Anglers enjoy big day at tournament

VW independent sports/submitted information

The results are in from the July 18 Van Wert Parks and Recreation Department’s fishing tournament, held at Reservoir No. 2.

The tournament had three different categories that anglers could enter for the chance to win a variety of payouts. Over forty anglers and eight boats took advantage of beautifual weather and caught loads of fish.

It was a close competition in the catfish division, but Carson Byer came out victorious as he registered five fish and a final weigh-in of 14 pounds, six ounces. Cory Hoops finished second with four fish weighing in at 13 pounds, nine ounces. He also grabbed the big fish of the day that registered in at 7.1 pounds and 27 inches long. Third place went to Jeremy Byer who pulled in 10 pounds of catfish. All told, 66 qualifying catfish were caught throughout the day.

The bass division was won by Darren Gutierrez, who registered two smallmouth bass weighing in at three pounds, 12 ounces. Second place and big fish champion went to Auburn, Indiana native Brian Bell, who hooked a two pound, 15 ounce largemouth bass. Third place went out to local fisherman Gil Gutierrez, who caught a two pound smallmouth bass.

The final category was the pan-fish division, included bluegill, sunfish and perch over six inches, and crappie over nine inches. In a fierce competition, Austin Walker and John McKinsey were able to net 54 qualifying fish that claimed their first-place finish in the division. Close behind them were Dusten Harris and Allen Farris, who caught 53 fish to finish second place in the division. Third place went to Areena Hammons, as she nabbed 36 pan-fish to claim third place. The big fish was caught by Kevin Semer, who registered an 11 3/4-inch crappie.

Future fishing tournaments will be planned for the 2021 season by the Van Wert Parks and Recreation Department. For future tournaments and registration questions, follow the City of Van Wert website and social media pages to keep up to date with future events and results. You can also call the Park Office at 419.238.9121.