Smiles, Fun and Family Bonding

06/14/2026 @ 4:32 pm Community, Entertainment, Events, News

Gunner Moore's "Biggest Catch" winner's trophy is almost as big as he is. He poses with Barnesville Fire/EMS personnel, l-r, Matt Sellers, Mary Anne Stephens, Alex Saffell, Russ Young, Chris Hendershot and Silas Tracy.

by Bruce Yarnall, Barnesville Area News

A Perfect Day Greets Barnesville VFD/EMS Fishing Tournament

BARNESVILLE – With the sun shining brightly, 81 youngsters through the age of 15, along with parents, grandparents and guardians, stood along the banks of Rotary Lake at Barnesville Memorial Park Saturday morning casting lines into the water with hopes of catching the big one!

One young man, Gunner Moore in the age 7-11 group, did just that in landing a 24-inch Carp to win the Biggest Catch trophy.

*“Biggest Catch” winner, Gunner Moore, is helped by his mother, Jessica Moore, Saturday morning*. (Photo provided by Barnesville Fire and EMS)

Participants largely came from the Barnesville area while one young man and his father hailed from the Colerain community. This was their first Barnesville tournament. Dad said, “We’ll be back next year.”

Tournament Winners

Winners are determined by the total inches of fish caught, measured and and verified by members of the department. Winners alone caught 372 inches of fish, or 31 feet.

Ages 6 and Under

*Peyton Waldrum won the Age 6 and Under category. She is shown with fireman Silas Tracy.* (Photo provided by Barnesville Fire and EMS)

First: Peyton Waldrum, 47 inches

Second: Sylvia Lake, 35 inches

Third: (Tie) Otto Hickenbottom, Bennox Sexton, 18 inches

Ages 7-11

First: Gunner Moore, 90 inches

Second: Dylan Miller, 62 inches

Third: Degrim Borses, 34.5 inhces

Ages 12-15

Jaylinn Yost, winner of the 12-15 age group with trophy and participation gift in hand, is joined by firemen Alex Saffell and Chris Hendershot. (Photo provided by Barnesville Fire and EMS)

First: Jaylinn Yost, 25 inches

Second: Grayson Baker, 24 inches

Third: Alivia Miller, 18 inches

Every participant received a participation prize while the top three winners in each age category also collected a trophy. ©Barnesville Area News Company Photos

*Returning from the lake*. ©Barnesville Area News Company Photo

While the department hosts and manages the annual fishing tournament, the event would not be possible without the generous donations and support of the following businesses, organizations and individuals. They are:

Village of Barnesville

Barnesville Fire & EMS

Barnesville American Legion Post

Sons of the American Legion, Barnesville Post

Old Barn Bait & Tackle

Bite Me Panfish Jig Co.

Woodsfield Savings Bank

Village Hardware

Barnesville Save-A-Lot

Convenient Food Mart

J-Mo Meats

Hissom’s Service Center

Barnesville Dairy Queen

Hendershot Detailing

Dean and Kim Wehr

Travis Keiser and Amy Carvin

Trent and Brooke Brownfield

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