Warriors on the Water Military Appreciation Bass Tourney

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he ninth annual Warriors on the Water Military Appreciation Bass Fishing Tournament took place at Jordan Lake on May 2. As a way of saying thanks to those who serve our country, this tournament pairs professional and recreational anglers with members of the military for a day of bass fishing.

According to Hal Abshire one of the founders of the tournament, it takes almost a year of preparation and about 40 volunteers to put this event on. “It’s therapeutic,” Abshire said. “You’re out there on the calmness of the water, away from work and stress. This is a way for us and the boaters to say ‘thank you’ to our military men and women.”

Many of the anglers who volunteer their time, tackle and boats do so year after year. There are some who travel from as far away as Arizona to volunteer.

Due to logistic challenges the tournament is limited to about 150 boats each year. Many local and national companies sponsor this event by providing food, bev- erages, tackle and prizes for the participants.

Local angler Will Blanton and co-angler Cory Kidwell, a soldier from New Mexico, won the tour- nament with a total weight of 20 pounds, 13 ounces. Will Blanton became the first back-to-back winner in nine years of tourna- ment competition. This team also won the Rudy Hernandez Memorial Big Fish Award with a 7.6-pound bass.

The tenth annual Fishing to Fight Cancer tournament to benefit St Jude Children’s Hospital was held on the Cape Fear River Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18. The river was rather swollen due to recent rains, but that did not stop the anglers or the catfish from participating.

This tournament is the flagship fundraiser held by the Swamp Boys Benefit organization. This year it was joined by the River Front Cancer Jam at Campbellton Landing. The original tournament was held there 10 years ago with 25 boats and a payout of $250.00. The tournament has grown over the years and this year’s first prize payout was $4,000.00. Nearly $1,000.00 was also paid out for the biggest catfish brought to the scales. There were plenty of other prizes for runners up, lady anglers and junior anglers.

The total raised for St Jude Children’s Hospital over the weekend was just over $13,000.00. Tournament director Robert Kitchen discussed the impact that this tournament has on him and his family as well as the participants. He expressed gratitude to the parents that take their children fishing. He said it is helpful to keep children “off the streets and in the creeks.” Those words rang true this year as the junior anglers caught most of their fish in the creeks that feed the river.

Coastal Angler Magazine, as always, was happy to be there to be a part of such a wonderful cause. The winning team was team “Cat Daddy.”