The 2010 Jimmy Shay Memorial Fishing Rodeo gave Brent Sharpe more than a few hours of fun with his boys.

It gave him much more.

It gave him memories. And they are memories that he will hold onto over the next year as he prepares to leave for another tour in a foreign country with the 101st Airborne Division. This time it’s Afghanistan – his seventh trip there – for a year-long tour (his 19th tour overseas).

He’s scheduled to leave May 20th.

“It’s going to be tough being away for a year,” he said as his three-year-old Wyatt reeled in another catfish on his Spongebob Squarepants reel. “By the time I get back they’ll be grown. So I wanted to come out here and just take them fishing and have some fun with them.”

So he and Wyatt and seven-year-old Trevor did just that.

Nearby, Sharpe’s friend Jason Kulp was having a time of his own serving as full-time fisherman’s aid for his three boys Nathan (9), Brantson (6) and Dawson (4). And with all the fish they were hauling in it was quite a job.

“Okay guys, if we keep this up we’re going to have to start weeding through them,” Jason told the boys, taking into account the five-per-child limit.

They responded with laughs.

“Yeah, I’m going to keep e-mailing (Brent) all the pictures of the fish I’m catching,” he added with a wink toward his friend.

“That and everything he’s shooting,” he replied of the eventual return of deer season.

There won’t be much time for fishing where he’s going.

“There’s nothing like this over there,” Sharpe said. “There were a couple of little ponds in Iraq (he’s been there eight times) but they were nasty. That’s why I’m spending as much time with them as I can now.”

The event, organized each year by the Edgefield County Law Enforcement Association, has become a massive success with children converging on the area from neighboring counties and even from across state lines in Georgia.

Each child receives a T-Shirt, free bait and tackle and a chance to win a bicycle.

A total of over 25 bikes and 150 prizes were given away this year, all with a message for the kids of becoming “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs.”  

“It doesn’t get old at all, we enjoy it each year and try to shoot for having at least 500 kids,” said Johnston Police Chief Chris Aston. “We had 450-plus kids this year. We had around 150 prizes and we served close to 1,000 hot dogs, chips and drinks and we had some pretty good fishing too. They were in there. Everything went really well. It’s good for kids to be able to go fishing with their dads and parents. We see familiar faces and new faces.”

Chicken livers seemed to be the hot bait – especially for catfish.

“It means a lot to us in law enforcement,” Aston added. “People may not think we enjoy it that much but we do. It’s good fun and it builds character and morals. We want the children to know that we care about them and aren’t just out there to arrest people. We really appreciate all of our sponsors as well, and thank them for the opportunity to do this.”

On down the lake a bit, Kevin (K.C.) Longtin had his hands full struggling with a Big Cat. His dad, Ed Longtin, offered his encouragement and then helped his son bring him in. Kevin is going to be nine next year and then he’ll have to bring in his own catch.

“I told him next year he’ll have to do everything on his own because he’ll be old enough to where he needs to do it himself,” said Ed. “This is a great event because it lets kids know they can do something and it gives them that boost of confidence they need. I love it.”