NEW LEXINGTON — Great weather on Saturday, June 15 greeted 193 young anglers and their family members as the Perry County Sheriff’s Office hosted their sixth annual Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs event. Fishing began at 7:30 a.m. when youngsters up to 18 years old cast the first lines of the day ahead of the noon deadline that ended the fishing for the day.
Sheriff William R. Barker’s usual crew of Perry County deputies and staff employees, as well as three Ohio Division of Wildlife Officers, employees of Newlon Tire and their boss, and staff members from Perry County Transit, did everything but put fish on hooks for the young anglers. Wildlife officers attending the event included Dan Perko, Benjamin Smith, and Mark Basinger.
Jared Holman, owner of Newlon Tire in New Lexington, once again closed the doors of his shop and had his Saturday shift of employees working at the event that was held at the Perry County Gun Club Lake. Also volunteering for the day were two members of the Perry County Anglers bass club. Fred Redfern manned the weigh station on the north side of the lake while his son, Jeff Redfern, handled the same chore on the southern shoreline.
The four age groups designated for the biggest fish of the day awards were 5 and under; 6 to 9; 10 to 13; and 14-18. One additional youngster also took home the grand prize for the overall biggest fish of the day. When the final weigh-in reports were submitted, three of the kids were first time champions while one angler took top honors in her age group for the third straight year.
Three year old Daxton Holley broke a tie in the last 20 minutes of the fishing day to take first place honors in the 5 and under category. His 0.90 pound channel catfish edged the second place fish, also a catfish, by 0.06 ounces. Nine year old Emma Thomas landed a respectable 2.60 pound catfish to capture her third first place win in as many years.
“I was using shrimp,” described the soft-spoken student who attends Crooksville K-8 School when she isn’t busy winning fishing derbies.
The tightest big fish race belonged to the 10-13 year old group. At 10 a.m., Wyatt Bruce, using a secret family bait from his ‘Nana,’ hooked into a channel catfish that would not merely win the 10-13 year old age group. Wyatt’s 4.37 pound catfish was the largest fish caught for the entire event, but not by much.
Jaden Driscoll, also in the 10-13 group, was fishing within 40 yards of Wyatt’s spot when a 4.02 pound largemouth bass hit a bait that was as unique as Wyatt’s secret catfish bait. Jaden described the action as he eyed the scales hoping his fish would surpass the 4.37 catfish in first place.
“Caught it on a big bluegill,” described Jaden. “I hope this bass weighs 4 ½ pounds!” The youngster was not only a savvy angler, but it was also obvious that he had full command of numerical fractions.
“Oh man!” Jaden’s disappointment was immediate when his big bass fell just shy of the mark to overcome Wyatt’s whiskered catch, but so was his return to fishing as he made a last ditch effort for a bigger fish.
The winner in the 14-18 age group was a first time attendee at the annual HOFNOD fishing event. Olivia Emmert, a Sheridan High School student, came to the fishing event targeting largemouth bass and that is exactly what she caught to win her age bracket.
“A spinnerbait,” was her right-to-the-point answer that revealed her bait of choice. “Oh, I’ve been fishing ever since I was little,” added the 14 to 18 champion. Olivia reported that she landed the 1.92 pound bass ten minutes into her fishing day.
By this time, anglers who pursue the whiskered ones are no doubt wondering what secret bait a mere sixth grader would have in his bait box that they have not tried. With permission from Wyatt Bruce himself, the secret catfish bait that carried this young man to the winner’s circle was none other than cherry chicken. Yes, cherry chicken is exactly what Wyatt not only called this bait, but he also described the process to make it.
“You cut the chicken into chunks and then you add cherry jello,” revealed Wyatt. That cherry chicken family bait recipe had Wyatt’s parents assisting him with the two plaques, fishing rods, and two five gallon buckets full of prizes to the family truck once the awards ceremony concluded.
Sergeant Brandon Forester of the Perry County Sheriff’s Office has been the point man for this project since its inception six years ago. When this idea grew to the planning stage and then to the actual event, the Perry County Gun Club Lake was not nearly as angler friendly as it is today. New additions this year to enlarged lake with its restored dam and plenty of shore access included a sidewalk from the shelter house to the kayak boat launch now a permanent addition to the lake.
Sgt. Forester took time at the end of the awards presentations to recognize four individuals who have volunteered their time and effort to make this event such a huge success. The individuals were Jared Holman, Debbie Sturgill, and Jeff Sturgill. Each of them took home a plaque proclaiming their contributions to the day earned them a 2014 Sportsman Award.
Sheriff Barker once again served as the head chef for the day as he oversaw the hot dog grill. Lunch was free for all those in attendance. Besides the free lunch, every young angler received a rod and reel to take home, all the bait they could use, and a HOFNOD t-shirt in Miller High School purple.
Congratulations to the winners and to every parent and grandparent who took time to bring kids to the best fishing outing Perry County has to offer.
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