Church That Matters hosts 29th Annual Kids Free Fishing Derby, gives away free boat

The 29th Annual Kids’ Free Fishing Derby went off without a hitch Saturday morning at the Sand Springs Lake, drawing more than 200 participants between the ages of 4-12.

Church That Matters hosted the event in partnership with the Sand Springs Parks Department, with free giveaway prizes donated by numerous community businesses. The lake was stocked with more than 200 pounds of catfish, bass, and bluegill prior to the event.

Briley Blaylock won the 4-6 age division with a 9.1 ounce catch, followed by Tristen Walker (6.5) and Jason Speck (4.3). Owen Russell won the 7-9 division with a 14.5 oz catch, followed by Alecia Oxidine (11.1) and Chandlar Templeton (9.8). Dalton Lunn won the 10-12 division with a 7.9 oz fish, followed by Bayley Gehri (7.7) and Carson Simmons (6.8).

Russell had the biggest overall catch at 14.5 oz, while Julianna Romero had the smallest at 0.2 oz. Peyton Simms won the biggest turtle competition at 10.75 inches.

Raffle prizes included an O’Rageous Family Pool, a Ginormous Gorilla Sprinkler, fishing poles, water guns, free kids’ meal gift cards to Charlie’s Chicken, Frisbees, tackle boxes, coolers, Dave & Buster’s gift cards, a Magellan 5-man Bastrop Tent, an Intex Challenger one-person kayak, and a Sundolphin two-person fishing boat.

The Sand Springs Lake Park is located at 1401 East Park Road and features a bike/walking trail, a beautiful garden, a picnic area, and a shelter.