Another Great Tournament for the Children
Category: npaa
Aug 7th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Aug 7th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
The 15th “Annual Take an Adult Fishing Tournament” is now history after a wonderful day on the areas many lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. The sponsor of the event was the Wilderness Fish and Game store in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The morning take-off and afternoon weigh-in took place at the store’s parking lot where a big stage, leader boards, and a digital scale added to the excitement. Tom Lochner, the store’s owner has continued the great history that Uncle Bob Locher started and Tom has continued for the youth and families of the area. The motto of the event is “the purpose of the event is to provide a fun activity that promotes healthy lifestyles. For that reason, there is to be no smoking or drinking of alcohol during the event.”
The rules for the event were very simple because there were not that many rules. Teams had to register before the event on an entry form signed by their parents or guardian, children had to be 16 years and under with one adult over 18 years old for each team, and teams could fish any waters that they wanted as long as they were back at the store weigh-in site by 2:00 pm. The Wisconsin Fishing Rules and Regulations must be adhered to and followed. There were six categories of fish in the tourney; trout, panfish, bass (smallmouth and largemouth), walleye and sauger, catfish, and roughfish. The top two weighing fish in each category received a trophy and rod and reel, second place received a trophy and rod and reel, and third place a medal and rod and reel. Plus, there were many other quality door prizes drawn at random for all the teams.
There were 85 teams which had anywhere from two participants to three or four team members. All teams got “goody” bags full of fishing related products for the children when they registered early Saturday morning. The take-off was at 6:00 am so teams started checking in about 5:30 am. There was a few reminders given and the importance of returning by the 2:00 pm deadline was stressed. So, at 6:00 am the teams were off to their favorite fishing location.
I cannot stress enough how difficult it is to get equipment, goods, and products for 200 children. I deeply thank all those people, companies, and corporations that helped make this tournament what it is today. I think when the event first started there were 30-40 teams entered. Now, there are anywhere from 80-100 teams entered. The staff that Tom Lochner has working helps tremendously in the organization and running of this event at his Wilderness Fish and Game store. Wally Banfi and Chuck Pohlman were at the forefront of this great effort!
Here are the many companies, people, and organizations that made this 15th annual event another winner; Okuma Tackle, Ballweg Chevrolet, Pure Fishing (plus their many companies), Berkley, Pradco, Arlington Agronomy, Eagle Claw, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Larry Zins Memorial Tournament, Don Becker Law Office, Off Shore Tackle, Larry Yeske, Fuch’s Trucking, Outdoor Horizons Radio, Ultimate Outdoor Radio, and the NPAA.
The NPAA is the National Professional Anglers Association which is comprised of professional anglers, guides, corporations, and people interested in fishing. The NPAA members who helped this past Saturday, July 25th, are Jim Kloth, Duffy Kopf, Wally Banfi, Terry Frey, and Gary Engberg. The NPAA runs professional tournaments during the summer and its many members hold and help with dozens of youth fishing events around Wisconsin and the Midwest. The NPAA also helps with giving various products and equipment at youth events while trying to run fishing clinics for today’s young anglers. Without the help from the NPAA many youth events wouldn’t happen because its members help get children involved in fishing and the outdoors. This is a great group of women and men who are constantly helping today’s youth.
The tournament winners are; Bass, 1st place Dylan Andrews, 2nd place Parker Andrews, and 3rd Jacy and Marshall Mish. Trout, 1st place Mason and Bella Booth, 2nd place Ferra Booth, and 3rd place Rose and Lillian Gieffer. Walleye, 1st place Hayden Feiner and no other walleyes were caught. Panfish, 1st place Hayden Feiner, 2nd place Thomas and Michael Newcomer, and 3rd place Sam and Matt Ponti. Roughfish, 1st place Francis Sprecher, 2nd place Brody Parkinson, and 3rd place Ferra Booth. Catfish 1st place Nicolas Lara, 2nd place Sydnee Duhr, and 3rd place Thomas and Michael Newcomer. Congratulations to all winners and all the fishing participants of this wonderful event.
Thanks to all who helped make the 15th Annual Take an Adult Fishing Tournament one of the best ever held and we hope to see you all and your family next year! Gary