Steve Cordle
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Annual Richardson Pond Fishing Tournament returned for 2020, after a two-year hiatus. Thomas Richardson hosted the event on Saturday, Sept. 26th, in the stocked pond on his property in Hiawatha Farms. While there were several seasoned anglers in the tournament, some were casting their lines for the first time in hopes of catching some of the large-mouth bass, shell crackers, brim and channel catfish that populate the pond.
"I usually do this in the spring," Richardson said. "This year, we had to cancel due to COVID-19; so, I thought we would give it a try in the fall."
Richardson hosted the tournament for the Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch ranchers and staff, awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies to the winners. The event began shortly after 9 a.m., with a briefing on tournament rules, including minimum sizes for each of the four kinds of fish in the pond. Any fish caught that did not meet the minimum size had to be returned to the pond.
Once the starting whistle blew, the young fishermen had an hour to try their luck. When the time was close to being up, Richardson allowed an extra 20 minutes due to so few fish caught. In the end, enough fish were caught to declare three winners.
1st place went to Aidan
2nd place went to Kip
3rd place went to Zacarias
Although the catch was not quite as good as in years past, the participants enjoyed themselves. It is possible there will be another tournament in the spring; if that happens, announcements will be made at the appropriate time.
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