Hello, my name is Katie and I’m 11 years old.  I went fishing with my family and my brother forgot to bring my fishing pole.  I had to use one of my dad’s.  My dad had just caught a 3 pounder, so I went over to his spot.  I threw it out a bunch but didn’t catch anything, so I started dropping my lewer in the water in front of me.  My lower was a black one great for muddy waters.  By the third time, I put it in the water a huge fish jumped up and grabbed it.  It went through the weeds and all around.  My brother had to help grab it for me because it was jumping around so much.  I ended up catching an 18.5 long bass!  That is my record!

I was at a family reunion in Oklahoma, and we were staying at a lodge that had a lot of bunk beds. The lodge was on a lake that had three different docks spread out across this decent size lake. We were staying there for one night. On the second day, I woke up and went fishing again down by the close dock just below the path. As I got to the end of the path I saw that you hat cross about ten feet of water to get to the dock since it had just rained that night. I decided to look under this rock next to me just because I like to look for lizards and other animals. When I lifted it up I jumped because I saw a big tarantula about 5 inches across. I saw that its hole was flooded so I put the rock down and left it alone. So I started casting for a while and wasn’t having much luck, after about 20 minutes I got a bite and reeled in the fish it was a bass that weighed a third of a pound so I threw it back. I stopped fishing to the right after that and fished in the middle even though that was where I have been having the most luck this weekend. After about 30 minutes of me casting and daydreaming with no luck I got a huge bite that jerked my body forward and I started pulling and reeling fast because I could tell that he was huge! After about two minutes I got him close to the dock. I started walking into the water towards the bank even though I had my shoes on. I raised him up as much as I could to get a good look at him and in my amazement, I saw that he was a big channel cat. I was in shock because I thought he was a bass. This was also the first catfish I caught casting and reeling. I fought him to the bank and after a few tries I picked him up. I carried him up to the lodge with struggle. Everybody was amazed by my big catch. I weighed him and he turned out to be eight and a half pounds. My dad cooked it for lunch and it was amazing. Even the people that didn’t like fish loved it. He used salt and pepper and cooked it on the grill. Over it was an awesome trip because I also caught 23 fish later that day! Hope to go again next year!

• Trenna Hanlin, 4-H shooting sports instructor and elementary grade school teacher will host the show while Phil is in Texas vacationing and taking part in a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Release.

• This week’s Youth Outdoor Experience Contest winners are Dalton Debler of Alma with his deer hunting story and Baylee Blosser, Council Grove, who loves to fish, explore the Outdoors and ride four wheelers!

• Sara Beth Pringle will join the show

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and think, “What do I want to do today?”  It doesn’t take long before I decide.  Today, I will ride my pony Dash.  My name is Sarah Beth Pringle and I am 7 years old.  My pony’s name is Dash.  She is a little, white Shetland Pony.  We do not know how old she is but we guess that she is at least 15 years old.  This summer, we have been working with her a lot.  She is really close to being ready to go on a trail ride with one of our quarter horses.  His name is Hank.  Dash and Hank get along well.  They are in the same pen and like to eat grass.  This is their treat when they are doing what we ask them to do.  I’ve been working with my dad on how to saddle Dash.  I can now do this all by myself!  I can also put the bit in her mouth but I’m not quite tall enough to get the bridle over her ears.  My parents sometimes have to help me with that.  My sister, Taylor (she’s 13), usually rides Hank while Dash and I follow behind.  We’ve ridden around our house, barn, and up/down the driveway.  In a few weeks, we want to take Hank and Dash to Melvern and ride on some of the trails there.  I try to ride Dash every day but sometimes we are busy with baseball/softball games so I have to miss a day.  On those days, I go out and give Dash a few extra scratches and a treat.  I could talk all day about Dash but it’s time for me to go brush her. 

Boys Category Winner this week - Ashley Brown with son, Porter
Some of my own fondest childhood memories are of catching tadpoles at the creek. To be able to pass it on to my son, at the same creek, is really amazing!  Porter Brown 5yrs old)

Goldfinch were seen in the wildflowers at Council Grove City Lake gathering silk from the western salsify or goat's beard. And monarch butterflies were on the milkweed.

Lisa Keith, director of the Emporia Public Zoo, joined What’s in Outdoors this morning to tell of a study the Zoo is part of to determine the range and distribution of ornate box turtles in Kansas.
The yellow bellied slider bears a close resemblance to the ornate!

• Nicholas David Bess of Hartford will join us on the show to discuss the 9th Annual Yeager/Jenkins Memorial Catfish Tournament, where conditions were a bit rough, to say the least!  

14 teams completed and a good time was had by all.

• Abbey Johnson, of Americus, likes turkey hunting with her father. She is the winner of our Youth Outdoor Experience Contest and is in the running for a lifetime Kansas Hunting and Fishing license, a 962.50 cent value courtesy of What's in Outdoors.

Congratulations to the first week's winners of fishing combos at Camp Alexander's Summer Camp giveaway! Can't wait to hear your stories

• What’s in Outdoors had an amazing time with Frank Audano, Kim Burnett, Joe Bragg, Fred Agin, and Crappie Kelly at Bass Pro Shops in Olathe yesterday introducing youth and families alike to fishing.