Over 70 kids descended the stairs from the parking lot anxious to bait hooks, cast reels and wear waders on June 8, as part of the Kids Fish Free day sponsored by Tennessee Valley Authority and the Knoxville Chapter of the TVA Retirees Association, Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. and the Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
“This is a statewide event, and we have this great resource [the Clinch River] in our back yard,” said John Chambers, Trout Unlimited Event Coordinator. “We could not do this type of function without TVA or the Retirees Association.”
Children of all ages had the opportunity to experience various types of fishing, including traditional rod and reel, fly fishing and even boat fishing.
“I hope to catch 4,300 fish. Then I’m going to take them home and put them in a jar to play with,” said a young girl gearing up to head out on the boats.
Community Relations Specialist Bryan Johnson met one of the most excited fishers, Ray Allen, at the recent Special Olympics event in Knoxville.
“The whole time we were together we were talking about fishing,” Bryan said. “I told him if he won his next event that we would go fishing. Of course, he won it – I told him I had the perfect event for him, so I’m glad to see him here.”
From beginners to seasoned pros, everyone had a chance to reel in a catch and experience the thrill of fishing, including Ray and his younger brother Jay.
“Ray and Jay are the youngest of our 10 children, and after he met Bryan and they talked about fishing, he was really excited about it. He bugged his mom about it every day,” Ray’s father Dwyane Allen said.
Guided by our team of experienced anglers, they cast their lines into the water, eagerly awaiting the tug of a fish.
“I helped start this chapter of Trout Unlimited, and we support TVA because they have made the habitat better here with the weir and the dam releases, as well as the work they have done on the turbines to oxygenate the water,” retired TVA Aquatic Biologist Dennis Baxter said. “The Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited helps convey the message of TVA’s stewardship of the Valley region.”
Not only did the kids get to fish, but the kids present at the end of the event were treated to lunch and a brand-new rod and reel.
“Last year it was heartbreaking to see how sad the kids that didn’t win the drawing were, so this year we bought 50 rods and reels in hopes that everyone could go home with one,” Immediate Past President of the Knoxville TVARA chapter Sammy Sweetland said. “Watching these kids fish, the expressions they have when they put those waders on is the best part.”
