KidFish canceled, Bassmasters reset

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The annual Wood County Sheriff’s KidFish has been canceled and the Bassmaster Elite Series Texas Fest moved to November.

Wood County Sheriff Tom Castloo still wants people to know although the KidFish day has been canceled, kids are encouraged to come by the sheriff’s office and get a free rod.

“The reason the KidFish is held on that day each year is because it’s the statewide free fishing day. Nobody has to have a fishing license that day so folks can get out with their kids and enjoy a day of fishing,” Castloo said. “Since the Covid-19 situation and the limit on large gatherings, it is just best we don’t have it. What we want people to do is come by the sheriff’s office on that date (June 6) and get a rod. We will be standing out there handing rods out and encouraging kids to get out with their families and go fishing, spend the day outside and enjoy it.” 

The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is just southwest of the courthouse at 402 S. Stephens St. in Quitman.

The Bassmaster Elite Series Texas Fest has been rescheduled for Nov. 5-8 at Lake Fork. The tournament was originally scheduled for June 5-9 but was moved back amid the ongoing public health situation that forced the postponement of the spring competition.

Lake Fork is hosting the tournament, where the top bass anglers in the world will be competing for a total purse of $1 million.

This unique tournament showcases a “catch-weigh-immediate release” format that was designed to honor this lake’s special size limits and reduce handling stress on large bass.

TPWD will be on site at the Sabine River Authority from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 7-8 to highlight family-friendly fishing, hunting and camping opportunities in the state. 

Proceeds from the tournament, donated by Gulf States Toyota, will benefit TPWD’s youth fishing and urban outreach programs.

Programs benefiting from this tournament include the Neighborhood Fishin’ Program, which brings fishing to families at 18 community park lakes in 10 urban areas, and the Texas Division of the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest, which seeks to interest youth in grades K-12 in fishing.