Rain did not dampen spirits Saturday at the fifth annual Commissioner's Cup youth bass tournament at Lake Hamilton.
Dakota Reid and Dalton Reid, students at Magnet Cove High School, won the tournament by catching five bass that weighed 18.66 pounds. Their 7-pound largemouth bass was also the heaviest fish weighed during the tournament. They won an impressive haul of prizes, including a $3,000 scholarship from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Dakota Reid is a senior. Dalton Reid is a sophomore.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation sponsors and conducts the tournament with the help of many sponsors, including XPress Boats of Hot Springs. Libby Davis of Little Rock, a member of the Game and Fish Foundation, said that XPress Boats has the event's signature sponsor since its inception in 2019 and covers the tournament's cost.
"Their sponsorship makes this a free event for the participants," Davis said, adding that Bale Chevrolet and Trader Bill's contribute significantly, as well.
The field contained 120 anglers distributed among 60 boats, which is about the right amount for Lake Hamilton. At stake was more than $10,000 in scholarships and prizes. John Davis and Noah Yelich placed second with 17.3 pounds. Cole Martin and Josh Bowen finished third with 13.78 pounds.
The first four Commissioner's Cups were held in June. The weather was so hot that the Foundation moved this year's edition to April 29. Anglers fished in a downpour. Fortunately, weigh-in activities were held indoors at the Game and Fish Commission's tournament facility at the Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery.
Fittingly, the sun came out while the prizes were being awarded, Davis said.
HALL OF FAME
The Game and Fish Foundation will induct the latest members to the Arkansas Outdoors Hall of Fame Aug. 26 at the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame banquet at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Heading the lineup is Jim Ronquest of Stuttgart, winner of the 2006 World's Championship Duck Calling Contest and host of RNTv on the Outdoor Channel. He was recently named vice-president of development for Drake Waterfowl, a prominent hunting apparel brand.
Tom Foti, a longtime ecologist for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, is recognized for establishing a scientific standards to conserve the state's natural areas.
Most recently, Foti was instrumental in helping the Game and Fish Commission accumulate data vital for creating comprehensive water management plans to restore the state's green tree reservoir areas.
In 2000, Bob Barringer founded Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a non-profit organization that partners with hunters to provide tens of thousands of pounds of wild game to nutrition-insecure communities in Arkansas.
Barringer tapped Ronnie Ritter to lead the organization.
One of their most successful programs is converting wild game donated by hunters into snack sticks and providing them to children in rural school districts that do not have access to proper nutrition. Hunters donate all of the meat.
The Game and Fish Foundation will bestow its Legacy Award to Brenda and Larry Potterfield of Columbia, Mo. The Potterfields founded MidwayUSA, a premier online outlet for shooting supplies. In 2007, they established the MidwayUSA Foundation to provide sustainable funding to youth shooting sports programs around the nation. The MidwayUSA Foundation supplies significant funding to the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, one of the best and biggest of its kind.
The Game and Fish Foundation will bestow its new Steve Smith Spirit of Giving Award to the Morrell Family of Alma. The Morrell Corp., makes some of the world's premier archery targets and invests generously in youth archery programs through the National Archery in the Schools program and through Archer's USA Varsity Archery. Dale Morrell also created Archers USA.
The Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame induction banquet is the Game and Fish Foundation's primary fundraising event. Tickets cost $150. Tables of 10 are available for $1,500.
For more information, visit agff.org, text FISH to 243-725, or call the AGFF at (501) 223-6468.