Dear Editor:
The White River Community Association held its 11th annual Buy Fly Whitefish Fishing Tournament on March 14 and 15, with nine teams entered.
It started off Saturday morning with everyone meeting at the Buford School and enjoying homemade breakfast burritos and cinnamon rolls. All participants received a sack lunch on Saturday.
Thank you to Watt’s Ranch Market for donating all the sandwich fixings.
The weather was beautiful, everyone had a good time and the whitefish were biting! The association ended up with 136 pounds of fillets, which will be cooked up and served at the Community Fish Fry to be held June 13 at the historic Buford School.
The tournament is held as a fundraiser, but a major part is acquiring the fish so the annual Community Fish Fry can continue to happen.
The Rio Blanco Ranch team took first prize, which was a two-day guided fishing trip on the Flat Tops donated by Holly King and Trappers Lake Lodge. Second prize was won by the K-T Youth fishing team, and its members received a one-day guided fishing trip donated by Welder Outfitting, along with a two-night stay in Fritzlan’s Resort cabins, donated by Arlene Fritzlan. Third place found Sam’s White River Whisperers, the team made up of participants from Nebraska and New Mexico, receiving Browning fishing backpacks donated by Stan Wyatt of Wyatt’s Sporting Goods.
Individual prize for most pounds of fish turned in went to Dayton Willey, who received a very nice float tube.
Our volunteer team judges were Mike Sizemore, Randy Forrest, Biff Burge, Jim Brown, Steve Wix, Tom Tucker, Shawn Welder and Bailey Franklin. A mini-mag lite, two tickets to the Community Fish Fry and a huge thank you went to them. Without our judges, the tournament would not be possible.
We want to thank Elk Creek Ranch for donating more than 50 fishing shirts to the tournament, so everyone went home with a new shirt.
On Sunday, the WRCA put on a chili dinner, which included a roaster full of elk chili and another full of beef chili along with assorted chips, dips, cookies and brownies.
Thanks to everyone involved.
Boots Campbell
White River Community Association
Meeker
