The Winston County Journal

Take out the tackle boxes and ready the reels for the Legion State Park Third Annual Fishing Rodeo.

The rodeo, beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday, coincides with forecasted good weather.

Carolyn Mills, one of the organizers of the rodeo, said the free event, held in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, should draw between 150 and 200 participants.

The rodeo, for children up to 15 years old, will give participants a good chance of catching some fish as more than 700 will be stocked in a 500-yard stretch of the lake.

Among those added to the creek are several trophy fish.

Registration for the fishing contest begins at 7 a.m. Saturday and participants should bring their own fishing equipment, such as poles and bait.

Volunteers and MDW officials will be by the stream to help participants.

Prior to the start of the fishing contest, Sherry Hazelwood from the MDWF will give a short seminar to the children, explaining how to handle fish, other fundamentals and the rules of the event.

The event is for children only and the park will be open for fishing for children up to the age of 15 only the entire day.

Giles Ward will provide the welcome at 7:45 a.m. and will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. Fishing will begin at 8 a.m. with fish check-in at 10 a.m. and awards presentation at 10:30 a.m.

The previous two events had an average of 350 attendees with about 200 children participants each year The event themed "Kids N Katfish" also offers a casting contest for children ages 7-14. Awards will be given to children catching the most fish plus door prizes will be given to luck winners.

An adult must accompany all children at the time of registration. Each rodeo participant must have adult supervision.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks each year sponsors 30-40 rodeos across the state that sees about 6,000 children participants. The goal of the event is to promote and build the interest of the children in the nature and wildlife environment around them.

For more information contact the Legion State Park office at 773-8323.