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A Big Fish In Tourneys

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By DAREK SHARP

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 12, 2008

PLANT CITY - Hamilton Brown, who got his first fishing tournament experience in Plant City, will be taking part in the July 19 Youth Fishing Derby here. But after that, he will be headed toward a slightly bigger pond.

Brown has qualified for the National Guard Junior World Championship in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 15 and 16. The 13-year-old Plant City resident recently won his age division at the Florida Bass Federation Junior State Championship.

Two years ago, Brown competed on a national level, but that was strictly a casting contest where he came in second.

"This is the biggest thing for sure that I've been in," said Brown, who is also a standout junior golfer.

Next weekend, Brown, who fishes for the Lakeland Hawg Hunters club, is skipping one of that group's events to participate in the local fishing derby in the pond behind Plant City Stadium. This event was where Brown first made his fame. He first competed when he was about 8.

Brown, a rising eighth-grader at Hope Christian Academy, has also competed in numerous junior golf tournaments and his love for both sports came together from the start.

"When I was 4 or 5, I would fish right there on the golf course at Walden Lake, in one of the ponds," Brown said. "I'd say my love for both is 50-50. So I fish in the morning, golf in the afternoon ... and fish some more in the late afternoon."

About four years ago while at the biannual derby with his mother, Mary Hamilton, he met local fisherman C.J. Kenney, a member of the Bill Heard Pro Fishing Team, who encouraged him to join a fishing club. Brown has been a member of the Lakeland Hawg Hunters for three years.

There's still time for children not registered to get into the upcoming fishing derby. Preregistration ends Thursday, but registration will also be taken the day of the event from 7 to 8 a.m.

The derby is free and goes from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the pond off Albertsons Drive, near Park Road. The derby is for children 5 to 15 who compete for prizes. Participants must be accompanied by an adult and bring their own poles and bait. For information, call Deborah Haldane, Plant City Recreation and Parks Department program manager, (813) 659-4200, ext. 4343.

Plant City has held the derbies for about 13 years, and one of the events attracted more than 200 participants, she said.

Brown and his fellow anglers will be competing for $30,000 in scholarships at the South Carolina tourney.

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampa

trib.com.

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