19th Annual Youth Fishing Rodeo

On June 6th, 203 children showed up to fish at the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge's ponds. Approximately 400 people attended the event. Hundreds of prizes were given away, along with food and refreshments. Three grand prizes were awarded for biggest fish caught, most fish caught, and total weight of fish caught. The grand prizes were a new bike, a camping set with a tent and camping chair, and a free guided duck hunt on Reelfoot Lake.

The 1st fishing rodeo at Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge was hosted in June 1991. The event lasted 3 hours and 92 youth participated in the event. Local businesses donated 95 prizes for the event. Today the event attracts 200-300 youth and 200-250 adults. This year the event attracted 203 children and over 200 adults. The event is part of National Fishing and Boating Week and the event is held on free fishing day for the state of Tennessee. The event begins at 8:00 and is over at Noon. Participants are youth ages 12 years old and younger. Bait, hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, cookies, drinks, and prizes are supplied by the donations of area businesses. The event is to encourage families to participate in outdoor recreational activities such as fishing and boating. Reelfoot NWR also offers fishing opportunities for disabled youth and adults which began in 1991 and continues today. Reelfoot NWR hosts 3 fishing events every year with the Kid’s fishing rodeo being the largest event.