Fishing rodeo supplies fun for kids, funds to help others
At 13 years old, Greg Mortimer battled a 50-pound grass carp at Municipal Park Lake in Germantown and lived to tell the story.
The duel left Mortimer with the active Germantown city record for catching the largest fish and a completely bent fishing rod.
On Wednesday, Mortimer, now 35, returned to Municipal Park Lake and brought his family along to compete among 110 participants in the Lions Club Fishing Rodeo.
The competition — funded by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Germantown Lions Club and the City of Germantown — awarded prizes to children ages 5-15 in categories including heaviest individual fish, longest string (most fish on one string) and heaviest string (most weight on a single string of fish).
Mortimer’s experience and expertise aided his young nieces and nephews in finding the best possible fishing spots.
“We got here about 7 o’clock to get our spot. Once we found that, we came out at about 9 o’clock for the start of the tournament,” said Mortimer, a general contractor. “There’s a dropoff right here, so the majority of the big (fish) are hanging right here. We hammered ‘em pretty quick, pretty early, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we were at the head of the pack.”
David Docauer, chairman of the Lions Club Fishing Rodeo, has orga-
nized the event since 2002. Many of the participants have become familiar to Docauer, and the 67-year-old said seeing the children enjoy themselves is most satisfying.
“Just seeing the kids catch fish,” Docauer said as he taught a woman how to string a catfish. “The best part is seeing the looks on their faces when they catch a fish and how happy they are.”
The TWRA supplied about 450 1pound catfish for the fishing rodeo, which along with existing bream and bass, gave children the opportunity to catch a plentiful amount of fish.
Registration for the event was free. Donations were accepted to support the Mid-South Lions Sight and Hearing Service’s 4th of July Freedom from Blindness campaign. All proceeds from the event will provide free eye surgery and hearing aids to low-income Memphians.
While Mortimer’s family didn’t catch a fish on the same scale as he did 22 years ago, they did leave the competition victorious.
Mortimer’s 5-year-old niece, Mae Walker, took home the longest string award for the 5-and-under age category. His 4-year-old nephew, Bo Walker, won the heaviest fish category in the same age bracket.
Other than an encyclopedic knowledge of the lake’s surroundings, Mortimer credits a special bait for his family’s performance.
“We have a secret bait — we use raw shrimp,” Mortimer said proudly. “We’re definitely a fishing family for sure.”