8-Pound Bass Lands as Biggest Catch At 3rd Annual Lures ForCures
by James Coulter
Mike Foster has been attending the annual Lures For Cures bass tournament at Camp Mack in Lake Wales every year. This year, he caught the biggest fish, weighing in at 8.58 pounds. His catch allowed him to win first place with a trophy and check for $750.
He owes his success to both his net and his fishing rod. He has been attending the annual tournament for the past three years, and the overall spirit keep him coming back every time.
“We are just supporting a good cause,” he said. “I keep come back for the good fishing, [and] I love all the money that was raised.”
Tracey Bray and Mike Jarvis both had the honor of winning first place with a 23.5 catch. They won the grand prize of a trophy and $1,000.
They owe their success to their time on the water. Having also attended the annual tournament since its started, they know the waters like the back of their hands.
Lake Kissimmee is always an excellent place to fish. Both the waters and the fish within them keep them coming back every year to the tournament.
“We came out here for the fishing, to fish and have fun, and to donate to a good charity,” said Bray.
The third annual Lures For Cures Bass Tournament was hosted at Camp Mack, A Guy Harvey Resort in Lake Wales last Saturday. The annual event started at the crack of dawn at 5am. It concluded that afternoon with the weigh in at 2pm.
More than 75 boats attended this year, said Clayton Keene, the young man who organized the tournament. The event started as a school project for him at Bok Academy. His humanities teacher wanted his class to create an idea for a community project.
Then 11-year-old Clayton wanted to combine his love of fishing with his desire to help people. So he came up with the idea for a bass fishing tournament. Now, the 14-year-old eighth grader continues to host it into its third year.
“It has been way beyond our expectations,” he said. “We have 75 boats. We are expecting 40 to 50 boats. We have exceeded that…It has definetly been a huge success thus far.”
Proceeds from the event go towards the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Clayton wanted to raise awareness for due to his close friend, James Brown, having survived pediatric cancer. Aside from the tournament, the event also hosted raffles and 50/50 with prizes donated by local businesses and organizations.
Overall, this year experienced an immense turnout, one of the largest in recent years. Clayton hopes that future events continue to grow in size and outreach, and the awareness for cancer continues to spread.
“We’re trying to make it as big as it can,” he said. “This year, this is the biggest year we ever had boat wise, and thus the best thing we had. All of the sponsors here today made it possible. Our sponsors behind the scenes made it possible to do this.”
