Gary Ortega, a facilitator for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy’s nonresident course, fishes with his 3-year-old son Isaac during a youth fishing tournament held Saturday at Ascarate Park. The tournament was put on by the Ascarate Fishing Club. Photo by Dustin Perry.
Hundreds gather at Ascarate Park for children’s fishing tourney
Dustin Perry
Editor
More than 300 aspiring young anglers met Saturday morning at Ascarate Park for a children’s fishing tournament and the chance to hook one of the more than 1,000 catfish swimming in the park’s 48-acre lake.
The tournament, put on four times annually by the Ascarate Fishing Club, included competitive divisions in three age groups and awarded trophies for the biggest fish caught in each division, the biggest overall fish, and the smallest fish. The next tournament, a trout-catching competition, will be held in February.
The free event was sponsored by – and included volunteers from – the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy and Fort Bliss Child, Youth and School Services. Volunteers helped prepare bait, cook lunch and measure fish.
Gary Ortega, a facilitator for USASMA’s nonresident course, brought his 3-year-old son Isaac on his first-ever fishing trip, purchasing a rod and reel early before the tournament. Ortega praised the event, saying it gave him and his family the chance to “spend some quality time together on a nice weekend.”
“We’re new to town, so we thought we’d give it a try,” said Ortega while his son rested against the outside of a barrier along the border of the lake and held on to the fishing rod. “So far we haven’t caught anything, but it’s just been a very relaxing experience.”
Chad Walsh, a Soldier with the 34th Brigade Support Battalion, attended the tournament with his 6-year-old son Gillette, who caught a 21-inch catfish. Gillette said the most enjoyable aspect of the event was getting the chance to spend time with his dad. Chad said the tournament was very well organized, and he lauded the Fort Bliss community for coming out to Ascarate Park in large numbers and supporting El Paso by helping to build a better relationship.
A catfish leaps from the water after being caught by a participant during a youth fishing tournament held Saturday at Ascarate Park.
Photo by Dustin Perry.
Harold Stearns, treasurer for the Ascarate Fishing Club, said the tournaments are “all for the kids.” Through sponsorship, the club is able to offer free lunch, free use of fishing reels, free bait and hundreds of dollars’ worth of prizes. Stearns praised the involvement of Fort Bliss, saying the Ascarate Fishing Club “works exceptionally well” with the installation.
“We work hand in hand [with Fort Bliss]; we’ve been to Fort Bliss a few times to give classes,” said Stearns. “Fort Bliss has been absolutely outstanding in the events we’ve had with them.”
“This tournament is one of the better events to do to bring families together in the face of deployments and things like that,” said James Kingwell, transition coordinator for Fort Bliss School-Age Services and CYSS.
The grand-prize winner of the tournament was Trisha Macias, who caught a 23-inch catfish. The first-place winner in the 3-to-6-year-old division was Eduardo Amado for his 20.5-inch channel catfish; Kadeem Evans’ 23-inch catfish earned him the top spot in the 7-to-12-year-old division; and Amy Ramirez won in the 13-to-16-year old division with a 19.5-inch catfish.