Outdoor Notes: Cherokee fishing team second in Southeast Championships

KINGSTON — Cherokee anglers Jacob Berryhill and Isaac Chandler wrapped up the Southeast trail season with a second-place finish (14.19 pounds) at the Southeast Tennessee BASS Nation High School/Youth Divisions Championship on Watts Bar Lake on Saturday. Their boat captain is Randy Berryhill.

Their big fish was 4.33 pounds — third best in the tournament.

Despite a challenging weather season, the pair ended up fourth in the final standings with 764 points. The top three teams were James Sumrell/Brody Harp of Hixson in first (780), Hayden Barnett/Camdyn Cranfill of Kingston in second (766) and Trevor Sanford/Presley Lannom of Mount Juliet in third (764). Third place was decided by a tiebreaker, which dropped Berryhill/Chandler to fourth.

TWRA announces 2024-25 Clean Stream grants

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has announced the availability of grant dollars to assist cities, schools, community organizations, civic groups, watershed organizations, conservation groups, and/or other nonprofits with stream clean-up projects during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Five grants, at a maximum of $1,000 each, are available for each of TWRA’s four regional Aquatic Habitat Protection regions (a total of $5,000 per region). The funds will be obligated as grants, so the grantee must have a nonprofit tax number. The application deadline for this program is June 30, 2024.

The grant money could be used to buy supplies such as rakes, work gloves, and garbage bags. Also, it could be used to pay disposal fees for solid waste and tire removal or to provide promotional items like project advertisement or T shirts and refreshments for volunteer support.

Grant proposals should include the applicant organization’s name, tax ID number, address, phone, and name of a contact person authorized to enter into contractual agreement on behalf of the organization. The proposal should also include the name of the stream, county or counties involved, and the project area and description.

Contact TWRA’s Jason Miller at 615-781-6572 or by email at jason.edward.miller@tn.gov with any questions. Interested persons may also contact a regional Aquatic Habitat Protection Biologist at the TWRA regional offices, which is Rob Lindbom at dennis.lindbom@tn.gov or 423-587-7037 for Region IV (East Tennessee in Morristown).

Walmart offering live bait

With temperatures warming up, Tennesseans are rushing back to their favorite outdoor activities. Tennessee rivers and lakes across the state allow for some of the best fishing in the southeast, and now Walmart is making it easier than ever for fishing enthusiasts to get their hands on an essential material: live bait.

Walmart is launching a Live Bait Pickup and Delivery Service, which will allow customers to order redworms and nightcrawlers from the comfort of their own homes. Available for both pickup and delivery, the service is designed to make fishing expeditions more convenient and hassle-free. Customers simply place their order online, select their pickup or delivery time, and live bait will be ready in minutes.

Jeff. County’s Justin Pinkston receives Shikar-Safari Officer of the Year Award

MORRISTOWN — TWRA Wildlife Officer Justin Pinkston has been honored with the Shikar–Safari Club International 2023 Tennessee Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. Pinkston is assigned to Jefferson County in TWRA’s District 42.

The annual award from the conservation-based organization honors the officer whose efforts during the year display outstanding performance and achievement among TWRA law enforcement personnel. Pinkston is among a distinguished group of officers to receive the honor from among all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.

Along with his duties as a wildlife officer, Pinkston is very active in his community, representing the agency at events and by teaching and assisting in educational programs. His work in boater and hunter education courses resulted in more than 300 students graduating in 2023. He also was a representative at the Agency’s popular Appalachian Fair display and at the Operation Dry Water media event.

Pinkston actively patrolled Cherokee and Douglas lakes in Jefferson County, both of which are well known for fishing and recreation. He also patrolled the other District 42 counties’ lakes, rivers, streams, and access areas as well as adjacent wildlife management areas. He served as the lead investigator on eight boating incidents and arrested 10 impaired operators for Boating Under the Influence (BUI).

Pinkston also understands the importance of training, as he was selected and completed Advanced BUI, Boat Investigation Level 2, Firearms Instructor, and Advanced Interview and Interrogation Technique classes within the last year. Shikar-Safari Club has been a great partner to the Agency by donating funds for TWRA’s elk program along with funding to acquire mounted wildlife to be utilized in law enforcement efforts. Shikar-Safari Club International was founded in 1952 for the purpose of advancing knowledge concerning wildlife of the world.