KETCHUM, Okla. Producers of the Kids All American Fishing Derbies, announced that Matt Schulz, 9, of Racine, Wis., and Dean Cavanaugh, 12, Kake, Alaska, have been named freshwater and saltwater national grand prize winners of the 2002 "Big Fish" Contest.
Schulz caught a 27-lb, 3-oz lake trout, earning a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and the freshwater title from Fujifilm USA. Cavanaugh landed a 23-lb chinook salmon, earning a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and the title for the largest saltwater fish. The young anglers caught their fish while participating in local derbies produced by Hooked on Fishing International with the help of local participating organizations and corporate sponsors.
Schulz and Cavanaugh were state winners as well, and their names are included in a list of all winners on www.kids-fishing.com, the official website of the "World's Largest Kids' Fishing Program." In 2002, over 250,000 anglers aged 5 to 16 participated in over 1,500 fishing events in all 50 states.
HOFI also announced national winners for two additional sponsored contests.
Morgan Rose, 6, Hornbeck, Tenn., won the Zebco/Frito-Lay/Pepsi Kids Casting Contest, winning a gasoline-powered go-cart styled like a stock car. Morgan and other participants qualified by participating in the nationwide youth casting contest. The winner was selected in a random drawing of entries from all the young anglers who cast participated in the casting events during local derbies.
Payton Bourque, 9, Lafayette, La., won Southwest Airlines' "I Caught a Fish!" Contest. The young angler caught a fish during a derby organized by the Lafayette (LA) Parks and Recreation Department, which qualified him for the drawing. Bourque will receive four round trip tickets to any Southwest Airlines destination.
The 2002 awards signaled the end of the 2002 derby program, its sixteenth year. The growing program enjoys support from Bar-S Foods Co., Berkley PowerBait, Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum, Eagle Claw, EverStart Batteries, FishingWorld.com, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm U.S.A., Laker Fishing Tackle, Kellogg's, Pepsi, Heddon and Rebel Lures for Pradco Outdoor Brands, Strike King Lures, Southwest Airlines, Berkley Trilene, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Zebco.
HOFI has put out a call for more adult volunteer groups, public or private organizations, to participate in its 2003 derby season. The program currently enjoys strong support from state fish and game departments, the U.S. Forest Service, parks and recreation departments, chambers of commerce, YMCAs, fishing clubs, scouting groups, and civic and service organizations such as the Optimists, Lions, Kiwanis, and Elks. Organizations interested in hosting a kids fishing derby in 2003 are encouraged to visit the program's web site at http://www.kids-fishing.com for more information regarding the program.