Kids, family members cast lines at new Metropark for Rotary Kids’ Fishing Tournament

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP – With many waterways in the area, fishing is an activity that people can do just about every day.
However, it’s not every day that they can cast their line into the water at a brand-new park.
But on Saturday, June 6, that’s exactly what children were able to do during the Jefferson Rotary Club Kids’ Fishing Tournament.
They and their family members could experience fishing at the brand-new Buccaneer Metropark on State Route 307 West just outside Jefferson.
Brett Bellas, executive director of Ashtabula County Metroparks, watched as everyone fished around the pond at the park under sunny skies.
He was happy with the way things were working out.
“It’s going well from what I see,” he said, noting a lot of kids were catching fish. “It’s really good.”
Having just been stocked, the pond was filled with crappie, bass, bluegill and catfish for the kids to hook.
Bellas thought the park would be a good addition to the Metropark parks.
“It will be, I think, one of our popular ones with obviously the fishing and the shelters,” he said.
According to the Ashtabula County Metroparks website, Buccaneer Metropark is located on the site of the former Buccaneer Campsites, which was operated by the Buchan family for almost 60 years.
It features more than 260 acres of woodland, meadows, wetlands, and nearly a mile of Mill Creek, the information states.
Metroparks states the property is divided into two parcels. One is a 36-acre area with the former campground infrastructure where there are two open-air shelters and an enclosed lodge. The other portion is a 230-acre section dedicated to passive public use.
A partnership with Western Reserve Land Conservancy made the preservation of the site possible.
Scott Yamamoto, a member of Rotary, summed up the tournament in one word: “awesome.”
“We had a great turnout today,” he said. “We’ve got a beautiful day. We always have a good turnout for this. It’s nice to see the families out and being together and being outside.’
He gave the new park a thumbs-up.
“It’s easier to park here, it’s local, we’re in the middle of the county,” he said.
Lyndsay Lasher, who brought her two nieces, Remmie and Prezlie, thought the event was nice.
“It’s fun to try to get the kids out and learn how to fish,” she said.
Marnie Lopez watched as her grandson, Kyree Runyan, 11, was enjoying himself.
“He loves it,” she said, noting he caught some fish. “He’s up to six.”
John Hicks said his grandson, Alex, loves fishing. He thought it was great for him to be at the tournament.
“He’s still learning, and he’s all excited,” he said. “He talked about this for days.” He said Alex caught a 14-inch bass before the contest started.
“It was insane,” Alex said of his big catch. He liked meeting new people while fishing.
Bellas thanked the Ashtabula County League and the ODNR for grants they provided for restocking the pond and fishing gear.
There were prizes for smallest fish, largest fish and most fish.
The smallest fish was a two-inch fish caught by Jaxon Terry while the largest was a 16-inch fish hooked by Dominic Parma.
Kyree Runyan caught the most fish, with 19.
Each received a trophy and a fishing pole donated by Dead Reckoning Sport Fishing.
The kayak raffle was won by Aubree Justice.