Getting up before dawn and heading out on the water at sunrise was worth the effort for contestants during the recent Outdoor Dream Foundation Ultimate Bass Challenge fishing event on the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Office of Environmental Management
June 11, 2024
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Ultimate Bass Challenge participants gather for a group photo at the conclusion of the day’s events. Image courtesy of Roger Metz.
NEW ELLENTON, S.C. — Getting up before dawn and heading out on the water at sunrise was worth the effort for contestants during the recent Outdoor Dream Foundation Ultimate Bass Challenge fishing event on the Savannah River Site (SRS).
The 25 participants and their escorts brought more than fish back to the docks for weigh-in; they returned to shore with a sense of accomplishment.
For one lucky contestant, winning was made more special by bringing in the heaviest catch for the two-fish-limit catch-and-release tournament. With a two-fish weight of 11.75 pounds, Brogan Fairchild and escort Brooke Bryan took top honors. John Lajoie and escort David Smith caught the largest fish that day, at 6.95 pounds.
Fishing on SRS isn’t new. For the past eight years the U.S. Department of Energy – Savannah River Site, U.S. Forest Service and National Wild Turkey Federation have partnered to host fishing events for injured veterans, mobility challenged or disabled individuals, and most recently, first responders.
But fishing events with new partner Outdoor Dream Foundation are just a bit more special.
“Getting these kids with life-threatening conditions out on the water is what makes this day truly special for everyone involved,” said Thomas “Tal” Mims, senior wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service - Savannah River and event organizer. “People often take simple things like fishing for granted. Seeing these kids’ smiles and hearing the stories they tell about being on the water and fishing, it’s why we do events like this.”
Events such as the bass challenge and spring turkey hunt that occurred earlier this year on the site aren’t just recreation events. They are also an important tool used by natural resource and environmental managers and research staff to gauge the health of forests and waterways on SRS. Records of fish weights and wildlife measurements caught at these events give managers and research staff the ability to identify health trends of certain indicator species across such a large, forested area. Trending information offers the insight needed to develop future management actions to improve the health and diversity of forests and waterways on the site.
-Contributor: Josef Orosz
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