Fort Bliss Family Fishing Day & Tournament

Perfect weather and 19 fish were caught, measured, and released last Saturday at the Fort Bliss Family Fishing Day and Tournament hosted by Child & Youth Services and the Ascarate Fishing Club. Ascarate Lake in south El Paso was stocked with 500 lbs of native species for this event and 160 family members participated. The tournament began at eight in the morning and concluded by noon just as the sun popped through the cool overcast sky with a family style cook out and an awards presentation for children in three age groups.

The youngest “fisherperson” was Montserral Hernandez, age 4 who captured the smallest fish award with a 3.25” Blue Gill. In the same age category to walk away with bragging rights to the biggest catch was Ethan Davis, age 6 with a 12” Channel Catfish. In the 7 to 11 age category to snag the smallest catch was Justin Challis, with a 5.75” Blue Gill. Catching the biggest for the 7 to 11 year olds was Tylver Stubbs, age 10, who caught an 11” channel catfish. For the 12 to 16 year old category bringing in the smallest catch was Dominique Hardy, 13 years old with a 5” Blue Gill and the biggest catch went to Kevin Dunbar, age 13 with his 12.25” Channel Catfish. Our overall winner in the “Most Caught” category was Robert Pratt, age 13 with four catches ranging from a 6” Blue Gill to a whopping 16.5” Channel Catfish.  There were plenty of bites, nips, thugs, and stories abound of the “big one” that got away.

The Ascarate Fishing Club is a non-profit organization with a membership dedicated to educating children on the sport of fishing. They along with other sponsors conduct several fishing tournaments each year for the youth of El Paso. Through donations, they have been able to amass several hundred fishing poles and reels to enable every youth who wishes to fish an opportunity to so in their tournaments.

The Club supplied rods, reels, bait, conducted and oversaw tournament procedures, and they along with the Chief Aquatics Instructor from the Texas Parks & Wildlife conducted one-on-one instruction on casting techniques at the YouthPlex the Wednesday before the tournament. CYS and the Club are already planning for the next Family Fishing Day and Tournament in February after our Soldiers return home and trout will be on the menu.

Congratulations to all our families who caught the biggest prize of all - special time as a family!

www.flickr.com blissmwr's SAS Fishing Day photoset