Editor: Shannon Cottongame
August 25, 2021
Bosque County Animal Rescue Kennels has announced plans for its first annual bass fishing tournament at Lake Whitney Saturday, September 11. The tournament will take place at Lofers Bend Park near the Whitney Dam. All proceeds benefit Bosque Animal Rescue Kennels, with a combined $20,000 in cash prizes for winning anglers.
“We’re always looking for ways to generate income for the kennels, as dogs are expensive. We bring in more, it costs us more,” said Board Member At-Large Mike Murski. “We decided to come up with a BARK Charity Bass Tournament.”
The biggest part of the fun is support for the kennel and dogs it houses, which proceeds benefit directly. The event will feature door prizes for teams, a food truck and big gun raffle. Even the dogs will make an appearance, with adoptions by the public encouraged.
The first cast is set for 6:45 a.m., while the last is 2 p.m. Fish must be at the scales by 3:30 p.m. Contestants can also join in on the Big Bass Side Pot at $25 per team. Organizers of this trailer tournament also encourage fishermen to launch at any public ramp on the lake.
“It’s going to be a five-fish total bass tournament, the heaviest five bass you can catch during tournament hours. An individual can sign up as a team,” added Murski, speaking of tourney rule and prizes. “First place will pay $10,000, second place will pay $4,000, third place will pay $3,000 and so on through fifth place. We’ll have door prize items for the contests, and there will be a gun raffle drawing.”
Due to the number of expected participants and safety concerns, the BARK Team Tournament will allow trailering from any public ramp accessible to Lake Whitney. Teams are allowed to weigh in five largemouth, smallmouth or Kentucky spotted bass.
Scales open up at the last cast. All bass must be caught on artificial lures with each cast completed before next cast can be made. Landing nets are permitted for the tournament, while all entry fees are tax deductible and will receive a tax deductible receipt after the tournament via email.
All anglers must have a valid Texas Parks & Wildlife fishing license, while teams are made up of two participants with at least one 18 years of age. No non-contestants are allowed in the boat during competition hours. One person can compete as a single team, but registration fees and rules still apply.
For a full list of rules and to get registered online, visit http://www.barkrescue.org. The deadline to register is at 10 p.m. Friday, September 10.
The Lakelander 