”

For a $12 entry fee, kids ages three to sixteen receive a rod and reel, a tackle box full of gear, bait, a t-shirt, and a goody bag. Children in the Small Fry division (ages three to ten) and the Juniors (ages eleven to sixteen) have the chance to win first-, second-, and third-place trophies in each of five categories: ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, catfish, and flounder. In addition, every child who catches a pinfish will receive a medal.

The tournament kicks off at 7 a.m. with participants allowed to fish anywhere within three miles of shore. Myers says that on tournament day, the marina’s charter fleet offers free boat rides (on a first-come, first-served limited basis) to kids who don’t have access to boats. All children are required to have an adult assistant, but when it comes time to reel in the big fish, the kids are on their own. “The goal of the tournament is to create excitement and education about fishing,” Myers says. “It encourages the kids to get out and try fishing, and it encourages family time. It’s amazing to see the kids’ excitement.”

And the fun isn’t limited to the younger set. Eighteen-year-old Kathryn Arnold participated in the inaugural Kids Win Tournament when she was thirteen and competed for three years until she was sixteen, winning trophies her last two years in the catfish and Spanish mackerel categories.

“My dad was a charter boat captain, so I was always around fishing,” Arnold says. “It’s always been a family thing.” Although Arnold is over the tournament’s age limit, she accompanies her two younger siblings when they participate. “I still go out fishing with them even though I’m too old for the tournament,” she says. “My dad had always fished in tournaments, so when they started this one for kids, he was excited. We’re all so busy that it’s nice to go out with the family and just be together.”

The 2008 Kids Win Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, from 7 a.m. to noon at the Port St. Joe Marina. Weigh-ins begin at 10 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. The Lions Club will host a hot dog roast for participants and their families at the conclusion of the tournament. And new for this year, the tournament will hold an event on Friday, April 11, from 3 to 8 p.m., to recognize tournament sponsors. There also will be door prizes and final registration, which ends at 6 p.m. (Pre-registration begins on March 1.) Weather forecaster Jerry Tabatt from WMBB in Panama City will serve as emcee.

“This is a really positive event,” Myers says. “We’re trying to make it more of an event so that the kids have their own festival.” And for fisherkids like Dell, that goal definitely has been achieved. “I love the ups and downs of the tournament,” he says. “You hook a fish, and you think you’re going to win, and then your line snaps. And then you catch a big fish, and you win a trophy. It’s a great feeling!”

And another fisherman is hooked.

For more information on the 2008 Kids Win Fishing Tournament, visit www.kidswinfishing.com, or call Aurora Myers at (850) 227-9393 or Gary Hites at (850) 227-1099.