Kids Day and Ham Days Open Bass tourney are huge success

It was a very busy and great weekend.
We started early with the Kids Day at Sportsman's Lake on Saturday. Then even earlier on Sunday we were up for the 7 a.m. blast, or buzz off, at Fagan Branch for the Ham Days Open Bass Tournament.
Back to Saturday... simply put, it was awesome!
Our Kids Day started at 9 a.m. but before that a lot of preparation had taken place. This year Jason and Beth Spalding took on the responsibility of organizing our Kids Day. This included a bunch of running to get trophies and door prizes.
Larry Caldwell and his girls cooked up some hotdogs and had drinks. Several girls picked up community service hours for school and were a big help.
The three bouncies we had were a big hit with the kids and squeals of delight were heard all day.
Then, there was the fishing! Amid some beautiful fall weather 30 kids registered to fish... and fish they did!
Kids who brought their own stuff... from Barbie outfits to baitcasters, and even some cane poles... fished all day. Bait (worms) was provided in part by Calvary Store and some kids used artificials. And by "kids" I mean not only the little ones but also a lot of the parents fished.
The Mid-Ky Bass Anglers were there to provide boat rides... and give some advice on fishing. When it was over with very few fish were actually caught. Raley Jo Cambron took first in the 0-6-year-old division and Maggie Benningfield claimed second. In the 7-12-year-old division, first place went to Makala Spalding and Brooklynne Bland took second.
There were entries in the 13-17-year-old bracket, but unfortunately those anglers didn't have any success.
When the door prizes were awarded every kid still at the event received something.
So, how did all this happen? I don't mean the volunteers, I mean how did all this come about? Events cost money, and we didn't have any! Well, we didn't have any until Jason Spalding got in touch with Independent Stave. They sponsored the majority of the event. In fact, without their generous donation Saturday probably would not have happened. If it did, it would not have been the huge success that it was! Kudos to Independent Stave for all their help. And, don't think I've forgotten about the donation made by our Marion County Kiwanis Club. Their donation, coupled with Independent Stave's, made our day.
Sunday came early, real early... 7 a.m. launch time early!
The Ham Days Open, held on Fagan Branch, was a huge success with several teams catching limits. And, yes, John and I had a limit, too!
The weather was cool but not uncomfortable if you dressed for it!
Several bass were taken early. As a matter of fact, the biggest bass of the day i.e. "Big Pig" was caught at about 7:10 a.m. by the team of Cody Hughes and Johnathan Blair using an artificial worm. A "Skittle Pop" (thank Jason) contributed to several nice bags of bass. As the day wore on we took bass on drop shot rigs and worms. The two young men, Cody and Johnathan "would" have taken "Big Pig" and first place except for one thing. They released everything they caught that was under 12-inches long. (On Fagan Branch there is a slot, meaning you can keep any bass under 12 or over 15 inches.) Cody and Johnathan lost one pound of weight when their bass died during the day. Without that penalty they would have won. Lost fish, dead fish penalty, two chances to win... I felt their pain. They did, even with their hard luck, finish third with 2.85 pounds after the one pound penalty!
Jason Spalding and Robbie Morgan took first place with a total weight of 3.22 pounds. That's right, .01 separated first and second place. Josh and James Flowers took that honor. The special "Big Pig" award went to Cody Hughes.
I guess that's it for this week. Get out enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. Stay safe and I'll see ya next week!

Photo submitted