Stop Number 1 is in the books! Lake Parker was a success, and the anglers enjoyed themselves. Seven teams ascended upon the Lake Parker waters on Saturday May 24^th to kick off the 2025 Florida Central Legacy Season.

We arrived at the Lake at 0530AM to wait for the park to open and once it was opened the anglers were met by our live well check team, calm clear skies, and 80-degree temperatures. As the anglers arrived, they launched their boats, visited the lavatory, finalized their plans of attack then fellowshipped for a bit while we waited for safe light. 06:00 AM, we conducted a quick rules review and had our opening prayer. At 06:15 AM the anglers took flight upon the Lake Parker waters to see who would be crowned Lake Parker Champions and who would catch the coveted trash fish trophy.  The weather was perfect all day other than being hot, and every now and then the wind would blow to help cool everyone off. The anglers returned at 1:00PM to weigh their fish as onlookers waited to see the fish themselves. Who would win? Would anyone bring a trash fish to the scales? We would all have to wait and see. At the conclusion of the weigh-in, the Champions would end up being the Father/Daughter team of Blaine and Zoe Partee with a bag weighing 13.42 pounds with a 7.85-pound kicker that would hold on to the big bass of the tournament honors when all was said and done. The big bass was caught by Youth angler Zoe herself as Daddy Blaine would make for a great net man on the day! Second place honors went to the newcomer Father/Son team of Tim and Liam Flowers with an 8.44-pound bag. The coveted trash fish award would go to the Father/Son team of Matt and Connor Fair with a big ‘ol gar fish! The “honorable mention” fish of the tournament was caught by Youth angler Layla Miller who affectionately named her fish… Jerry! Assistant Director and Chaplain, Joe would bring the inspirational message to the anglers who enjoyed pizza and waters while they awaited the trophy presentations.

Overall, it was a great stop on the trail and a great start to the season with all anglers catching fish and having a great time. Great camaraderie and fellowship were had by all and the anglers stayed around and fellowshipped afterwards. Now to the next stop on June 14^th on Lake Panasoffkee! If you missed this event, you can still qualify for the Legacy Nationals by fishing Lake Panasoffkee. See you all there and please invite a friend to join us!

We would like to thank our local sponsors, the City of Lakeland and Lake Parker Park for hosting us

We would like to thank all of our national sponsors, Basscat Boats, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Mercury, Realtree Fishing, Fenwick, Firefly Marine, Power-Pole, TH Marine, Frogg Toggs