Nearly 90 Boats Arrive For Frostproof We Care Open Bass Tournament
by James Coulter
Mike Akers and his fishing partner Mike Wiley travel all around to fish and attend fishing tournaments. They traveled from Vero Beach to participate in the Frostproof We Care Open Bass Tournament last Saturday.
Not only did they have the opportunity to participate, but they also won first place, reeling in a catch that weighed a whopping 25.82 pounds. The two of them owe their success with “good frog bait”, explained Akers.
The two of them are avid fishermen who travel everywhere for bass fishing. As for this tournament, they loved it not only for the great opportunity but also for the chance to help support a good cause.
“It is a good tournament with a good cause,” Akers said. “That is the main reason why we came out, just to help out the family…It was a good turnout for a very good cause, and we are happy to see this many people.”
The Frostproof We Care Open Bass Tournament was hosted on Saturday at Camp Mack in Lake Wales. The fundraising event was held to support the families of Damion Tillman, Brandon Rollins, and Keven Springfield, three young men whose lives were tragically cut short a few months ago following a grisly murder.
More than 89 boats participated that day, with participants traveling from as far as Sarasota, Tamps, and Fort Myers. Each of their catches was weighed, with the top five heaviest loads winning cash prizes and ribbons. Other attendees that day could also participate in 50/50 raffle drawings for prizes.
“It is a great turnout,” said Katrina Jackson, who organized the event with her husband, Scott. “We had over 100 people call me. I am surprised we would have so many people come out that did.”
Jackson knew many of the victims and their families. She knew Brandon ever since he was a baby. She knew Damion’s mother, who worked with her son at the family dollar store. While she did know Kevin personally, she and her family gathered school supplies for his children.
Both Katrina and her husband wanted to honor the memory of the victims and support their families. For that reason, they organized the fishing tournament. They could not be any prouder of their community for the turnout.
“We should come together as a community when people suffer loss,” she said. “We should support them in whatever means that we can. We appreciate everyone coming out here, all our volunteers, and the people who donated, the people who came out to participate.”
