Lake Seminole and the Flint River will be bursting at the seams with professional bass fisherman during the weekend of March 2-4 for the Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division bass tournament. There are expected to be as many as 450 pros, between the angler and co-angler divisions, competing in the tournament.

On Saturday, the pros will have to share a portion of the water with young anglers and Special Olympic athletes though.

The FLW Foundation will be hosting a Unified Fishing Derby on Saturday, March 4 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Earle May Boat Basin. The free event is open to all anglers under the age of 18 and children with special needs. 

“It is our way of giving back in the community and try to promote the love of the sport of fishing,” FLW Costa Series pro Mark Howard, who is hosting the event, said.

The first 25 participants will be provided with a rod to use, but participants are welcome to bring their own equipment and there is no cap on participation. Anglers will also be provided with live bait if they chose to use it.

“We will have live bait, being night crawlers, but they are welcome to bring anything they want to fish with,” Howard said. “We will fish off the shore. We try to keep them off the docks because sometimes they fall in.”

The young anglers will compete for the title of biggest fish with first place receiving a trophy and second place receiving a plaque.

“It doesn’t matter what type of fish it is,” Howard said. “It can be a catfish, gar, a carp, we don’t care. Anything those kids catch we weigh-in. All species are open to be caught and weighed-in. We just try to make it a fun event for the kids and you’d be surprised what they can catch with a night crawler.”

Participants must be accompanied by a parent or caretaker that can sign a liability waiver and should arrive an hour before the start of the event. To register you can call or text Howard at 214-773-5451 or email him at MHoward1406@gmail.com with the name and age of the angler.