Annual Fishing Tournament for a Worthy Cause

Special to the Journal – On Saturday April 13, Perry Rotary Club hosted its 21st Annual Bass Fishing Tournament. Roughly 33 teams of two to three people, sponsored by local businesses, competed against each other in the spirit of raising money for medical supplies. This year, Perry Rotary Club’s fishing tournament raised money for Houston County Volunteer Health Clinic in an initiative called “Saving Lives with Medicine” to provide free medicine to those in need. 

Perry Rotary Club President, Marietta Lomboy of South Houston Internal Medicine Clinic, said the goal of this event is, “to support the vital work of the [Houston County] Medical Volunteer clinic and ensure that they have the resources they need to continue saving lives and making a difference in our community.” 

Furthermore, Marietta praised the effort from her team that organized the event and the support from local businesses stating, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who played a part in making this event a triumph. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our organizing committee led by our energetic Chair-Chief Lee Parker, the support of our volunteers, and the overwhelming participation of our members and the local community, our Fishing Tournament was a roaring success.” In total, nearly $50,000 was raised for vital projects of Perry Rotary here and abroad, with the main local project providing funding for medicines for Houston County Medical Volunteer clinic.

The tournament officially began at legal daybreak on Saturday and weigh-in was between 3:00-3:30pm at the Go Fish Education Center at 1255 Perry Parkway. All Black Bass species qualified and must be a minimum of 12-inches in length. The top teams with the largest weigh-in received cash prizes with the first-place team receiving $1000. Additionally, the team with the largest fish received an extra cash bonus of $250. There were bonus prizes for the largest bass caught by different age ranges. In addition, a raffle was held with prizes totaling over thousands of dollars which included a Traeger ironwood 885 Pellet grill, Loco Griddle, and a yeti wheeled cooler. 

Allan Engle & Mason Engle, a team sponsored by Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, won the largest weigh-in competition catching a total of 23.25 lbs. Additionally, Allan and Mason caught the largest bass of the day that weighed 10.67 lb. 

In the youth category of the biggest bass fish caught, Flint Campbell of AC GAS team caught the largest fish at 2.98lb in the 8year-old and under category. In the 9 – 12 year-old category, Hank Cannon of Moore Insurance Agency team caught the largest fish at 3.74lb. Lastly, in the 13-16 year old category, Rooks Lawson of Daniel Lawson Tuggle & Jerles team caught the largest fish at 4.89lb

Mayor Randall Walker of Perry attended and provided commentary throughout the event. Miss Dogwood Pageants winners were in attendance and helped distribute the raffle prizes to the lucky winners.

It was an energetic and lively event. Everyone was having a great time in an effort to raise money for medical supplies for the Houston County Medical Volunteer Clinic in Warner Robins. Hopefully next year, the annual Bass Fishing Tournament by Perry Rotary Club will continue to support local charities and projects that will serve to benefit those in our community.