Area kids turn in strong showing at fishing derby

Event held at the Johnson Farm

By Theo Tate
Posted 9/24/21

Jazmine Poyner was definitely looking forward to competing in the Peggy Roesner Memorial Youth Fishing Derby on Sept. 18.

“She wouldn’t even go to sleep,” said Bill Poyner, …

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Area kids turn in strong showing at fishing derby

Event held at the Johnson Farm

Posted

Jazmine Poyner was definitely looking forward to competing in the Peggy Roesner Memorial Youth Fishing Derby on Sept. 18.


“She wouldn’t even go to sleep,” said Bill Poyner, Jazmine’s father. “I had to make her go to bed.”


Despite getting just three and a half hours of sleep, the 8-year-old Jazmine still found enough energy to catch 22 fish in a span of three hours at the fishing derby, which was held at the Dave and Peggy Johnson Farm, located four miles west of Montgomery City on Highway B.


“I wasn’t expecting that,” said Jazmine, who is from Montgomery City.


The strong effort earned Jazmine an award for catching the most fish in the age 6-9 division. She caught more fish than any of the 33 participants at the fishing derby.


Jazmine, who moved to Montgomery City from Sikeston this summer, competed in her first fishing derby. She has been fishing for more than a year.
“I just like to fish,” Jazmine said.


Bill said he wasn’t surprised that his daughter caught a lot of fish.


“It’s normal,” Bill said. “She makes sure we have fish to eat at all times. She does pretty good on bluegill. They said there’s more action in catching bluegills, so that’s what she goes after.”


There were three age divisions at the fishing derby. In each of the divisions, there are three awards – the biggest fish, the smallest fish and the highest number of fish.


Magnolia Torres, a 2-year-old from Mineola, earned an award for the most fish in the 2-5 age division with eight. Cotton Parmalee had the biggest fish at 10 ½ inches and Malyah Lowe had the smallest fish at 2 ¼ inches.


In the 6-9 age division, Jordyn Brower of Montgomery City caught the biggest fish at 11 ½ inches and Mackenzie Lowe caught the smallest fish at 2 ¼ inches.


Eli Kunnuth caught the most fish in the age 10-13 division with 12. Brayson Pierson of Montgomery City caught the biggest fish at 12 ½ inches.


Alli Mudd, Pierson’s mother, said she was thrilled to see her son win an award in his second appearance at the fishing derby.


“I am proud of him,” Mudd said. “He did really well. We weren’t expecting this much to happen. I know he’s excited. He’s ready for next year, already.”


Pierson, a sixth-grader at Montgomery County Middle School, said fishing is one of his favorite passions. He goes fishing on the weekends.


“It’s probably one of my favorite things to do involving nature because you never know what to expect,” the 11-year-old Pierson said. “You cast it out there and it’s a matter of time and mystery. It’s really cool. It’s basically like Christmas. When you cast it out there, you open something up and you don’t know what it is. Then, you get it and that’s it. You got your present. It could be the smallest fish or the biggest fish. It either depends on the lure, the person or the place. That’s mostly it.”


The fishing derby is sponsored by the Montgomery City Lions Club and is named after a former Lions Club member who passed away in April 2015.

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