MEADVILLE – Franklin County’s Lake Okhissa will host the firstfishing tournament in its short history Saturday. And while thefish always lose, the fishermen will not be the only winners.

A portion of the $100 per person entry fee for the Okhissa LakeBig Bass Challenge, which begins at 6 a.m., will directly benefitthe Franklin County High School Scholarship Fund and othercommunity projects. Tournament director Eddie Roberts, owner ofEddie’s Marine and Tackle in Vidalia, La., and an outdoorcolumnist, said he expects the tournament to raise approximately$6,000 for the fund.

Roberts said the educational end to the tournament is helping topump up participation.

“We have people who normally don’t fish in tournaments, butthey’ve entered this one because it’s a benefit – they know wherethe money is going,” Roberts said. “For a first event, I feel likeit’s doing real well so far.”

The tournament will also take care of its fishermen.

At the end of the day, the biggest bass caught will earn thecatching fisherman an estimated $5,000 in prize money. Cash prizesranging from $500 down to $200 will be awarded for the winners ateach weigh-in. Weigh-ins occur every two hours.

Roberts said the tournament is attracting fishermen from nearand far – from New Orleans to Jackson. He also said Lincoln Countywould be sending a large contingent to the lake Saturday.

“My phone has been ringing every day, and about 90 percent ofthe calls are from that area,” he said.

Tournament positions remain open. Out of 150 possible boats,slightly more than 80 have committed thus far. The tournament canbe entered until 5 p.m. Thursday at the Bank of Franklin mainbranch in Meadville or at Eddie’s Marine and Tackle. Last-minuteentries will be accepted on the morning of the tournament at LakeOkhissa’s north landing.

The tournament will follow the normal rules of the lake. Thegoal of the contest is not to reel in entire schools of fish, butto catch the one perfect bass. Fishermen will have to comply withthe lake’s slot limit, which states that bass 16 to 20 inches inlength must be thrown back immediately.

Roberts does not expect the limitation to hinder the tournament,but rather to intensify the competition.

“All your big lakes have slot limits, so everyone is basicallyon the same page anyway,” he said. “Small fish will win a lot ofmoney in this tournament. This will also make the weigh-ins reallyclose.”

Lake Okhissa’s rules are designed to preserve good fishing forthe future. Bigger bass must be thrown back so that they will go onto produce more big bass.

“These rules are in place primarily because we want to protectthat size of fish for reproduction,” said Tim Sloane, a deputydistrict ranger with the USDA Forest Service. “We’re trying toproduce some trophy-size bass in Lake Okhissa.”

Boating speed limits will also apply to the tournament.

Sloane said most of the more than 1,000-acre lake has a “nowake” requirement and is limited to idle speed only. The forestservice has held several meetings with Roberts and the HomochittoHeritage Club, which is sponsoring the tournament, to ensure thatthe event goes over smoothly for fishermen and regular lake-goersalike.

“Okhissa Lake will be run just like it is every Saturday,”Sloane said. “The rules are in effect whether there’s a tournamentor not. We want organizations to be able to host tournaments but,at the same time, our focus is providing the rest of the publicwith an equal opportunity. We’ve focused on running this tournamentwith as little impact as possible on those not involved – a lot offolks may not even notice there is a tournament.”

Plenty of positions for the tournament remain open. Interestedpeople may contact Roberts at Eddie’s Marine and Tackle at (318)336-5133. Further information may be found on Roberts’ Web site atwww.fishingwitheddie.com.