You get a line, I'll get pole: Wrens hosts fishing rodeo

Between 75 and 100 residents showed up with poles and bait Saturday, May 20, to enjoy the City of Wrens’ first fishing rodeo at Johnson Lake in several years.

"This is something we used to do and I’ve been wanting to get back to," said Mayor Johnny Rabun.

The event, for children ages 5 to 13, offered prizes for the first and most fish caught.

Rabun said that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocked the pond with 800 tiny catfish about a year and a half ago and the city has been waiting for those fish to grow and establish a healthy population in the three-acre pond on located on Highway 17.

Police Chief John Maynard and his department helped organize and run the event. Participating children caught around 113 fish, he said.

"Most were catfish, but there were some bream and little bass in there as well," Maynard said. "We had good time. Everybody enjoyed themselves. It was a good day."

Dontavius Wilcher, age 9, caught the first fish and Jaylan Vaughner, age 5, caught the most.

Rabun said the city hopes to have events like this a couple of times a year.

"Ever since the fishing event, we’ve had people calling the city almost every day asking how they can go fishing there," Rabun said. "I don't know if you’ve been down there, but that's one of the prettiest spots in Wrens, GA. It is beautiful. We are keeping it clean and pumping water in it when it's really dry. We are feeding them."

While there is no current schedule set or open fishing allowed, the mayor said that the city will be working on those plans.

"Right now we’re talking about maybe opening it one or two days a month for anybody and let senior citizens have a specific day to themselves," Rabun said.

The mayor said that eventually he would like to see the city add a pavilion like the one at the walking track to the city's property by the lake.