News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Two national youth fishing tournaments have been announced for Cookeville, expanding on the 2021 U.S. Kayak Open.
Molly Brown leads the Cookeville-Putnam County Visitors Bureau Executive Director. She said local high school students can compete in the Kayak Bass Fishing High School Open and the Youth U.S. Kayak Open Fishing Championship. Brown said this is another piece to boosting tourism around the area’s natural beauty.
“Adding this youth component will have an additional 100 anglers who are high school age,” Brown said. “But with that, we also get their parents and grandparents. So it really helps to build our destination in being able to bring more and more people here for the exposure.”
Brown said the two, one-day fishing tournaments and events will be held September 8-12 on Center Hill Lake and local rivers. Brown said that anyone interested in participating can go to visitcookevilletn.com to find links for the national youth tournaments.
“We actually have the opportunity for the competition with the KBF High School Series,” Brown said. “Then if those high schoolers who are anglers have the opportunity to fish for both of those days. That will actually qualify them for the Youth Kayak Open, so its actually two opportunities for titles.”
Brown said there will be meet and greet opportunities for anglers during this time. She said that work is being done to create education events at Cane Creek Lake and Edgar Evins State Park.
