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Andy & Opie Fishing Tournament draws hundreds

220 participants catch 199 fish on the banks of Broadkill River in downtown Milton
The 10th annual Andy & Opie Fishing Tournament took place June 1 in Milton. Charleigh Szatkowski fishes with grandmother Stefanie Szatkowski on the footbridge behind the Milton Public Library. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
June 7, 2024

Story Location:
Milton Memorial Park
Milton, DE 19968
United States

The 10th annual Andy & Opie Fishing Tournament took place June 1 in Milton, with more than 200 kids catching a total of 199 fish.

There were young anglers all over downtown Milton, from the fishing pier near the Wagamons Pond spillway to the boards near the Magnolia Street parking lot to just about every square inch of the river bank surrounding Memorial Park.

In effort to create more chances to win a trophy and prizes, there were multiple age groups – 7 and under; 8 to 12; 13 to 17; boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Local business Techno Goober started the tournament. According to the tournament’s website, the event is designed to encourage kids and their families to have fun outside. The event is free to all, and rods and bait are provided on site.

“It was a fabulous day for the 10-year celebration,” said volunteer Bobbi Sherman, who works for Techno Goober. “We couldn't do it without the amazing support of our community, from sponsors to donations for lunch to folks volunteering to help out on the day of the event.”

For more information on the Andy & Opie Fishing Tournament, go to getkidshooked.com.

 

With 220 participants, there wasn’t much extra fishing space available. Carson Mills, 8, tests his skills near the town’s boat docks.
Kirsten Saylour of Milford shows off a 13-inch catfish, one of 199 total fish caught during the tournament.
Instead of holding his fishing pole, which is lying by his side, Lynken Haines decides it’s easier to fish by hand.
Winners of the tournament got these sweet medals.
All participants received an age-appropriate fishing pole and a tackle box.
The fishing pier at the head of the Broadkill River was a popular location for participants.
Just hanging out are (front to back) Derek Consula, Logan Motter and Joseph Consula.
There were dozens of volunteers milling about measuring fish, including Delaware Mobile Surf-Fishermen. Shown are (l-r) Bill Wiechardt, Keith Schmierer, JR Griffith, Danny Manning and Debbie Wiechardt.
The pole is bending the wrong way for Smyrna’s Dean Wojnikiewicz, which means he caught a tree branch.
With little luck early in the tournament, Dylan Carr opens up his tackle box and switches lures.
It’s tough to see, but this osprey dropped in and showed all the humans how catching a fish is done.
Despite all the lures and lines, this family of geese decides to enjoy the beautiful day on the river.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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