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Pecos community engagement department hosts first-ever virtual fishing tournament during COVID

"They can see each other’s videos, so if they see somebody that may have caught a bigger fish than they have, they may go out there and try to catch a bigger one."

The sun is out, and as all good West Texas summers go, it's here to stay for a while. 

That's why the city of Pecos wants to invite you to step outside and soak up some sun rays, while keeping a safe social distance, of course. 

"We have a lot of people that like to go fishing and we thought why not try this idea and see if we can't get an interest in it," Oscar Ornelas, Pecos community engagement specialist said. 

Virtual fishing.

You heard that right. 

All you have to do is catch the biggest catfish in Lake Balmorhea, submit a photo or video of the fish next to a measurement tool of some kind, and then submit documentation of it being released back into the water. 

All on an app called fishdonkey. 

"We're hoping this will help people get out there, stay active, especially for a long time we were forced to stay locked down and not be able to do a lot of things," Ornelas said. 

The best part - it's free to enter!

"There's a lot of people still that are without jobs that are still facing financial pains because of the coronavirus, so we wanted to give them something that they could still participate in and that they weren't going to have to spend any money on," Ornelas said. 

And while the contest is being done digitally, there's nothing virtual about the prize. 

The winner gets a tackle box, full of everything you need for your next fishing trip.

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If you'd like to participate, there's only one submission per person, but you can redo your submission as many times as you'd like before Monday, June 29, 2020. The deadline is midnight on Sunday, June 28, 2020. 

If you miss this tournament, no need to worry. 

The city is hosting another one July 4, 2020. 

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