ON A June Saturday morning, the Stone Bridge Park ducks are a sideshow, not the main attraction. Children crowd the banks, poles in hand — some steady, some wobbling — as adults crouch nearby to help bait hooks and untangle lines. The young anglers watch their lines with one eye and the lines around them with the other. “Fish on!” comes the first yell from the pond bank, one of many that will ripple throughout the event that day.
And it all began with a box.
Darion George, a Walmart employee, received a package in 2001 from the company’s home office. Inside were two small rods and reels with weights for a parking lot casting contest.
“There was a note telling us to get with our local wildlife officer to have them help with this promotion kicking off summer with a free fishing day. Within a few days, I met with Leith Konyndyk with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), who had a letter instructing him to get with Walmart,” George explained.
What began with two fishing poles and a simple idea soon grew into something much bigger: Kids Free Fishing Day each spring, and later, the Senior Fishing Rodeo in the fall — both filled with laughter, prizes, and fish ready to bite.
After that first small event, the heart of the day was clear: it was about bringing people together.
Today, families from across Lincoln County gather along the pond’s banks — some attending for the first time, others returning year after year. George sees it as a day when encouragement outweighs competition, and a simple cast can spark a memory that lasts far beyond the event.
As the years passed, the tradition deepened. George often hears from parents who once stood at the pond as children. “They say, ‘I won a fishing pole when I was a kid, and now here’s my kid fishing,’” he said. Moments like these, he explained, are what make all the hard work worthwhile.
And when the seniors asked for a day of their own, the spirit stayed just as lively.
“He’s trying to catch my fish over here,” one voice will shout across the pond, drawing a response from the opposite bank. The banter keeps time with baiting hooks and swapping stories, proof that a fishing pole in hand can make anyone feel like a kid again.
“The seniors understand what it is. It’s a relaxing day. They get to catch some fish, and they have fun and fellowship,” George said.
After more than two decades, George is quick to talk about the many who contribute to the success of the free fishing events. He credits TWRA, the Elks Lodge #1792, Fayetteville Parks and Recreation, Walmart, and dozens of local businesses for keeping the tradition alive.
“It couldn’t happen without them,” George said. “It’s not about me.”
Some kids will catch a fish. Others will lose one. But as George puts it, either way, “they have a story to tell the rest of their life.” GN
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