TENNESSEE (WJHL) — Saturday is free fishing day in Tennessee. Anyone, state resident or non-resident, can fish for free without a license on Tennessee’s public waterways or at state parks throughout the day.

Kids 15 and under can fish for the rest of the week, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

To celebrate the day, the Cherokee Rod and Gun Club in Kingsport held its annual Carl Lane Catfish Derby. The business, located at 4280 Reservoir Road, has reportedly held the event for over a decade.

Around 50 children attended the event to fish, many of whom were fishing for the first time. Marie Jones told News Channel 11 that her grandfather, Carl Lane, helped organize the first event and ran it for years.

“So, my grandpa actually has been, was running this event for many years, and then, he passed away in 2020,” she said. “And after that, we renamed the event to Carl Lane, which was his name. So he was just an avid outdoorsman, and he loved kids, and he really wanted them to come out, get outdoors, get off their screens and fish.”

The TWRA stocks the facility’s pond with catfish each year, and they’re all released after they’re caught. The event is open to kids ages 2-12 every year. Trophies were given to kids based on the largest fish by weight in three different age divisions.