The sky was sunny, and the fish were biting on Saturday afternoon for the annual Kids Catfish Tournament.

Each year the Workforce Development Complex hosts the fishing tournament for children through a partnership with several other local agencies and groups. This marked the tournament’s eighth year. The children spend the morning fishing at the pond at the Workforce Development Complex with prizes being awarded to anglers in each of three age groups.

Turnout was great for this year’s tournament according to Kim Eggers with Carter County Tomorrow, which oversees the Complex.

“We had 224 kids sign up for the tournament,” Eggers said.

Children competed in three age divisions for the event: Ages 0-5; Ages 6-8; and Ages 9-12. The tournament awarded prizes for the most fish caught and the largest fish caught in each of the three age divisions, with each child getting a medallion and a $100 Walmart Gift Card.

This year’s winners are as follows:

Ages 0-5:

• Most Fish Caught – Wyatt McNeal

• Largest Fish Caught – Skylar Townsend

Ages 6-8:

• Most Fish Caught – Jayden Kuhn

• Largest Fish Caught – a tie between Bryceon Pierce and Haley Huckson

Ages 9-12:

• Most Fish Caught – Jonathan Odom

• Largest Fish Caught – Abigail Miller

Prizes were awarded to the young anglers at the end of the tournament. One of the winners, Skylar Townsend, left the event before the prizes were announced, Eggers said. The family of Skylar Townsend needs to contact Eggers at the Workforce Development Complex to collect her prize.

The Kids Catfish Tournament was made possible by a partnership between the Workforce Development Complex and several other local organizations and businesses, Eggers said. She would like to express her thanks to the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #538, the Carter County Hunting and Fishing Association, the Elizabethton/Carter County Tourism Association, North-Elizabethton Water Department, the Watauga River Regional Water Authority, Charlie Long of State Farm Insurance, Lingerfelt Pharmacy, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and its wildlife officers.