STILLWATER – Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development hosted its first-ever virtual fishing tournament, from April 1 to June 1 and 140 youth throughout Oklahoma signed up to participate from their local lakes, ponds and rivers.

Among the top anglers was one from Kingfisher County.

“Having a virtual fishing tournament allowed youth from all over the state to fish within a certain time frame,” said Ruth Pratt, Oklahoma 4-H state program specialist. “The format was designed to be family friendly, save time and money, and provide an opportunity for participation that encourages education, outdoors and family involvement.”

4-H’ers submitted entries using a smartphone app for three fish categories – bass, crappie and catfish – with winners named for junior and senior divisions.

Cloverbuds were able to participate for fun and sent in photos showing off their catches without using the app.

In the senior division, Cooper Gingrich of Mayes County took top honors in the bass category, while Dylan Hyatt of Major County earned first place for crappie.

Remington Cooper of Muskogee County won the catfish category and was also named the Grand Slam winner for the senior division.

Remington Cooper said he enjoyed fishing during the tournament and claiming the Grand Slam title.

He caught his winning catfish in the rocks around a dam using shad as bait.

For the junior division, Tate Straub of Jackson County claimed the Grand Slam title and won the bass category along with Gunner Wenzel of Grady County and Lillian Cansler of Kingfisher County.

Knox Lopez of Mayes County secured the top spot for crappie, and Bristol Turner of Stephens County was the winner in the catfish category.

“The tournament was fun because it pushed me to fish my best and try new places,” said Straub, who caught his winning bass with a mini crawdad crankbait.

Following this year’s success and number of participants, Pratt said she’s hoping to make the tournament an annual event and a staple of Oklahoma 4-H.

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from parents about what a great experience this event was, not only for the youth, but also for the families as a whole,” she said. “We’re in the process of planning and expanding next spring’s virtual fishing tournament.”

For more information about 4-H, contact an OSU Extension county office.

The Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development program provides experiential and hands-on learning opportunities to help youth learn valuable life skills they need to become leaders within their clubs, communities, state and world. Most programming is available at little to no cost.