MOUNT VERNON – Calling all youth anglers ... do you love to fish, and are you 7-18 years old? Do you live in Knox or Licking counties? If you answered yes, mark your calendar for May 28 and 29 for the Youth Virtual Fishing Tournament, “Keepin’ it Reel and Igniting a Spark for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness.”
The virtual tournament is run through a mobile app called Fish Donkey and is accessible at any body of water in Knox or Licking counties. The sponsors of the event include Knox County Park District, Kokosing Valley Jr. Anglers, National Alliance of Mental Illness of Knox and Licking Counties, Igniting a Spark for Suicide Prevention Inc. and the Knox County Community Health Center.
Youth are encouraged to download the free Fish Donkey app on a mobile device and register for this fun event. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the importance of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention as we reflect on the lives lost locally to this illness. The month of May is designated as Mental Health Awareness month.
The tournament is an innovative way to host an event virtually, allowing youth to fish from any body of water in Knox or Licking counties. There are many choices, ranging from both counties. The tournament app will record each angler’s success as they catch fish, identify the species and measure its length. Live leaderboards are run through the duration of the tournament so anglers can view their standings compared to the other anglers.
The specie categories for the tournaments included bluegill, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, carp and any other fish.
This program is provided to each angler free of charge as the Knox County Park District, The National Alliance of Mental Illness of Knox and Licking County and Igniting a Spark for Suicide Prevention Inc. are sponsoring the entry fees. The Kokosing Valley Jr. Anglers youth club will sponsor the tournament prizes.
The tournament is limited to 200 anglers (100 from Knox County and 100 from Licking County). Any anglers who register after the limit is reached will be responsible for the cost of their entry fee. Upon registration, you must indicate on the app the county of your residence and you must fish a body of water within your county.
The tournament will run on both days, May 28 and 29, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A drive-through follow-up event is also being planned to distribute a complimentary “tackle sack” for participating as well as some educational resource materials.
To view the tournament details and to register, visit the Knox County Park District website at knoxcountyparks.org and view the May events link. For more information, contact the Knox County Park District at 740-830-6930.
