N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission News Releases

Young Anglers Win Lifetime Fishing Licenses

Cousins Rachel and Trey Wells show off catfish that they reeled in from Indian Lake near Tarboro during National Fishing and Boating Week this year.

Media: A hi-res version of this image may be downloaded here. Please credit the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

RALEIGH, N.C. (July 1, 2005) — Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Progress Energy, the Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, seven young anglers will be able to fish for free in North Carolina — for the rest of their lives.

The seven lucky anglers’ names were drawn from more than 3,000 other young anglers’ names to win lifetime comprehensive fishing licenses, the grand prizes offered in a statewide drawing for participants in 34 “Fish for Fun” events held during National Fishing and Boating Week, June 4-12.

The licenses, donated by the Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman and Progress Energy, are valued at $250 each. They give the holders lifetime fishing privileges in all North Carolina public inland waters, including designated Public Mountain Trout Waters. The grand prize winners and the fishing events they attended during National Fishing and Boating Week are:

Andrew Beach, 12, of Raleigh who attended the Lake Wheeler Fishing Derby
Morgan McClure, 8, of Franklin who attended the fishing event at Cliffside Lake
Joshua Collart, 7, of Rocky Mount who attended the fishing event at Pell’s Pond
Collin Manning, 11, of Battleboro who attended the Indian Lake fishing event
Miranda Bethea, 6, of Fayetteville who attended the fishing event at the John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center
Tesa Anderson, 11, of Robbinsville who attended the fishing event at Santeetlah Creek Rattlerford
Olise Obi, 10, of Hurdle Mills who attended the fishing event at Bob Strayhorn’s Pond

In addition to the seven grand prize winners, 130 other young anglers netted prizes from North Carolina’s National Fishing and Boating Week events.

Bass Pro Shops donated 50 fishing prizes, including tackle boxes, rods and reels and spools of fishing line. The Wildlife Commission also contributed prizes, including mini tackle boxes, rods, reels, fishing towels and decks of playing cards featuring 13 popular game fish species. A complete list of winners and prizes is below.

The events, coordinated by the U.S. Forest Service and the Wildlife Commission, gave kids and their parents opportunities to learn about protecting and conserving aquatic resources while enjoying the thrill of reeling in a variety of game fish. To improve fishing at these events, the Commission stocked catfish in many of these lakes and ponds, as well as trout in the mountain streams.

“We’re grateful to everyone who made the Fish for Fun events possible this year,” said Bob Curry, chief of the Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries. “Generous donations by Progress Energy, the Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman and Bass Pro Shops, along with the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service and local sponsors, make these events fun, inexpensive outings for the entire family.”

For more information on fishing in North Carolina’s inland, public waters, visit the Fishing section, or call (919) 733-3633.

National Fishing Week Winners

Last Name	First Name	Age	Event Location	Prize	Donor
Villagomez	Zachary	7	Valdese McGallard Falls	Soft tackle box	BPS
Herndon	John	6	June 9 event - Simpkins Pond	Soft tackle box	BPS
Mabe	Paige	4	Cove Boat Ramp	Soft tackle box	BPS
Bianchi	Brittany	14	Neuseway Nature Center	Soft tackle box	BPS
Armstrong	Jillian	10	June 4 event – Lake Wheeler	Soft tackle box	BPS
Armstrong	Jan	6	June 4 event – Lake Wheeler	Soft tackle box	BPS
Tucker	Dylon	11	Cliffside Lake	Soft tackle box	BPS
Hissim	Casey	10	Cove Boat Ramp	Soft tackle box	BPS
Johnson	Tanner	11	Cullowhee Creek – WCU Campus	Soft tackle box	BPS
Doby	Hunter	8	Oakboro	Soft tackle box	BPS
Cherry	Jamie	9	Cedar Swamp Pond	Soft tackle box	BPS
Jones	Caleb	3	Bob Strayhorn's Pond	Soft tackle box	BPS
Deese	Matt	12	Bass Pro Shops – Concord	Soft tackle box	BPS
Toms	Justin	7	Bass Pro Shops – Concord	Soft tackle box	BPS
Owen	Robert	14	Oak Hollow Lake	Soft tackle box	BPS
Leighton	Rebekah	6	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Spool of line	BPS
Stewart	Seth	10	Lake Hickory	Spool of line	BPS
Scott	Alexis	11	June 10 event – Lake Higgins	Spool of line	BPS
Uhlik	Luke	9	June 4 event – Lake Wheeler	Spool of line	BPS
Whitehead	Jesse	13	Rocky Mount Park	Spool of line	BPS
Smith	Rebecca	12	Cove Boat Ramp	Spool of line	BPS
Pate	Kevin	4	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Spool of line	BPS
Morgan	Bryan	4	Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge	Spool of line	BPS
Landon	Ryan	4	Lake Powhatan	Spool of line	BPS
Blevins	Tyler Jacob	11	South Toe River Carolina Hemlocks	Spool of line	BPS
Branham	John	8	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Spool of line	BPS
Bozarth	Reid	10	Cliffside Lake	Spool of line	BPS
Konopka	Justin	11	Bass Pro Shops – Concord	Spool of line	BPS
Lane	Logan	2	Ellendale Community Pond	Spool of line	BPS
Stone	Spencer	7	Cullowhee Creek – WCU Campus	Spool of line	BPS
Worrell	Alex	6	Dupont State Forest	Spool of line	BPS
Powell	Chris	9	Cherokee Lake	Spool of line	BPS
Austin	Timmy	12	Oakboro	Spool of line	BPS
Morgan	Katie	5	Ellendale Community Pond	Spool of line	BPS
Lennon	Tre	9	June 10 event – Lake Higgins	Spool of line	BPS
Cheek	Brittan	6	Cherokee Lake	Spool of line	BPS
Kilpatrick	Sophia	4	Cherokee Lake	Spool of line	BPS
Holder	Jeremiah	12	Santeetlah Creek Rattlerford	Spool of line	BPS
Phillips	Patrick	7	Max Patch Pond	Spool of line	BPS
Simmons	Luke	4	Valdese McGallard Falls	Spool of line	BPS
Smith	Zach	9	Oakboro	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Brown	Christopher	7	Pell’s Pond	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Rollins	Shae	11	Salisbury Community Park	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Petteway	Kierra	6	June 9 event – Simpkins Pond	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Pittman	Jonus	8	Cliffside Lake	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Hale	Wilson Keith	6	Pell’s Pond	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Wullier	William	7	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Wells	Trey	7	Indian Lake	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Wilson	Jasimine	6	McKinney Lake	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Turner	Madison	7	McKinney Lake	Rod & reel combo	BPS
Putz	Marlene	7	June 11 event – Lake Higgins	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Cunningham	Wayne	13	Chappell Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Phillips	Evan	1	Pell’s Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Pigg	Carter	2	Pell’s Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Burnette	Tana	9	South Toe River Carolina Hemlocks	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Herndon	Brittany	10	June 9 event – Simpkins Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Skaggs	Michelle	10	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Miller	Simone	7	Salem Lake Park	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Richmond	Jarin	10	June 9 event – Lake Higgins	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Hester	Kyle	7	Bob Strayhorn's Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Brewer	Kayla	6	Oak Hollow Lake	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Sykes	Tabor	8	South Toe River Carolina Hemlocks	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Hale	Corey	7	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Kelly	Dana	9	Chappell Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Hood	Cameron	5	Oak Hollow Lake	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Clemmer	Cara	9	Lake Royale	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Evans	Elisabeth	6	Cedar Swamp Pond	Fishing Towel & Cards	WRC
Platt	Marliss	14	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Blevins	Kaylee	7	South Toe River Carolina Hemlocks	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Fox	Daniel	4	Lake Hickory	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Brown	Stephen	14	Oak Hollow Lake	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Chambers	Kayley	4	Salem Lake Park	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Hyde	Henry	5	Valdese McGallard Falls	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Cassidy	Mikeala	10	Valdese McGallard Falls	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Harris	Justin	12	Bass Pro Shops – Concord	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Yarborough	Dakota	6	McKinney Lake	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Furlipa	Isaac	6	Salem Lake Park	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Smith	Taylor	9	Max Patch Pond	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Chura	Alex	8	Lake Royale	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Smith	Katie	2	McKinney Lake	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Beck	Andrew	10	Cullowhee Creek – WCU Campus	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Laughon	Tommy	9	June 11 event – Lake Higgins	Zebco rod & reel combo	WRC
Barefoot	Matthew	12	Indian Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Courts	Paul	7	Salem Lake Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Hoffman	Marcade	1	McKinney Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Looney	LaJuan	9	Cedar Swamp Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Johnson	Janice	11	Cedar Swamp Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Brewer	Drew	13	Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Walmsley	Tyler	1	Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Viviette	David	15	Rocky Mount Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Boone	Bradley Hunter	11	Rocky Mount Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Pressley	Jacob	7	Cherokee Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Hagan	Franklin	9	Ellendale Community Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Austin	Kevin	6	Lake Hickory	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Gwyn	Timothy	14	June 4 event – Lake Wheeler	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Webb	Summer	5	June 4 event – Lake Wheeler	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Caudill	Dakota	4	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Hamilton	Patrick	8	McKinney Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Frady	Collin	6	Dupont State Forest	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Ivey	Haley	9	Max Patch Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Day	Amanda	9	Santeetlah Creek Rattlerford	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Williams	Joshua	14	Valdese McGallard Falls	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Smith	Grant	10	Neuseway Nature Center	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Cooper	Nathan	7	Chappell Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Wright	Laini	5	McKinney Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Moore	Jeremiah	11	McKinney Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Bowman	Seth	7	Lake Hickory	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Baisey	Armelle	8	Indian Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Casillas	Christian	7	June 10 event – Lake Higgins	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Ekman	Kirstyn	5	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Key	Dalton	5	Santeetlah Creek Rattlerford	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Lovick	Alissa	11	Neuseway Nature Center	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Chaney	Blu	11	Santeetlah Creek Rattlerford	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Farrell	Christopher	8	Ellendale Community Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Emerson	Robert	7	Salisbury Community Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Owens	Salena	5	Lake Powhatan	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Pinney	Sandy	11	Cove Boat Ramp	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Ekman	Katelyn	8	John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Ctr.	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Zuo	Longlong	8	Bob Strayhorn's Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Thigpen	Jereyleus	10	Rocky Mount Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Tyndall	Kristopher	10	McKinney Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Richter	Matthew	7	Cove Boat Ramp	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Sapp	Nisheika	11	Oak Hollow Lake	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Rouse	Neisha	10	June 10 event – Lake Higgins	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Davis	Tanner	5	Lake Powhatan	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Eller	Aaron	8	Santeetlah Creek	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Edwards	Tim	8	South Toe River Carolina Hemlocks	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Harding	Levi	5	Max Patch Pond	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Etter	Rebeka	4	Lake Powhatan	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC
Wallace	Darius	8	Salisbury Community Park	Mini tackle box & ID card	WRC

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