Dozens of young anglers gathered at Lums Pond for a group photo at the annual Youth Fishing Tournament June 1. /DNREC photo

DNREC Announces Results of 38^th Annual Event Introducing Youth to Fishing

More than 300 youth anglers turned out on a perfect early summer day June 1 to cast their lines in the 38^th annual Youth Fishing Tournament, hosted by the Delaware Natural Resources Police. Today, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced the tournament winners at Ingrams Pond in Sussex County, Akridge Scout Reservation in Kent County, and Lums Pond in New Castle County, as well as this year’s overall champion.

Tournament weighmasters onsite at each pond weighed catches for participants ages 4 through 15 as they competed for each county’s top catch and age group titles. Last year’s winner, Brody Spencer of Dagsboro, now age 12, repeated as tournament champion by catching 5.71 pounds of fish this year in Ingrams Pond in Sussex County.

This year’s overall statewide winner and county winners will be invited to a special trophy ceremony on Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 25, at the 2024 Delaware State Fair in Harrington. The Delaware Youth Fishing Tournament was established to introduce youth to the sport of fishing and to teach the catch-and-release approach to conservation.

New Castle County Winners

At Lums Pond in New Castle County, Brice Wise was the day’s overall winner with a total of 3.31 pounds of fish. The largest fish of the day was a 2.2-pound largemouth bass caught by Elena Pihouee, and the smallest fish, a tiny 4-gram pumpkinseed, was caught by McKenzie VanSant. Other New Castle County winners were:

Ages 4 through 7:

First place – Lillian Welch, 2.66 pounds
Second place – Caroline Jordan, 0.88 pounds
Third place – Jayson Troy, 0.80 pounds

Ages 8 through 11:

First place – Michael Hopkins, 2.94 pounds
Second place – Elena Pihouee, 2.65 pounds
Third place – LaRelle Williams Jr., 1.61 pounds

Ages 12 through 15:

First place – Aiden Kulac, 3.05 pounds
Second place – Alyssa Danz, 2.46 pounds
Third place – Tyler Harvell, 2.25 pounds

Kent County Winners

Thomas Sweeney-Jones was the overall winner at Akridge Scout Reservation, with 2.98 pounds of fish. The largest fish of the day was a 1.7-pound largemouth bass caught by Beau Lindale, and the smallest was a 11-gram bluegill, caught by Jocelyn Spear.

Ages 4 through 7:

First place – Beau Lindale, 2.84 pounds
Second place – Catalaya Andrews, 2.21 pounds
Third place – Greysen Figgs, 1.66 pounds

Ages 8 through 11:

First place – Collin Meisinger, 1.83 pounds
Second place – Gabriel Velazquez, 0.87 pounds
Third place – Windsor Stone, 0.67 pounds

Ages 12 through 15:

First place – Gianna Velazquez, 2.28 pounds
Second place – Dalton White, 1.79 pounds
Third place – John “JC” Kubovcik, 1.41 pounds

Sussex County Winners

The Sussex County winner was Brody Spencer, with 5.71 pounds of fish caught in Ingrams Pond. The largest fish of the day was a 1.1-pound catfish caught by Jack Wertz. The smallest fish caught at Ingrams was a tie: Tristan Whitt and Jilian Columna each caught bluegills weighing just 15 grams.

Ages 4 through 7:

First place – Piper Vannicol, 3.10 pounds
Second place – Tristen Wertz, 2.21 pounds
Third place – Tristan Whitt,1.55 pounds

Ages 8 through 11:

First place – Kaden Elliot, 2.47 pounds
Second place – Caden Timmons, 1.31 pounds
Third place – Wesley Whitt, 0.63 pounds

Ages 12 through 15:

First place – Cameron Garufi, 2.13 pounds
Second place – Jack Wertz, 2.10 pounds
Third place – Jerry Kemp, 1.69 pounds

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn. 

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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