Kids round up fish

Orange County man provides pond for youth fishing rodeo

CHAPEL HILL -- About 30 years ago, Bob Strayhorn opened the gate to his cow pasture for a crowd of kids and parents to do a little fishing in his pond.

As head of the Orange County Parks and Recreation Board in the late 1970s, part of Strayhorn's job was to find new activities for the residents of the county. Since he owned a pond, he thought it could provide a great recreational opportunity, and he organized the first Youth Fishing Rodeo.

Today, the annual rodeo, held at Strayhorn's Pond on N.C. 86 between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, continues to be a big draw. An estimated 350 kids, parents and grandparents slathered on the sunscreen and bug spray on a recent, steamy Saturday and started slinging worms, bobbers and hooks in an attempt to catch the heaviest, the longest or even the smallest fish.

The fishing rodeo has been bringing families together and has instilled a love of fishing in generations of kids. The memories of those rodeos are special to many families but also to the man who started it all.

Strayhorn, a 76-year-old cattle farmer, appreciates what the event has brought to families over the years.

"The thing that really makes me feel good about starting this fishing rodeo is the fact that I don't know how many people have come up to me and said, 'You know my dad brought me here back in the '70s,' and they'll have their kids, they bring them to the fishing rodeo," Strayhorn said.

The event is free and sponsored by the Orange County and Carrboro recreation departments, along with the Orange County 4-H Club. The organizations provided bait and a limited number of fishing rods for kids from ages 3 to 15. A hot dog lunch was provided for everyone.

The rodeo is a tradition for the Smith family of Chapel Hill. They have participated for the past five years.

Jake Smith, 8, and his family take angling seriously. They ignored the near 100-degree heat and concentrated on catching fish.

"Jake has been fishing since he could stand up. At 4 years old, he could name 29 species of fish," said Lori Smith, his mother.

Jake would take the top prize for the heaviest fish in the 6- to 9-year-old age group.

Seeing families participate is not the only enjoyment for Strayhorn.

"Well, I think it's always a moment to see when someone catches their first fish," Strayhorn said.

The Strayhorn property and family history date back nearly 300 years.

"It got out of the family, and we bought some of it back, but my family settled here in early 1700s and some of us have been here ever since. We don't move around much, this branch," Strayhorn said with a chuckle.

The rodeo also brings back memories of his own childhood in Orange County.

"I grew up fishing in the creeks and farm ponds, and that was about all the recreation we had back in the '30s," Strayhorn said.

While the home of the fishing rodeo is your typical farm pond with bream, catfish and largemouth bass, it is also in the middle of a working cattle farm.

"We built this [the pond] for our cattle farm, and we want to share it with the community and this is one way we can do it," Strayhorn said.

Some other organizations occasionally get the opportunity to fish the pond, including the Council on Aging-Orange County and the Boy Scouts.

This year, sponsors included Wal-Mart in Hillsborough, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Maple View Farms in Chapel Hill, Townsend Bertram & Company in Carrboro and Carolina Fish and Game in Hillsborough.

From the inaugural event to today, the attendance has been consistent.

"We register about 200 people each year and on a good year 300. This is our biggest co-sponsored event," said Wendell Rodgers, recreation supervisor for the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department.